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Nutrition During Sheltering in Place Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Sara Housman discusses nutrition during sheltering in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featuring:
Sara Housman, MPH, RD
Sara Housman, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. Transcription:
Scott Webb: Good nutrition and eating habits are always helpful to our minds and bodies, but perhaps especially so during this shelter in place time when most of us are spending more time at home than ever joining me to discuss shopping and eating strategies during COVID-19 is Sarah Hausmann, a Registered Dietician at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. This is Ask the Experts of podcast from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. So Sarah, thanks so much for joining me today. You're a registered dietician and everybody has a lot of questions right now. We're at home. We're sheltering in place. Maybe some of us are indulging a little bit too much in comfort food. So let's go through some of this stuff today. Let's start with grocery shopping. While we're sheltering in place, why is it important to have a shopping list?
Sarah Housman: It helps you frame your diet. It helps you make good choices when you get to the store. And I think there's a lot of stress going on about shopping in the grocery store right now. You know, we're seeing COVID everywhere. We're looking at everybody. Did you wash your hands? And you're not able to think as clearly when you're that stressed out. So having a shopping list can definitely help guide making those good decisions. I think we're reaching for those comfort foods, like you said, more than maybe we normally would. And having a shopping list will help remind us to get some of those healthy foods that we know we need at home.
Host: Yeah. You know, I know my kids are going through bananas, like they're going out of style, so I'm having to buy two bushels of bananas now, I'm having to buy a ripe bananas that they can eat immediately when I walk in the door. And also the greenest bananas I can find so that we'll have bananas for three or four days because each of them is polishing off like two a day. I'm like, no, when dad's only going to the store once a week, you can't eat bananas like that. Slow down.
Sarah Housman: Yeah. And I like your strategy there of, you know, like shopping for later too. So I think looking at some things like the citrus fruit or the apples that you could, you know, maybe last longer than maybe your berries or some of those other, you know, less shelf stable kind of produce.
Host: Absolutely. Like a big bag of cuties or some apples. Some things as you say that aren't going to go bad. Like bananas go bad in like a day, one day they're green and the next thing you know they're Brown. You know? So, while we're on the subject of healthy food versus non-healthy food, we know that sure a lot of people are hoarding things like toilet paper and all of that. But also what I'm noticing at the store, and maybe you've noticed as well as people seem to be buying things that aren't perishable. So when we talk about healthy options, the store shelves might be empty. So what do we do about that?
Sarah Housman: This is one of my biggest concerns working with cardiac rehab patients that are older and we don't want them in the store as much is you know, how do we get you to eat as healthy as we can while keeping you safe? And I think, you know, there are a lot of challenges here and I do think that if eating healthy is a big stressor for you right now, take some of that pressure off of yourself. Certainly if you're a diabetic or if you have congestive heart failure, we do want you to be sticking as close as you can to that. But I think letting some of that burden go as much as you can. I think if you're able grabbing a little extra and certainly don't grab the whole shelf, cause there's lots of us out here that are trying to get food too, but stocking up on some of maybe those frozen berries or the frozen vegetables that you could keep for later. I think this is a fantastic time to support small local stores. So all of the farmer's markets in Monterey County have opened back up and have been declared essential services so that you can come buy from small local farmers that really need your support.
And I think it's a great time to look at joining something like community supported agriculture or a CSA box where they might drop off fresh produce that they picked that morning at your house and you know, just kind of guaranteeing that you've got that produce available for you. I think looking at things like shelf stable beans or canned vegetables and you know, ideally we would be saying look for the low sodium, the 5% or less or 140 milligrams of sodium. But if you can't find that buying those things anyways, rinse them off before you use them. It'll help reduce the sodium on them and you will at least have some protein sources and some good healthy things at home. And then I think if you're able, buying some of those, you know, dried beans or some of those other kinds of, you know, shelf stable options that you could put in your own pantry. Maybe stretch out how long, you know, you have to, you have before you have to go back to the grocery store. You mentioned making a list. And I think the big struggle right now is that it's more of a wish list than a true, I'm going to bring these things home with me. And so having some flexibility and Bonnie and what you can, but keeping in mind that you know, there are other people shopping, so don't take up everything while you're out there.
