Due to city quarantine measures, many people spend more time at home than they’ve ever been in a while. Companies have shut down their offices and deployed their employees to a work-from-home set-up. Universities and schools have moved to online classes, too.
Without much of a social life and easy access to snacks, people are now vulnerable to mindless snacking. Binging on TV shows require snacks after all, but they can’t burn all these excess calories because gyms are closing down. Weight gain and other health problems may arise as a result of staying indoors.
Here are a few ways you can curb excessive snacking and stay in tip-top shape.
Buy Only What You Need
It’s tempting to hoard snacks and treats but to prevent unhealthy eating, buy only what you need. Make a meal plan and stick to it.
This meal plan should include your snacks. Choose food items that make you feel full longer, like protein-dense food items. Instead of buying chips and sweets, opt for nuts, seeds, keto cookies, and kale chips. Quinoa paired with vegetables can be a quick, healthy, and filling for in-between meals. You can also binge on carrots and cucumbers, dipped in hummus with paprika. Watch your water intake, too. Instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, stock up on water, so you won’t consume excess calories.
List down your meal plans and follow them strictly when you’re going to buy groceries. Moreover, use what you have in your pantry before shopping. This prevents you from stocking up on too much food, which you’ll either be forced to finish or throw away.
Watch Your Salt and Sugar Intake
People who stay indoors understandably consume a lot of canned and processed food items, which are high on salt. If this is the case, avoid adding too much salt when you cook these food items to keep your salt consumption to a healthy level. Swap the salt shaker for dried herbs and spices.
The same goes for your sugar consumption. It’s easy to dump sweet treats and candy in your shopping cart, on account of the TV shows you’d watch during the weekend. However, small portions taken every day may add up to an unhealthy amount of sugar. So instead of sweets, fill your shopping basket with fresh or canned fruit. You can also snack on dried fruit while watching your shows.
Salt and sugar are alright, but be mindful of your portions.
Use Fresh Ingredients
Even though you have the option to stock up on processed food, fresh ingredients are better for your health. If your pantry and fridge are filled with fresh meat, fruits, vegetables, and reduced-fat dairy, you’ll be forced to cook healthy meals and snack mindfully.
Make sure you buy enough so you don’t have to rely on delivery. Home-cooked meals tend to use less salt, fat, and oil than their fast food counterparts. If you can’t help eating something processed or fast food, like crackers or chips, pair them with something fresh, like salsa or guacamole.
Staying indoors gives people access to a lot of snacks, but you should be mindful of everything you lay on the dinner table. By sticking to healthy ingredients and portions, you’ll stay fit and ready to step out once more once quarantine measures are lifted.