Lockdown Diet: Acing the Art of Balance

Planning a balanced lockdown diet might feel like a mammoth task, but is actually pretty simple once you ace these mantras.

Staying home is essential for our country’s health right now. Important to reduce the curve, it might pull us towards a haphazard routine, late-nights and a diet that is the opposite of balanced.

Having a healthy lockdown diet might seem like a task as we’re so used to the idea of a 360-degree diet revamp.

Much to our surprise, a balanced diet can be made right off our existing kitchen shelves. The Indian diet has always had much to offer in terms of health and a stronger immunity. To add to that, all the COVID-19 knowledge resources from doctors and health professionals focus on the importance of a simple and nutrition-rich lockdown diet, along with adequate water consumption.

Adding to the foods you are used to not only boost one’s immunity but improves digestion, lubrication, and blood circulation.

To begin with, it’s important to build a mindset for clean eating to create your balanced diet. The goal is to balance your system by burning more calories than you eat- it’s really that simple.

Tracking calories with the help of free fitness applications does give one an approximate idea. To add to that, we recommend investing in a food scale to be aware of how much you’re really consuming to make tracking all the more easier.

DOES THE LOCKDOWN AFFECT YOUR BODY?

Living at home at a stretch isn’t all that easy. As humans we aren’t used to being enclosed inside four walls. This also makes for the number one reason for the sluggish, and lethargic days. The dread and anxiety ramps up that that feeling- making your chances of daily exercise and a focussed diet a far off dream.

But then again, our mind moves as we will it. Making slight changes like leaving your workspace to keep the ingredients ready (which is actually just a 5-minute task), or infusing your water and keeping it in the fridge will lead you closer to your goals. Also, just forcing yourself out of bed and chopping those veggies will help you feel a sense of calm- while also decreasing screen time.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR METABOLISM DURING LOCKDOWN

Improving your metabolism is easy with focussed mindfulness, even during the lockdown. Planning a whole, nutrient-rich lockdown diet coupled with daily exercise and ample water should be one’s go-to Lockdown mantra. Although, before we get into the broad guidelines, it is essential to unlearn our concepts about fats and carbs. It does take a while to understand the good and bad side of food. Many of us take extreme calls by shedding off carbs completely from our diet and sticking to protein. This is only going to make you weaker in the long run as you’re not giving your body enough nutrients to function well.

Like everything in life, there is a good and bad side to a single entity. Carbs and fats come in good forms as well, and actually enhance one’s diet by a great level.

When we talk about good carbs, we talk about whole and unprocessed carbs like wheat products, grains, vegetables, whole fruits, pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds, quinoa etc.

These foods take longer to digest, thus keeping one full for a longer time.

Any processed foods like pasta, white bread, or pastries are refined carbs and should be minimised. There are people who’ve gone on to develop cravings for whole-wheat pasta, while being able to stay off the bloated feeling that comes with consuming its unhealthy equivalent.

As for good fats- sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, walnuts, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines), soymilk and tofu make for the good fats in your diet. Adding them in place of refined burgers and pizzas is going to make you feel energetic and stronger.

HOW TO PLAN YOUR LOCKDOWN EATING SCHEDULE

As our movement is comparatively lower during the lockdown, our body does not really require all four meals to function. Consuming a whole and balanced lockdown diet twice a day works for most people while also keeping unhealthy weight in check. This also removes any scope for being too lazy to prepare something on your own.

Also, as each individual has different capacities- you can divide your portions every three hours if you cannot consume your meal in one go. Healthy or unhealthy, consuming more than you can isn’t good for you and will leave you over-full and unhappy.

During the lockdown, we might also experience random cravings. Take a moment to actually listen to your body to understand the difference between hunger and thirst. Keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day is not only going to improve your metabolism, but keep your digestion strong too. As water is the most important element in one’s diet, we at iLIV focus on water that is balanced. Our water looks after the body’s need for balance and is neither too acidic nor alkaline. After diligent research, we invented a water system that understands how water impacts each of our choices. Our balanced water enhances the body’s nutrient absorption rate, leading to a healthier and stronger lifestyle.

SNACKING DURING LOCKDOWN

An exciting thing about balancing your diet is learning the art of balanced snacking.

Balanced snacking can be a mix of healthy and delicious with the right amount of protein, carbs and essential fats. Soya, yogurt, nuts, makhana, can calm your craving while making you stay away from bad fats.

The desire to snack can also emanate from listless boredom. For such times, move around the house, and take 5-10 rounds walking around a particular stretch. Even then if snacking is pulling your attention, go ahead and make a quick cup of lemon honey tea. iLIV’s on-tap hot water button will surely quicken this process, while giving you enough time to walk around sipping your favourite beverage.

DON’T OBSESS OVER YOUR WEIGHT

This is a crucial time for your heart and mind, and adding another stress point is only going to make you feel like giving up. In case you’re into focussed exercising and are mixing your workouts with cardio, strength and weight training- it is obvious that you would be building your muscle over time. As muscle weighs more than fat, the numbers are going to ramp up.

Although, a focussed diet and exercise routine is essential to be sure of the good weight, so keep the exercise going, even on the most sluggish days!

WELCOME THE BOUNTY OF SEASONAL FRUITS

Seasonal fruits are around us for a reason. What could be better than adding God’s own creation to your diet. Each fruit improves your health as it’s made of natural sugars, and healthy carbs.

Be it mangoes, bananas, apples, or musk melons, each of these fruits keep your energy and water content high. Another way to utilise the power of fruits to enhance your diet is infusing your water with your preferred flavour. This practice adds taste to your water, while increasing your water consumption. This Instagram account one healthy eating really helps one re-learn food concepts in a deliciously balanced way.

Having a diet list in front of you is only going to make follow-throughs tougher. On the other hand, inventing your own delicacies within the healthy and balanced space is not only going to make you the master of your diet, it is also going to turn into a life-long habit.

Liked what you read? Bookmark this article to go back to un-learning and re-learning the ways to a healthier and balanced you.