Host: Those are all great suggestions and you're so right. Like this is a really interesting time, but also perhaps a great time to support local and to sort of think outside the box store if you will. That there are other options and ways to get ahold of produce and fruit and things like that. So really great suggestions. So we know we're all at home. Many people are just bingeing on Netflix, possibly Tiger King or whatever they're watching. So how do we not overeat, right? Because everybody likes comfort food anytime. But especially right now, how do we, especially since we, none of us maybe even know what day it is and we're just so out of sorts and we just wander around our houses and we wander into the kitchen. So how do we not indulge ourselves in that comfort food? What do we do during these difficult times?
Sarah Housman: So I think there's a couple things that we can do and I think we all have different coping mechanisms. So you know, I think allowing yourself maybe some of those comfort foods just because we do need to feel better, might be okay right now. And I'm not saying, you know, eat the whole cake, but I think as much as you can, trying to keep to a regular routine or a structure, a lot of people have had their entire routine turned upside down. They're working from the couch, the kids are home, they're trying to teach their kids. There's all of this stress. And so as much as you can, trying to keep a regular routine of when you get up, and maybe this is a great time for you because you're not a morning person and you usually have to go to work really early and so you can shift your hours a little, but maybe sitting down to have more meals with the family because we know that you pay more attention to what you're eating when you're sitting down, paying attention to what you're eating. So not eating in front of the television. And making sure that you're setting timers, that we're going to eat breakfast at eight and we're going to eat lunch at noon and we're going to eat dinner at six.
And so, you know, really trying to put the focus on what you're eating so you're not, you know, bingeing all six episodes of the Tiger King. And, I think the other piece of this is, you know, trying to find some stress management techniques that work for you. So one of the things we talk about in nutrition is mindful eating and that sort of identifying the feed feelings that are leading you to eat. So are you truly hungry right now? And if you're not hungry, acknowledging what feelings are making you want to eat. So are you bored? Are you stressed? Are you just in the kitchen? And there's nothing else going on and staring at that cookie is going to give you something to do. Whatever it is, acknowledge that feeling. And if you do end up eating, at least identify that you're not eating because you're hungry. If you are eating because you are hungry. And I think even if you're not, trying to pay attention to when you're feeling full, so you know, we want you to stop eating when you're no longer hungry. We don't want you to stop eating when you've reached Thanksgiving Day full. So I think trying to go back to that idea of eating with intention, and sitting down for those family meals or even if you live by yourself, just sitting down and separating the eating from everything else that you're doing
Host: Great advice and you're so right, like just trying to stay normal in abnormal times, right? Like just try to keep to some kind of routine, some kind of normalcy and just not get, you know, let things sort of get away from you during this time. And what if a person is a diabetic and or has just special needs when it comes to food? Like what do they do about this during this time?
Sarah Housman: I think that's a really challenging question and I think it's, it's one of the things that us dieticians are trying to figure out. I know that here at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, we have gone to more of a phone call system. So our diabetes dieticians are calling their patients and I'm calling my patients here in the cardiac wellness program so that we can try to troubleshoot some of these issues. I think as much as you're able, trying to get in some of those high fiber foods that are going to help, you know, control your blood sugars, help with the heart disease, trying to control how much sodium that you're having in your diet and to the extent that you're able trying to do some sort of an exercise at home. I think if you do have a dietician that you're able to reach out to give them a call, we're doing a lot of survival scenario nutrition that we've never had to do with before, but reach out, we're happy to help troubleshoot this. And I think one of the things that's been really heartwarming for me is seeing how much free exercise videos are there. A lot of the local yoga studios, Pilates studios, Zumba places are actually doing free online classes. And I think those are some great ways to both do stress release and help with your diabetes management.
