The headline above is one I never would’ve imagined writing a few months ago, but alas, here we are!
As we work to stop the spread of COVID-19, keeping trips to the store to a minimum is in everyone’s best interest right now. But what to buy? Read on for our top picks and a few tips to help you figure out how to maximize your shopping trips!
Now, more than ever, it’s important to do whatever we can to make food choices that support our health and immune system:
- Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables! They provide an array of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and can improve our antibody response.
- Don’t skimp on protein! Protein plays a vital role in maintaining/repairing muscle tissue and fighting viral and bacterial infections.
- Including healthy fats will help with the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, and keep our brains and hormones functioning optimally.
With many local grocery store shelves looking pretty barren, you may have trouble finding certain things (chicken and bread are pretty scarce around here right now!), but here are a list of healthy picks that you can store in your pantry, fridge, or freezer.
Fruits and Vegetables
- Frozen bagged vegetables, like stir-fry mix, vegetable medleys, broccoli, cauliflower rice, or frozen berries are all versatile options to have on hand
- Fruits like oranges, clementines, apples, and unripe bananas and pears all have decent countertop staying power
- Vegetables like squash, cucumbers, cabbage, brussels sprouts, onions, celery, beets, carrots, and potatoes/sweet potatoes all have a good shelf life either in the fridge or out of it
- Canned vegetables are also decent options, especially canned tomatoes and tomato sauce
- For fruits and vegetables that don’t stay long in the fridge, Rubbermaid Fresh Saver containers or Blue Apple produce savers will help extend the life of things like berries, asparagus, and leafy greens
Protein
- Fresh Chicken (if you can find it to freeze) or frozen chicken breasts
- Canned or Vacuum-Sealed tuna
- Frozen Seafood like shrimp, salmon, and mahi mahi are all pretty easy to track down right now!
- Protein Powder and Protein Bars
- Turkey Burgers or lean ground turkey
- Meatballs
Pantry
- Chickpeas, beans, or lentils
- Boxed rice or quinoa
- Oatmeal
- Ezekiel Bread or Sprouted Grain bread that stays fresh in the fridge
Fats
- Olive Oil/Olive Oil Spray
- Nuts or Nut Butters
- Ground Flaxseed
- Fish Oil
Shopping Tips:
- Before you head to the store, take inventory of what you have at home and make a plan for all of your meals and snacks for the next week or two.
- Make a list of all the ingredients you need. This will keep you from impulse-buying things you don’t really need and ensure you have all of the ingredients so you don’t wind up having to head back out.
- Don’t forget your favorite condiments! Mustard, salsa, Bolthouse Dressings, and J Hughes Sugar Free are some of our favorites!
- Don’t stock up on things you don’t normally eat. In times like these, people often panic and run out to buy a lot of things they deem important for survival, but if you know you don’t like to eat beans, rice, or frozen fish–save your money and skip those things!
- Limit purchases of processed snack foods and sugary treats: Boredom snacking and emotional eating will be peaking in the coming weeks. While having a few sweet treats or snacks on hand is totally ok, avoid loading up on things you know you have trouble controlling yourself with. Another option is to buy smaller, single-serving packages if you struggle with portion control.
- In terms of “stocking up”, don’t take it too literally. You should have about 2 weeks worth of staples, but try not to clear out the shelves of any one particular item or buy way more than you need–other people need those things, too!
There are many things we can’t control right now, but we CAN control what we put into our bodies!
If you are struggling right now and need some support and accountability, Contact Us to get started with our Nutrition Program today!
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