LOSE THOSE EXTRA POUNDS BEFORE A 2ND WAVE OF COVID...
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LOSE THOSE EXTRA POUNDS
While life has improved post-lockdown, few people think this Covid thing is over.
On the one hand, remedies which apparently reduce the worst effects of the virus are being marketed, and there are hopeful noises about an early vaccine.
On the other hand, effective contact tracing - without which we could be up the creek without a paddle come 'flu season - appears further and further away as time goes by.
Though no one knows what will happen, we are braced for a Second Wave in the autumn and wondering what - if anything - can be done to protect our loved ones.
We're already wearing Masks (though loathed by many, especially glasses-wearers). Hand-washing and sanitising are so entrenched we barely think about it anymore. Social distancing - whatever the size of the government-designated gap - is more or less the norm.
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Now, the focus is on Obesity, one of the most important predictors for severe coronavirus. No matter what your income, Covid hits the obese disproportionally hard and the obese are most likely to end up in hospital and on ventilators.
This week's post - part 1 of Coronavirus: Prepare for a 2nd Wave - focuses on dietary measures to reduce obesity. Part 2 will look at the Immune System. Can non-medical therapies help boost its power, or are they just a load of old cobblers?
LIVING WITH THE THREAT OF A 2ND WAVE OF CORONAVIRUS
The Government is committed to helping the public get the weight off in order to minimise the severity of the effects of Corvid. Their obesity strategy will encourage nutrition & weight management plus exercise (walking, cycling & free exercise apps).
For many people; it will be about dropping those few extra pounds; others will be encouraged onto a major diet. Whichever category you fall into, losing weight requires work and will be a longer-term proposition than a vaccine or curative drug.
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Luckily, 67goingon50 has been delivering a similar message for the past 5 years
67's 'Recipes and Tips for Great Health and Graceful Ageing, Whatever Your Years or Income' has created hundreds of recipes which reduce salt, fat and sugar while maintaining exciting flavours. All food preferences have been covered, including vegan, vegetarian, carnivore and pescatarian. The Blog now has a global presence with followers from all sections of society. (See Tips below for details of recipes and advice)
So the blog's followers are well placed to find nutrition tips and recipes for losing weight within these pages for improving chances of surviving Covid 19.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IS HARDER ON YOUR OWN
Weight management is not easy; it will involve lifestyle changes.
But based on personal and family experience, 67goingon50 has concluded that it's the much harder for singletons and couples to lose weight.
They're great on the big stuff -- the 3 balanced meals a day, plenty of raw fruit and veg, choosing quick & easy recipes instead of processed food or takeout.
Bay when it comes to variety, planning, portion control and regular time off -- the keys to a successful diet -- at least 3 of these factors are harder on your own. That's even more true if budgets are tight or food tolerances are involved.
Variety
Shopping for 1 or 2 is more difficult to plan and execute because weight control depends on high vegetable & fruit consumption.
Fibre keeps you fuller longer and dampens cravings for fatty foods or sweets. Weekly shops should aim for all colours of the rainbow but following that rule, the solitary can end up with a lot of wastage.
What is a good weekly shopping list for a healthy singleton or couple? A starch (potatoes?), cabbage or cauliflower, easy cook veg (e.g. beans, broccoli); lettuce, cucumber, carrots, celery, onions, beetroot; apples, seasonal fruit or berries; nuts, rice (brown and white) & pulses.
Obviously not everything will be purchased at the same time in the same week (root veg, beetroot & celery keep well in the fridge; fruit & nuts are easily stored) but they should all be consumed during 7 days.
Singletons can get around the leftover/waste problem by shopping more at independent grocers who are happy to sell small quantities such as a handful of fine green beans or cherries. For the same reason, independent butchers who don't mind selling a couple of rashers, fishmongers and whole foods sections offering weigh-your-own nuts/pulses are a better deal than supermarkets.
Money will actually be saved shopping in this way; the quality of the food is so much better, food cravings will ease.
And with a greater variety of food to cook with, it's easier to stick to a diet and to lose weight.
Planning
Most people plan their meals on a weekly basis, often incorporating a couple of occasions when last-minute choices are allowed. That's great because it's much easier to plan healthy meals with imaginative uses of leftovers.
But few plan for snacks. And snacks can de-rail any healthy diet.
When you arrive home famished and there's nothing healthy to keep you going until dinner, 'healthy' snacks like bread and peanut butter will rapidly put paid to weight loss goals.
Healthy snacks come in many shapes and sizes and don't require much work. Here's what 67goingon50 relies on:
- leftover Skinnier homemade hummus
- leftover Skinnier home-made aubergine dip
- apple slices lightly smeared with peanut butter or with a small slice of cheese
- small bunch grapes or cherries; half a banana; handful of berries
Easily transported
- a handful of nuts (Bag them up and slip into pocket for post-gym)
- home-made sugar-free popcorn (frugal, high fibre & taste; easily transported)
- Carrot curls, celery sticks, raw cauliflower florets, radish roses (keeps 2 days in iced water in the fridge - see Oriental Crudités)
Liquid
- a mug of strong builders' tea with milk
- weak Jasmine tea with a slice of fresh ginger (Sunflower logo: pale green box with Arabic writing in Loon Fong Supermarket Gerrard Street London; not expensive)
- Banana Soothie - a half cup will calm anxiety (don't drink this regularly - bananas can be fattening!
67goingon50 is creating more recipes designed for singletons/couples but if you're using a recipe designed for 4, halve it. Alternatively, make it and freeze leftovers OR gift one half to a vulnerable friend/family. (67's new recipes are shared with a retired 80+ priest and his young assistant.)
One thing about planning...wo/man cannot live by diet alone. The most successful weight-loss programmes encourage regular breaks - usually weekly - when anything goes and indulgences are allowed. (See 67goingon50's Principles of Healthy Eating.)
Portion Control
Applies most to stews/casseroles and desserts. A will of iron is required to not overdo the portions when faced with a steaming casserole intended for more than one meal. Only one thing will prevent over-eating -- develop discipline!
Have a look at How to...calculate Daily Protein. Nothing will encourage weight gain more than excessive protein intake. Even with vegan or vegetarian casseroles, caution is required -- Mac 'n Cheese is a classic example.
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67goingon50 Tips on Healthy Eating & Diets:
See the How to...page (click on Navigation Bar below the Blog Title at the top of the page). The pages, Recipes I & Recipes II (also on the Navigation Bar) contain recipes grouped by category including Fat-free/Low-fat & Cholesterol; Skinny/Skinnier and Low/No-Added-Sugar.
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DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
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