Host: Absolutely. And I'm seeing the same thing on social media. Lots of free options on social media, on YouTube for ways to just, you know, stay physically active because we know that being mentally and physically active, we know that eating right, eating healthy, all of these things can help our, you know, mental state, anxiety if we're feeling it, and also our immunity. Right?
Sarah Housman: Yeah, for sure. And I think too, if we're looking at ways to keep you busy and out of the kitchen and away from those comfort foods, doing some of those exercise videos is a great way to keep you busy.
Host: All right, so wrap things up here, Sarah. We all know the situation, right? And we don't know exactly how long it's going to last. So, we may be in our homes for another month or more. What's your best advice, your best take on this? How can we eat as well as possible during a time that is, you know, just so completely foreign for most of us.
Sarah Housman: I, a long time ago took a water aerobics class and the teacher, you know I was probably one of the youngest people there and she would shout out as she was, you know, instructing us to do our weird activities in the water, you're doing the best thing that you can do for your body right now And I think that is great advice right now is to try to think about what is the best thing that I can do for my body right now. We know that a healthy diet and good nutrition can help protect against, you know, disease. We know that it can build your immunity. We know that exercise and activity is going to help keep us physically and mentally healthy and I think doing the best you can for your body today and thinking of it as a day to day kind of thing. I think if we start thinking out 30 days or however long we're going to be in this, it's too overwhelming. So take it day by day and do the best that you can.
Host: That's really well said. That's awesome Sarah. Way to finish things off there. It just, you know, you don't have to worry about the rest of this period right now. Let's just focus today on today. Do something right for yourself today, mentally, physically for your family, and we'll all get through this together. Right?
Sarah Housman: I think that sums it up nicely.
Host: Thanks for all the great tips and your expertise today, Sarah, or more information about Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. Visit svmh.com and we hope you found this podcast to be helpful and informative. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well and we'll talk again next time.
Scott Webb: Good nutrition and eating habits are always helpful to our minds and bodies, but perhaps especially so during this shelter in place time when most of us are spending more time at home than ever joining me to discuss shopping and eating strategies during COVID-19 is Sarah Hausmann, a Registered Dietician at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. This is Ask the Experts of podcast from Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. So Sarah, thanks so much for joining me today. You're a registered dietician and everybody has a lot of questions right now. We're at home. We're sheltering in place. Maybe some of us are indulging a little bit too much in comfort food. So let's go through some of this stuff today. Let's start with grocery shopping. While we're sheltering in place, why is it important to have a shopping list?
Sarah Housman: It helps you frame your diet. It helps you make good choices when you get to the store. And I think there's a lot of stress going on about shopping in the grocery store right now. You know, we're seeing COVID everywhere. We're looking at everybody. Did you wash your hands? And you're not able to think as clearly when you're that stressed out. So having a shopping list can definitely help guide making those good decisions. I think we're reaching for those comfort foods, like you said, more than maybe we normally would. And having a shopping list will help remind us to get some of those healthy foods that we know we need at home.
Host: Yeah. You know, I know my kids are going through bananas, like they're going out of style, so I'm having to buy two bushels of bananas now, I'm having to buy a ripe bananas that they can eat immediately when I walk in the door. And also the greenest bananas I can find so that we'll have bananas for three or four days because each of them is polishing off like two a day. I'm like, no, when dad's only going to the store once a week, you can't eat bananas like that. Slow down.
Sarah Housman: Yeah. And I like your strategy there of, you know, like shopping for later too. So I think looking at some things like the citrus fruit or the apples that you could, you know, maybe last longer than maybe your berries or some of those other, you know, less shelf stable kind of produce.
