Healthy Ways To Eat And Drink During Coronavirus Quarantine

The next few weeks will include unprecedented challenges for countless Americans. Never before have huge swaths of the population been confined to their houses for an indefinite amount of time. The temptation to stress-eat will be unyielding. But by taking a few simple steps to ensure access to healthier food and drink, you can keep yourself in good shape, while simultaneously supporting your immune system. It doesn’t have to be a chore. Check out these sensible options, all available by delivery directly to right to your door. So you can #stayhome as you stay fit.

^{Get Great Ingredients}

Since you’re confined for weeks, you’ve probably stocked up on plenty of canned goods. But many of these products are of minimal nutritional value. Consider signing up for community-supported agriculture if there’s one available in your neighborhood. Or sign up for Farmbox Direct, a delivery service providing organic and natural produce to many parts of the country. Boxes range in price from $48-$69 and include a wide range of colorful staples fresh from the garden. Weekly delivery is optional, and each bundle is assessed a $6 fee for shipping and handling.

“It’s important to find a silver lining in these trying times,” explains Mike Bagale, a three Michelin-starred chef who now runs a global culinary consulting firm called Super Food Concepts. “Hopefully it’ll provide an opportunity to return to our roots and learn to appreciate the beauty and satiating quality of whole foods. Perhaps under these conditions, individuals are better able to appreciate perfection in simplicity: like an olive oil and lemon- dressed shaved vegetable salad.”

^{Research Recipes}

This one might seem like mere common sense. Yet a surprising percentage of Americans refuse to crack open a cookbook before they get going in the kitchen. With the added downtime that quarantine provides, a simple Google search will provide you with great ways to put your pantry to use. Or you can consult the experts directly. Allen Susser, a James Beard Award-winning chef at the Jade Mountain resort in St. Lucia, is using the property’s Instagram to provide culinary insight. In the comments section, let him know what ingredients you’re working with, and he’ll respond with his own specialized recipe. In the single day since his post went live, he’s already helped thousands aspiring gourmands.

^{Drink More Tea}

For thousands of years, humanity has turned to tea as a source of soothing stability. But some varieties provide more than mere mental health. Oolong, for example, is noted for its metabolism-boosting effects. LA-based Chado Tea recently introduced a lineup of turmeric tea blends, which pairs the immunity-boosting herb with a variety of traditional flavors; rooibos, hibiscus, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. While their brick-and-mortars are currently closed, Chado is offering all of its blends online at 20% off, with free shipping for orders over $45.

^{Air Fry}

Fried foods are a perennial favorite in the United States. Whether its chicken, sweet potato, traditional potato sticks, zucchini, eggplant, everything—it seems—is more awesome when it’s crispy and crunchy. It’s also a lot less healthful, of course. Unless you get yourself an air fryer. This increasingly popular tabletop appliance uses hot, circulating air to crisp up your favorite food items without the use of any oils. And it does it pretty fast and painlessly. Dash offers its compact model—with a a 2-quart capacity fry basket—for just $50. It’s sold on their website as well as on Amazon.

^{Consider Your Cooking Oils}

If you are going to cook with oils, choose wisely. “Your absolute best option—and what I always use at home—is avocado oil,” says Kat Odell, author of Unicorn Food: Beautiful Plant-Based Recipes to Nurture Your Inner Magical Beast. “It’s somewhat of a neutral-tasting oil, and is packed with the good fats (monounsaturated) you need in your diets. Perhaps most importantly, it has a very high smoke point—up to 500 degrees.” Olivado is an online store where you can order and ship extra virgin avocado oil to your home for around $16 per 250ml bottle. You’ll also find it for sale at most major online food retailers.

^{Support Local}

Preparing a proper meal every night is demanding, of course. And now you know how hard those in the foodservice industry have it (which is another reason why you might consider donating to their relief efforts right now). So when you need a break from the constant labors of the kitchen, be sure to support small business when using those online meal services. It’s not just that these local entities need your help now more than ever. You’re also a lot more likely to get wholesome ingredients and nutritional value from dishes prepared close to home, as opposed to recently-thawed fare from the big chains. “Trusting and supporting local farmers is the way nature intended,” Bagale reminds us. “Seek out the chefs that believe in this, and give them some love.”