Lockdown: top kitchen tips for food management and hygiene

Here are some great tips on how to keep the kitchen stocked and the family well-fed during lockdown, plus some extra survival tips, because why not?

Where possible we need to keep up our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains, plenty of greens, protein and fibre. We need nutrition, it is essential for our general wellbeing, but in times where we need to keep our immune system at its best this is even more important.

It may be difficult to buy everything you would normally due to a lot of people panic buying in the supermarkets. However, don’t give up! Here are some top tips on food management now that lockdown is in full force and means we can’t go out to eat, and should not order in to prevent the spread of this nasty virus.

Please be aware that the virus can survive on surfaces and so keeping everything disinfected is essential.

It feels as though some of the advice is over the top, however this is all designed to first of all ensure our safety and of course prevent the spread of COVID-19.

KEEP CLEAN – lockdown hygiene

If you have been out and are returning home, as you come into the house do not touch anything until you have washed your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.

If you bring anything into the house from outside make sure you clean each item, especially reusable bags and all your purchases. Following this you’ll need to wash your hands again as well as any surfaces any of the items have touched. You could even be carrying it on your shoes so if you can leave these at the door, even better.

PLAN AHEAD – lockdown organisation

Make a meal planner; the number of people in your home is not going to change over the course of this lockdown so it’ll be simple to know the amounts of ingredients you will need as well as the tastes and preferences of those eating. Sit down and make some meal ideas with the family and give someone the task of turning it into a calendar to be pinned up in the kitchen. Making your weekly meal planner could include taking some time with your lockdown partners and coming up with some new recipes from the millions available online. Making a plan also allows for taking turns in the kitchen, preparing ahead of time, and keeps the kitchen stocked efficiently as you purchase exactly what is needed for the week ahead.

PLANT-BASED – lockdown essentials

If you can, while you are planning your meals, try to incorporate as many types of fruits and vegetables as possible, include whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. These will help to keep your gut healthy as well as boost your immune system.

FREEZE IT – lockdown prep

If you have the luxury of a big enough freezer it is a great idea to make up some hearty one-pot meals such as stews, soups, curry, sauces; enough for two or three servings of that meal, and freeze in portions. When it is time for that meal all you need to do is defrost it and make the rice, pasta, potatoes, grains, and fresh vegetables to go with it. This means you could limit your time in the kitchen to one day per week cooking up a few meals all at once for the entire week to come.

As well as stocking up on pre-cooked meals the freezer is also extremely useful for stocking up on perishables which helps reduce our visits to the shops, thus aiding in our social distancing. Fresh sliced bread, butter, fresh juice, stock, and meat can all be frozen. Be sure to seal all wrapping.  Frozen fruit is also extremely useful in these moments, you can add them to your smoothies, on muesli or cereal, or your dessert, to keep up your vitamin intake. Maybe even try making homemade ice cream?

LONG LIFE – lockdown storage

Another way to avoid having to visit the shops regularly is to buy items that last, such as long life milk. If you prefer plant milks then this is great news as they do not need to be refrigerated until opened and have a long shelf life.

Obviously dry store products such as pasta, rice, lentils, chick peas, beans, will all last for (let’s hope) the entirety of this situation.

BALANCE – lockdown sanity

Eating is something we could quite possibly end up doing too much of in lockdown. Don’t reach for the fridge door in times of boredom, try and stick to your three healthy meals a day. If you really need a snack then opt for a piece of fruit or any healthy alternative and limit sugary treats to a minimum. Drink plenty of water; at least eight glasses a day (this also helps you to feel more full) and keep up the exercise. Sleeping for at least eight hours a night will also help to keep that essential balance we need to keep our bodies and minds healthy.

Aside from all this, try to make sure you find some time to do things you enjoy, obviously not all of them are currently achievable but we need to keep our spirits up in such uncertain times. So call a friend or loved one, take a long bath, listen to your favourite music, get stuck in to a good book, get creative, learn a language, write a poem, whatever floats your boat! This is an essential part of making it through this with a smile on your face…as Deepak Chopra has recently claimed, emotions are far more contagious than this virus!

BOTTOM LINE

Lockdown doesn’t change what you need to be healthy – eat well, sleep well, exercise well, drink water and nurture your soul.