With the Corona virus lockdown seeing most of us staying at home, many people are worried that the stress, combined with a more sedentary lifestyle, could result in unhealthy weight gain.
This worry is proven by the fact thousands of people are searching for ways to prevent it.
There has been surge in Google searches for the following: +190 per cent increase in searches for ‘weight loss friendly foods’; +80% per cent increases in searches for ‘low calorie meals’; +80 per cent increases in searches related to ‘foods to avoid when trying to lose weight’; +110 per cent increases in searches related to ‘healthy snacks’; +70 per cent increases in searches related to ‘how to stop snacking at night’
What snacks to avoid during lockdown:
We’re seeing many people reporting boredom-eating during the lockdown. But overeating is risky. Good nutrition is needed more than ever, when our immune system may need to fight back.
The worst foods to snack on are those that provide ‘empty calories’. That is, foods that are micronutrient-poor and very low in essential vitamins and minerals – usually sugary and processed fatty foods like cakes, biscuits, crisps, milk chocolate, ice cream, and pastries.
Some of the best foods to snack on if you don’t want to put on unnecessary weight are:
Foods with a high-water content, which makes them more filling as they delay gastric emptying (e.g. fresh fruit like grapes, apples, kiwi, melons; low-salt broth soup; homemade ‘thicker’ smoothies; corn cobs; mixed salad bowl).
Probiotic-rich foods which are shown to have beneficial effects on the regulation of hunger-suppressing hormones GLP-1 and PYY (e.g. fat-free yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese or soft cheese; vegan and lactose-free options are tempeh, miso, sourdough bread, fermented cabbage or pickles).
Fibre-rich foods which are not only physically filling but also help produce hunger-suppressing short-chain fatty acids like butyrate and propionate in the gut (e.g. raw vegetable crudités, baby carrots, cucumber slices with hummus, porridge oat flakes).
Protein-rich foods shown in countless satiation experiments to reduce our desire to continue eating (e.g. boiled eggs, fat-free yogurt, fat-free cottage cheese; vegan and lactose-free options include tofu dices, beans mix, hemp seeds, wholegrain rice cakes; dairy-free coconut yogurt).
The added benefit is that all of these alternatives are low-glycaemic, too – meaning that they cause a slow sugar release into your bloodstream, which helps maintain energy and sustained focus, as opposed to making you feel lethargic or sleepy in the middle of the day.
Thinking about your habits and behaviours around food and learning to recognise your triggers can help you to make healthier choices. Here I’ll share some simple tools and techniques from behavioural science to help you snack well at home.
Think about why you’re snacking
There are lots of different reasons you might be snacking or grazing more around the house now. So, becoming aware of what’s triggering your eating is a good place to start when it comes to changing your habits and behaviours. Some reasons might include the following:
Stress
If you’re feeling stressed, it can often be a trigger for overeating. In the short term, your hunger levels are suppressed while your body works out how to reduce the stress you’re feeling. But if you’re stressed over a long period, your body will begin to produce hormones that increase your appetite. Studies have shown that you’re more likely to reach for sugary treats when you’re stressed because they provide comfort.
Boredom
Research has found that the discomfort you feel when you’re bored can drive you to seek out unhealthy snacks in between meals. What’s more, eating activates the reward and pleasure centres in your brain. This leads you to reach for treats as a pick-me-up, even when you’re not actually hungry.
Tiredness
If you’re having trouble sleeping at the moment, feeling tired can lead to snacking more and choosing unhealthy foods. For example, one study looked at the eating behaviours of shift workers. It found that when their sleep was severely interrupted, they were more likely to reach for high-fat and sugary snacks during the day.
Feeling sad or lonely
If you’re feeling sad or lonely during these uncertain times, you might not feel like cooking and turn to snacks, convenience foods or takeaways instead. These foods often lack the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. But eating a healthy, balanced meal can help to improve your mood, reduce irritability and increase positive emotions.
Busyness
While some people may be looking for ways to stay entertained during lockdown, others may be busier than ever. If you’re a key worker, are working long hours from home, looking after children or homeschooling, cooking may be low down on your list of priorities right now. But skipping a meal when you’re pushed for time can cause your blood sugar and energy levels to drop. As a result, you might find yourself grabbing snacks for a quick fix or grazing throughout the day instead. One way to combat this is by eating a healthy breakfast. One study showed that people who regularly ate breakfast, were less likely to overeat throughout the rest of the day. They also slept better, had a better mood and felt more alert.
Habit
Habits are the things you do automatically without realising it. They’re usually trigged by a certain context or situation. The more regularly you do these things, the more your brain learns to do them ‘habitually’ without too much thought. Before long, your behaviour becomes triggered by cues in your environment, rather than because you actually need to do something. For example, reaching for a biscuit when the clock strikes 11am, or pouring a glass of wine when you log off from work.
Perhaps you’ve gotten into the habit of having snacks around when you sit down to watch a movie? While it’s perfectly fine to enjoy this once in a while, it doesn’t take long for your brain to form an association between watching and eating. It sees you reach for a snack each time you sit in front of a boxset. Watching television whilst eating can distract you from the amount you’re eating and tempt you to indulge in bigger portion sizes and more calorie-dense foods.
Once you’re aware of what’s causing you to eat more, try the ideas below to help change your behaviours and habits.
1.Make a plan
Reduce unnecessary snacking. Be strategic about your purchases during self-isolation and use your fresh foods and those with a shorter shelf life first.
2. Hydrate first
Sipping water instead of sugary drinks is the simplest way to limit unnecessary snacking and excess calories. Besides that, we know from research that drinking water before each meal, ideally a couple of 250ml glasses, results in fewer calories eaten and a reduced likelihood of putting on weight.
3. Prioritise home-cooked family meals
Main meals remain the most important. Snacking is secondary and, in many cases, unnecessary. We’re spending more time at home, which gives new opportunities to experiment with home-cooking and to share meals together.
Lockdown is the ideal time to break the snacking habit. Our approach is to reduce and eliminate snacking. To do this we would focus on the main meals of the day ensuring they are nutrient-dense and low in sugar to prevent the triggers for snacking.
Ensure protein at each meal along with some healthy fats for satiety and fat-soluble vitamins A, E and D. e.g. butter, cold-pressed extra virgin oil, beef dripping, goose fat and coconut oil. Plenty of colourful veggies and as the weather is warming up salad veggies.
Most snack foods are an unholy mix of sugar or refined carbohydrates and fats often highly processed and damaged. This mix of refined carbohydrates, fats and salt rarely occur in nature – cheese (and breast milk) being the nearest. They trigger an addictive type of behaviour leaving you wanting more and able to eat more, yet not feeling full. If it is within reach (even at the top of the highest cupboard) you will eventually eat it if bored!
(The author is a chef at Health by Mondo. He can be reached at healthbymondo@gmail.com)