How to eat during quarantine

“The best is the enemy of the good” -Voltaire

I think it’s fair to say we all find ourselves in a new reality we have never experienced before. Social distancing, sheltering-in-place, and efforts to “flatten the curve” have thrown off the normal rhythms of our everyday lives and created much anxiety and uncertainty. 

When regular routines are neglected it feels like our lives are out of control. It’s like going on vacation for too long, breaks from work are needed but when we have too much free time we can fall into some bad habits that are hard to break. One of the biggest things people have had to adjust to during this time is eating all of their meals at home.

Staying at home 24/7 has affected our eating habits in many ways. People who may not have regularly cooked meals at home may now be forced to because they cannot get lunch at their place of work. There are many people who are experiencing food insecurity because of the loss of jobs. Overeating is easy to do when you work from home and don’t get as much physical activity as you would normally. We turn to food as a coping mechanism because we feel stressed about what is happening in the world around us. If you feel like you have eaten one too many cookies or reached for a bag of chips more often than a piece of fruit, you’re not alone! Our body craves high calorie/ sugary foods in high-stress situations hoping to get immediate satisfaction from the surge of dopamine these foods bring. 

When you are trying to adjust to quarantine life here are three simple strategies you can use to practice good eating habits:

1. Keep your meal times normal

The best thing we can do for ourselves when life feels out of control is to keep to a regularly scheduled routine. Wake up at the time you usually would wake up in the morning, and go through your morning routine (which may or may not involve wearing real pants). If you are used to eating lunch at 1:00 pm at work, eat lunch at 1:00 pm at your house. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you of your meal times so you aren’t unconsciously working through them. 

2. Create “one use rooms”

Working from home is convenient in a lot of ways. You don’t have to factor in a commute, you get to see your family more (a little too much maybe), but it can be difficult to be productive if all your daily activities happen in one space. If you use your bed as your office, kitchen table, and a place for sleeping, it can be hard to separate work time from playtime. Answering work emails can easily evolve into watching Youtube. “One use rooms” means designating places in your house that are only for certain tasks. Your kitchen table is for eating, the desk in the basement is for working, and your bed is for sleeping. If you live in a small apartment you can designate certain corners of the room: chair: working, couch: watching TV, etc. This can help with unwanted snacking because if you want a snack while you are working you will have to physically stop what you are doing and go to a new location which is far less tempting than having a bag of chips open on your work desk. 

3. Choose connection over consumption

If you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious reach out to someone you trust to talk to. When you feel the urge to open the fridge due to boredom take out your phone and call your mom or your best friend instead. Maybe meal times are lonely because you live by yourself. Try to video chat with a friend while you are eating for some human interaction. Go for a walk (or to your window or balcony) to get some fresh air and exercise. 

It is OKAY if your eating patterns have been totally out of whack lately. It’s okay if you have been snacking more or eating more comfort foods. That is normal and I would say at times necessary. I’ve had my fair share of donuts this week! We want to have a balanced diet but when we obsess about everything we put in our mouths that can trigger a lot more anxiety, the very thing we wanted to avoid in the first place. 

Having an “all or nothing” mindset can be crippling in a lot of ways. We often feel defeated after eating an unhealthy meal when we had the intention of eating healthy. This can lead to forgoing future attempts to eat healthy because we already messed up. But this one choice does not define you. Every small choice you make in a positive direction is a vote for a healthier you. So the next time you beat yourself up for not eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day remember, one serving is better than none!

Keep thriving.

Erica