Host: Absolutely. Like a big bag of cuties or some apples. Some things as you say that aren't going to go bad. Like bananas go bad in like a day, one day they're green and the next thing you know they're Brown. You know? So, while we're on the subject of healthy food versus non-healthy food, we know that sure a lot of people are hoarding things like toilet paper and all of that. But also what I'm noticing at the store, and maybe you've noticed as well as people seem to be buying things that aren't perishable. So when we talk about healthy options, the store shelves might be empty. So what do we do about that?
Sarah Housman: This is one of my biggest concerns working with cardiac rehab patients that are older and we don't want them in the store as much is you know, how do we get you to eat as healthy as we can while keeping you safe? And I think, you know, there are a lot of challenges here and I do think that if eating healthy is a big stressor for you right now, take some of that pressure off of yourself. Certainly if you're a diabetic or if you have congestive heart failure, we do want you to be sticking as close as you can to that. But I think letting some of that burden go as much as you can. I think if you're able grabbing a little extra and certainly don't grab the whole shelf, cause there's lots of us out here that are trying to get food too, but stocking up on some of maybe those frozen berries or the frozen vegetables that you could keep for later. I think this is a fantastic time to support small local stores. So all of the farmer's markets in Monterey County have opened back up and have been declared essential services so that you can come buy from small local farmers that really need your support.
And I think it's a great time to look at joining something like community supported agriculture or a CSA box where they might drop off fresh produce that they picked that morning at your house and you know, just kind of guaranteeing that you've got that produce available for you. I think looking at things like shelf stable beans or canned vegetables and you know, ideally we would be saying look for the low sodium, the 5% or less or 140 milligrams of sodium. But if you can't find that buying those things anyways, rinse them off before you use them. It'll help reduce the sodium on them and you will at least have some protein sources and some good healthy things at home. And then I think if you're able, buying some of those, you know, dried beans or some of those other kinds of, you know, shelf stable options that you could put in your own pantry. Maybe stretch out how long, you know, you have to, you have before you have to go back to the grocery store. You mentioned making a list. And I think the big struggle right now is that it's more of a wish list than a true, I'm going to bring these things home with me. And so having some flexibility and Bonnie and what you can, but keeping in mind that you know, there are other people shopping, so don't take up everything while you're out there.
Host: Those are all great suggestions and you're so right. Like this is a really interesting time, but also perhaps a great time to support local and to sort of think outside the box store if you will. That there are other options and ways to get ahold of produce and fruit and things like that. So really great suggestions. So we know we're all at home. Many people are just bingeing on Netflix, possibly Tiger King or whatever they're watching. So how do we not overeat, right? Because everybody likes comfort food anytime. But especially right now, how do we, especially since we, none of us maybe even know what day it is and we're just so out of sorts and we just wander around our houses and we wander into the kitchen. So how do we not indulge ourselves in that comfort food? What do we do during these difficult times?
Sarah Housman: So I think there's a couple things that we can do and I think we all have different coping mechanisms. So you know, I think allowing yourself maybe some of those comfort foods just because we do need to feel better, might be okay right now. And I'm not saying, you know, eat the whole cake, but I think as much as you can, trying to keep to a regular routine or a structure, a lot of people have had their entire routine turned upside down. They're working from the couch, the kids are home, they're trying to teach their kids. There's all of this stress. And so as much as you can, trying to keep a regular routine of when you get up, and maybe this is a great time for you because you're not a morning person and you usually have to go to work really early and so you can shift your hours a little, but maybe sitting down to have more meals with the family because we know that you pay more attention to what you're eating when you're sitting down, paying attention to what you're eating. So not eating in front of the television. And making sure that you're setting timers, that we're going to eat breakfast at eight and we're going to eat lunch at noon and we're going to eat dinner at six.
