By Lindsay Kluge

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February 19, 2021

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Here are a few tips to support your eating habits, especially for those staying at home throughout the day:

• Meal prep or batch cook – When you have meals (or parts of a meal) already prepped and ready, it makes throwing a breakfast, lunch or dinner together much easier and less overwhelming when it’s time to feed yourself or your family. One of the main reasons folks are eating take-out, fast food, or going out to eat is due to lack of time or a sense of overwhelm and feeling unprepared at meal time. Here are some foundational pieces of a healthy meal you can prep once per week, and add to most any meal:
  1. A pot of quinoa, lentils or wild rice, cooked in a broth base
  2. A large chopped salad with greens, carrots, celery, peppers or any seasonal veggies available to you. Pre-chop and throw this together in an airtight container as a vegetable rich base for a meal. Add later – salmon, hard boiled eggs, nuts and seeds, grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms and/or a whole grain.
  3. 1-2 pans of roasted vegetables such as butternut squash, broccoli, beets, onions, brussel sprouts or acorn squash. Keep these in an air tight container to add to any meal for extra veggies and fiber.
  4. Pre-chop, wash, and portion out your smoothie ingredients for quick preparation in the morning, or for a snack midday.

Read more: Favorite Spring Recipes

Read more: RNM’s Favorite Crock-pot Recipes 

• Start your day with fruits and vegetables – Morning is a great time to make sure you’re getting in at least 3-5 servings of veggies and fruits right away, especially if you find yourself grazing or skipping meals later in the day. Veggie based smoothies, frittatas with lots of vegetables, or adding plenty of fresh fruits into yogurt or (non-instant) oatmeal is a great way to start.

 

• Make your own snacks – A common difficulty folks are having working from home is constant snacking. If you’re a grazer and prone to reaching for quick bites, choose one or two recipes to batch cook as your snacks for the week, making your snack choices a little healthier and more nutrient dense.
• 1. Almond butter stuffed dates with sesame seeds
  2. Carrot sticks with hummus or yogurt
  3. Grapes or small oranges
  4. Homemade snack bars

 

• Set “open / close” hours on your kitchen – Following the same difficulty as snacking, when we’re at home the kitchen is always open and available, causing many people to eat constantly, or irregularly. Set specific times for breakfast, lunch and dinner in your daily schedule when the kitchen is open for use. Enjoy your meals at this time, then “close” the kitchen with maybe tape across the entry, or gently tie a ribbon around the refrigerator or pantry handles. Do this after dinner as well to decrease mindless snacking before bed if this is an area you struggle with.

 

• Remember to balance your plate – One of the most basic and fundamental places to begin enhancing your nutrition practice is to balance your plate. A balanced meal should have a healthy fat (avocado, seeds, nuts, nut butters, salmon etc), protein (eggs, animal proteins, tempeh, tofu, legumes etc), carbohydrates (things like potatoes, beans, whole grains and fruits) and, non-starchy carbohydrates (such a greens and vegetables). The more balance you can keep in your meals, the more nutrients and energy your body can utilize from these whole foods. Even if it’s just one meal per day, try to make this balance a priority.

Read more: Eating 5 different colors each day

If you need more individual support with your health and nutrition during this time, considering making an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors here at Richmond Natural Medicine.