HOLD IT! Drop the biscuits.

We know how easy it is to give in to snacking and ‘easy eats’ at the moment. Your usual schedule has gone out the window, meal plan down the drain and who even knows what day it is anymore?

(Not to mention that your social media feed is full of glorious looking banana bread…)

But it is more important than ever to maintain a healthy balanced diet and boost your immune system. We have put together some handy starting points below to help you ensure you are giving your body what it needs.

If you are worried about your weight during this time One You East Sussex are now supporting people remotely to achieve their goals.

Plan ahead

Whether cooking for one, or for an entire family, meal planning is an essential first step. It can help you to reduce food waste, be more cost-effective and ensure you avoid the dreaded “what’s for dinner?” fridge scan before opting, again, for beans on toast.

Plan meals for the week that use similar ingredients to reduce food wastage, especially with your fresh produce. For example: the peppers and sausages you bought for that casserole could also work in an omelette.

The One You Easy Meals app is great for giving you simple, healthy meal ideas and even emails you shopping lists based on the ingredients and there a load of printable meal plan sheets online for you to fill in and customise.

You can also find lots of family friendly meal ideas for feeding the little ones at Change4Life.

Take advantage of your freezer

The forward-thinking sibling of the meal plan is the meal prep! Big batch, one pot meals like chilis, curries, soups and stews are great to pack full of veggies and healthy ingredients and are super easy to portion out and freeze. What better on a day when you just can’t face cooking than having a lovely home cooked bolognese you can simply defrost and reheat?

Snack alternatives

Procrastin-eating – we’re all guilty of it! If you are adjusting to working from home or having to fill your days in other ways, it can be very easy to fall into the trap of simply grabbing a chocolate bar while you send those emails, or making another slice of toast because you are bored.

Keeping healthy alternatives to your junk food faves around can help to scratch that itch. Here are some ideas:

  • Nuts and dried fruit – maybe even add some dark chocolate chips to appease a sweet tooth
  • Crudités and hummus – an excellent way to use up any salad veg you have lying around, and just think of all those hummus flavour options!
  • Apple slices with peanut butter – PB used sparingly is a good source of healthy fats, protein and vitamins E and B
  • Kale chips – super easy to make at home: Mix chopped kale with a little olive oil and salt, spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 175°C for 10-15 minutes until crispy!
  • Frozen cherries (or any frozen fruit) and Greek yoghurt – works excellently as an ice cream alternative for dessert too.

Stay hydrated

Keeping yourself hydrated is key to functioning at your best. This doesn’t have to be just by drinking endless glasses of water though. Tea, coffee, fruit juice and squash all count towards your daily recommended 8 glasses (around 1.2 to 1.5 litres) but keep the caffeine to a minimum in the afternoon so as not to disrupt your sleep.

Shop local and small

Big supermarkets aren’t high on the fun list at the best of times, but right now they are increasingly stressful environments. Many smaller local shops such as bakeries and greengrocers are still open or offering local deliveries and may help you to avoid the queues. Websites like Local Food Britain, or even Google Maps are useful in helping you to locate places nearby and many are finding ways to still make their businesses work within the current restrictions.

A little of what you fancy…

Don’t completely ban yourself from the fun stuff (we certainly aren’t!), it will boost your mood and make you feel good but remember – all in moderation.

Happy eating!