The pandemic changed how we cooked at our house, and we will continue implementing these healthier strategies
Before the pandemic, we would be eating at different times, often rushing to get to the school bus, after-school activity or meeting. While being all at home poses its challenges, learning to focus on food as a central theme is something we want to carry forward.
Tips for Mindful Eating
Learn Seasonal Recipes: Monotony in the diet makes mealtime into a chore. Find new seasonal recipes and set aside time to browse recipes on a quiet moment weekly or monthly.
Set a Schedule: Having a weekly menu takes the stress out of needing to re-invent the wheel each night.
Plan Ahead: During the pandemic, we learned to make a single journey to the grocery store. This alone saved time, energy and money.
Snack Before Grocery: Before before going to the store or placing an online grocery order, make the shopping list. Have a snack before heading to the store to avoid impulse purchases that are high in preservatives, inflammatory fats, sugar or salt.
Batch Cook: Whether you live alone or with others, keeping freezer-safe glass containers on hand for freezing leftovers, means being able to defrost a meal when needed.
Meal Swap: Consider finding a match with a friend or trusted neighbour to each double up the quantity of a recipe, and trade. Sometimes it tastes better when you didn't have to make it yourself!
Pressure Cook for Time Efficiency: The old pressure cookers needed a careful monitoring to avoid burning the meals. Modern pressure cookers come with timers to automatically turn on and off. For breakfasts, a buckwheat porridge can be be hot and ready when you wake up. For dinner, a frozen chicken can be falling off the bone in 30 minutes.
The Stomach has No Teeth: No really! Sitting down at a table to eat a meal promotes a calmer state to receive food. Chewing each bite thoroughly gets the digestive tract primed for digestion.
Enjoy the Food: Thank the food, thank the farmers, thank the rain, thank the soil. Gratitude and appreciation go a long way.
© Dr. Allison Freeman ND