The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. From the work-from-home routine to irregular meals, the sudden outbreak of coronavirus has had an impact on everyone's lives, including little children.
Several studies show that people are trying to adapt to the pandemic by changing their food habits. But at times this adversely impacts the body’s nutrition needs. Some people have stopped eating vegetables and fruits because of the fear of infection. Others, hoping to cleanse the virus from raw fruits and vegetables use solutions of vinegar or baking soda to wash them, which removes some nutrients and reduces their shelf life.
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On the occasion of Poshanmaah,let us discuss the logic behind the “eat right, bite by bite” principle. Though some eateries have starting opening up, most people are still uncomfortable about dining out, although there has been a major spike in home delivery of meals. For others, particularly those under quarantine and self-isolation because they have either tested positive or are suspected of being infected, there is no choice but local or home made food, which minimises the risk. The trend of eating home-cooked food is also growing, ensuring that basic nutrition is maintained.
Apart from this, Covid-19 has also brought several changes to our lifestyle, which directly or indirectly affects our physical and psychological well-being. The food industry is also experiencing a major shuffle in the consumer preferences, the quantum of which is still being assessed by experts in the fields.
An antioxidant rich diet with a balanced food intake and regular physical activity is the key to ensure good immunity against the viral disease. But due to scarce resources and the fear of consuming contaminated items, a lot of nutrition is lost. Prolonged cooking too dilutes the nutrition value of food. Many people have stopped eating non- vegetarian food, without adjusting their protein intake from other sources.
Also, the loss of approximately 25 million jobs worldwide till date has caused havoc with the food and nutrition security of people, particularly the poorer families.
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Keeping this in mind, we will soon be sharing some simple recipes, using limited resources and easy cooking techniques, which will allow you to maintain complete, holistic nutrition, bite by bite.
Watch this space.
(The author is a lifestyle coach and diet counsellor. She tweets @Bipasha1sugati)