And so, you know, really trying to put the focus on what you're eating so you're not, you know, bingeing all six episodes of the Tiger King. And, I think the other piece of this is, you know, trying to find some stress management techniques that work for you. So one of the things we talk about in nutrition is mindful eating and that sort of identifying the feed feelings that are leading you to eat. So are you truly hungry right now? And if you're not hungry, acknowledging what feelings are making you want to eat. So are you bored? Are you stressed? Are you just in the kitchen? And there's nothing else going on and staring at that cookie is going to give you something to do. Whatever it is, acknowledge that feeling. And if you do end up eating, at least identify that you're not eating because you're hungry. If you are eating because you are hungry. And I think even if you're not, trying to pay attention to when you're feeling full, so you know, we want you to stop eating when you're no longer hungry. We don't want you to stop eating when you've reached Thanksgiving Day full. So I think trying to go back to that idea of eating with intention, and sitting down for those family meals or even if you live by yourself, just sitting down and separating the eating from everything else that you're doing
Host: Great advice and you're so right, like just trying to stay normal in abnormal times, right? Like just try to keep to some kind of routine, some kind of normalcy and just not get, you know, let things sort of get away from you during this time. And what if a person is a diabetic and or has just special needs when it comes to food? Like what do they do about this during this time?
Sarah Housman: I think that's a really challenging question and I think it's, it's one of the things that us dieticians are trying to figure out. I know that here at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, we have gone to more of a phone call system. So our diabetes dieticians are calling their patients and I'm calling my patients here in the cardiac wellness program so that we can try to troubleshoot some of these issues. I think as much as you're able, trying to get in some of those high fiber foods that are going to help, you know, control your blood sugars, help with the heart disease, trying to control how much sodium that you're having in your diet and to the extent that you're able trying to do some sort of an exercise at home. I think if you do have a dietician that you're able to reach out to give them a call, we're doing a lot of survival scenario nutrition that we've never had to do with before, but reach out, we're happy to help troubleshoot this. And I think one of the things that's been really heartwarming for me is seeing how much free exercise videos are there. A lot of the local yoga studios, Pilates studios, Zumba places are actually doing free online classes. And I think those are some great ways to both do stress release and help with your diabetes management.
Host: Absolutely. And I'm seeing the same thing on social media. Lots of free options on social media, on YouTube for ways to just, you know, stay physically active because we know that being mentally and physically active, we know that eating right, eating healthy, all of these things can help our, you know, mental state, anxiety if we're feeling it, and also our immunity. Right?
Sarah Housman: Yeah, for sure. And I think too, if we're looking at ways to keep you busy and out of the kitchen and away from those comfort foods, doing some of those exercise videos is a great way to keep you busy.
Host: All right, so wrap things up here, Sarah. We all know the situation, right? And we don't know exactly how long it's going to last. So, we may be in our homes for another month or more. What's your best advice, your best take on this? How can we eat as well as possible during a time that is, you know, just so completely foreign for most of us.
Sarah Housman: I, a long time ago took a water aerobics class and the teacher, you know I was probably one of the youngest people there and she would shout out as she was, you know, instructing us to do our weird activities in the water, you're doing the best thing that you can do for your body right now And I think that is great advice right now is to try to think about what is the best thing that I can do for my body right now. We know that a healthy diet and good nutrition can help protect against, you know, disease. We know that it can build your immunity. We know that exercise and activity is going to help keep us physically and mentally healthy and I think doing the best you can for your body today and thinking of it as a day to day kind of thing. I think if we start thinking out 30 days or however long we're going to be in this, it's too overwhelming. So take it day by day and do the best that you can.
Host: That's really well said. That's awesome Sarah. Way to finish things off there. It just, you know, you don't have to worry about the rest of this period right now. Let's just focus today on today. Do something right for yourself today, mentally, physically for your family, and we'll all get through this together. Right?
Sarah Housman: I think that sums it up nicely.
Host: Thanks for all the great tips and your expertise today, Sarah, or more information about Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. Visit svmh.com and we hope you found this podcast to be helpful and informative. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well and we'll talk again next time.