Eating healthy in the winter months during the pandemic
With added stress from the pandemic this holiday season, it may be even easier to indulge a little too much.But experts say small changes at the grocery store can make a big difference for your health.Before you go, shop at home first. Taking inventory of what you have and what you need will help avoid grabbing unhealthy items.Hillary Pride is a registered dietician with Hannaford Supermarkets. She says in a modern store, you don’t need to stick to the perimeter. You can find healthy options, that can last longer, throughout the store.“Things like walnuts, canned veggies, canned beans and especially going through the frozen aisle,” said Pride, “that can be a place where you can find some healthy choices.”Some of her favorite grabs each visit are canned pumpkin, frozen fruit and spinach.“The American Heart Association does recommend that we get at least four to five servings of fruits and veggies a day,” she said.It’s easy to make small but impactful changes if you think of adding to your diet instead of taking away. She advises throwing a handful of spinach into your eggs or smoothie in the morning and adding a handful of carrots to your snack each day. Pride says she gets asked frequently about boosting our immune system through food.“I’d really like to shift the focus away from thinking about boosting our immunity, but to what can we do that’s going to create some long term support from our immune systems,” she said.Pride adds eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy facts help your immune system.You can find healthy recipe ideas from the American Heart Association here.
With added stress from the pandemic this holiday season, it may be even easier to indulge a little too much.
But experts say small changes at the grocery store can make a big difference for your health.
Before you go, shop at home first. Taking inventory of what you have and what you need will help avoid grabbing unhealthy items.
Hillary Pride is a registered dietician with Hannaford Supermarkets. She says in a modern store, you don’t need to stick to the perimeter. You can find healthy options, that can last longer, throughout the store.
“Things like walnuts, canned veggies, canned beans and especially going through the frozen aisle,” said Pride, “that can be a place where you can find some healthy choices.”
Some of her favorite grabs each visit are canned pumpkin, frozen fruit and spinach.
“The American Heart Association does recommend that we get at least four to five servings of fruits and veggies a day,” she said.
It’s easy to make small but impactful changes if you think of adding to your diet instead of taking away. She advises throwing a handful of spinach into your eggs or smoothie in the morning and adding a handful of carrots to your snack each day.
Pride says she gets asked frequently about boosting our immune system through food.
“I’d really like to shift the focus away from thinking about boosting our immunity, but to what can we do that’s going to create some long term support from our immune systems,” she said.
Pride adds eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy facts help your immune system.
You can find healthy recipe ideas from the American Heart Association here.