It has been nearly 3 months since we began to learn more about COVID-19 and saw it’s impact on supermarkets. Now that many local and state governments have issued ordinances, and quarantines are beginning to ease, it’s important to continue keeping yourself, and those around you, safe. It remains imperative, too, that your family’s health dictates your food purchases.
Before you go grocery shopping, have tools for success in hand. Pack a clean mask, disposable gloves and hand sanitizer. Make your trip as quick and efficient as possible— shop alone and learn the quietest time to visit your favorite store.
According to The Center for Food Integrity Consumer Trust Insights Council, shoppers are coping with anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic by indulging in guilty food pleasures. This means for about 3 months, we have been reaching for high-calorie, high-solid fat, high-added sugar foods.
As you prepare your weekly shopping list, keep health top of mind. Learn what your Food Group goals are at ChooseMyPlate.gov for guidance on foods to buy most often. If you have any health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or food intolerances, this is the time to bring your eating back in line.
Even if you aren’t currently diagnosed with a medical condition impacted by food, continuing to eat indulgent treats as every day foods could very well increase your risk for disease by way of gaining weight and over taxing your body’s systems with excess sugar, fat and sodium.
Additionally, the food pattern you have been eating could also be undercutting essential ingredients you need like vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidant-acting plant compounds to support a strong immune system and fight off disease.
When grocery shopping, remember flexibility is the name of the game. Our food system is being impacted by COVID-19 all the way from field to shelf— farms, transportation companies, food distributors and retailers have been shorthanded. Many manufacturers have also shifted their resources to top selling brands and flavors instead of attempting to produce a varied portfolio. All of these details have left us with limited options than we’ve become accustomed to. If you don’t see the exact food you want, get creative and pivot.
Have a question about how to best shop at your local Big Y during this time? Contact our dietitian team at livingwell@bigy.com.
Although in-store services have been paused for the moment, our consulting in-store dietitians remain available as a resource to individual shoppers and groups. For example, this column comes from a presentation our Eastern Massachusetts-based consulting in-store dietitian, Kathy Jordan, MS, RDN, CPT will be doing virtually for a community group. Find their contact information at www.bigy.com/LivingWell/GetSocial.
About the Author: Carrie Taylor is the lead registered dietitian nutritionist for the Living Well Eating Smart program at Big Y Foods and has been trained as a yoga teacher, mindful outdoor guide and Journey Dance apprentice. Have a nutrition question? Email livingwell@bigy.com or write Living Well at 2145 Roosevelt Ave, PO Box 7840, Springfield, MA 01102.
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June 11, 2020 at 05:19PM
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Living Well Eating Smart: Grocery Shopping during the Pandemic - MassLive.com
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