Our world is changing rapidly by the minute, and you may suddenly be dealing with children who are home from school indefinitely, as well as working from home yourself. Although stress eating probably goes hand-in-hand with panic buying, it’s best if you can avoid doing both! It’s also important to keep your immunity strong at this time, which means staying hydrated, eating well-balanced nutritious meals featuring lots of colorful vegetables and adequate protein and getting enough sleep and exercise.
Here are my suggestions for continuing to live a low carb lifestyle while maintaining your waistline, your health and your sanity during these challenging times:
- To start, you’ve probably already taken a hard look at what you have in your pantry and your fridge. This is also a great opportunity to spring clean your kitchen. While I’m not advocating you toss all the tempting kid-friendly meals in your freezer, I’m suggesting ways you can help mediate their impact.
- Next, make the most of your pantry staples, and start planning family-friendly meals such as taco bars and salad bars (which can easily be modified for your low carb lifestyle), plus try these suggestions for low carb slow cooker and one-pot meals, plus shopping tips.
- If you haven’t already, learn to love your leftovers! Make extra of anything you cook so everyone has easy access to lunch options, and you can double any recipe that freezes well to lessen the nightly cooking duty.
- The good news is that the wintry weather is beginning to lighten up. Take advantage of spring vegetables in season and the delicious recipes you can make with them.
- It’s also important to support your local restaurants, plus you may just need a break from cooking! Most restaurants may be moving toward to-go or delivery options for the time being. Just follow my low carb eating out guide so you can make the healthiest choices.
- Routine is key. In this time of uncertainty, establishing a schedule might help alleviate the stress levels for yourself and your kids. Set times for study and work hours and get them involved in planning meals, making menus, cooking and cleaning!
- Get moving. Exercise is very important, as not only does it help compensate for any stress eating, it may help alleviate depression and is a nice distraction from 24-7 news updates. In addition, a little sunlight will provide some Vitamin D which can support your immunity. If at all possible, try to get outside for a run, hike or walk (practicing proper social distancing with anyone you may encounter, of course). The state of New York is actually waiving fees for local, county and state parks to encourage residents to get outside. If that is not an option, you can download exercise apps that provide workouts you can follow, as well as order equipment online such as resistance bands and kettlebells to pump up your at-home workouts.
Is there any silver lining out of all of this? Well, studies do show that eating together as a family may lead to healthier food choices and improved long-term physical and mental health. While we are experiencing a total change in our on-the-go lifestyles, maybe slowing down and doing our best to embrace this time with our families might also have its benefits.
Stay tuned, as I will continue to keep you updated on how you can continue to stay healthy and happy during these interesting times.
As always, I’d love to hear your tips for how you’re living your low carb lifestyle, getting workouts in and creative shopping and recipe ideas! Join us in the community forums and share your stories of how you are coping.