One Student's Social Distancing Diet Tips

04.05.2020

Good for Mind, Body and Wallet

A pandemic changes a lot of people’s way of life. We are inside our houses most of the time to avoid unnecessary contact with others to keep ourselves safe. But apart from social distancing, are we keeping our body systems safe? This, of course, has a lot to do with our meal consumption, that whether we like it or not has changed too. Our access to most of the food we consumed before the pandemic struck is now limited.

Sylvia C.A. Effendi, an IBA student of marketing and communications at WUAS, adjusted a few things in her diet in order to get herself into a healthier way of eating, besides being easier on the pocket, while working from home over the past three weeks. One of Sylvia's favourite meals is breakfast. For this she opts for fruit, müesli and nuts mixed in yoghurt with a bit of honey.

Yoghurt, Müesli, Nuts and Fruit Mix

Daily vegetable and fruit intake
Cook batches of vegetable soup or stew that could last a few days. When there is too much, the freezer will keep them safe and the stove can reheat them pretty quickly.

Dried and canned products

Canned fish like tuna and mackerel are very rich in protein, vitamins and minerals; they work well for making sandwiches, pasta or as part of cooked meals. Rice and couscous are handy and price-friendly. These things keep a long time in storage too.

Healthy snacking

If you have not been snacking healthily, perhaps this is the perfect time to get used to it. Snacks can vary from nuts and dried fruits, to boiled eggs, yoghurt or cheese.

On top of what you eat, Sylvia recommends drinking plain water to improve the immune system. She also recommends doing grocery shopping only for a week ahead to reduce the risk of unnecessary food waste. Read more about maintaining a healthy diet during COVID-19 from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations here: http://www.fao.org/3/ca8380en/CA8380EN.pdf