Our lives have dramatically changed in the last few days as the world is trying to contain and deal with the fallout of Covid-19 pandemic. This is a testing time for all of us when we are forced to change so many things we normally take for granted.

During hard times, one quote that comes to my mind is that what defines us is not what happens to us but rather how we respond to it. You can be a victim of circumstances or you can turn around your circumstances for a better outcome - for yourself and/or others.

There is no better time to nurture yourself and your family - this, of course, goes beyond just nutrition and includes also self-care, physical activity, mental wellness, etc.

But for the sake of this post, I wanted to focus on my top recommendations on what you can do right now - even in the middle of this pandemic - to improve your health and immunity by making a few changes to your nutrition. I will soon write about physical and mental fitness.

So, here it goes.

1. Get the basics right:

• Drink your water - by that I mean drinking 1-2 glasses of warm water (even better with some fresh lemon juice) first thing upon waking and then keeping hydrated with a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day. Read more here.

• Overnight fast - leave at least 12 hours in between your dinner and breakfast next morning. That means, no calories - even the liquid ones - after dinner.

• Aim for 2-4 meals a day (i.e. no snacking) - each time you put something into your mouth, it starts your whole intricate digestive process allowing you to properly absorb the nutrients. But, what it also does, is to switch off the natural cleaning process that kicks in when we give our digestive tract a break - usually 3-4 hours after the last meal. If we constantly snack, this cleaning process continues being disrupted and may over time lead to myriad of health problems, including insulin resistance, diabetes, small bacteria intestinal overgrowth (SIBO), etc.

2. Fix your breakfast - breakfast sets you out metabolically for the rest of the day, so this is a great place to start. Focus on getting sufficient protein, fat, and fiber and limit carbohydrates. For more information and some breakfast inspiration, see my blog. A great easy switch is to have a smoothie for breakfast where you include protein powder, fat (avocado, MCT oil, etc.) and fiber (green leafy vegetables).

3. Load up on vegetables - we all have heard it before to eat more vegetables. This simple habit is your best disease prevention and waist management insurance. Aim for 1-2 servings with each meal. Eat as much quantity and variety (colour of the rainbow) as you possibly can. Assess where you are right now - be honest - and increase by 1 serving a day.

4. Ditch sugar - did you know that eating refined sugars supresses your immunity for hours after you ingest them?

Sugar is very addictive, so this is not something where you want to go cold turkey. Instead, taper off sugar gradually. It starts by assessing how much sugar you eat, including some unexpected places like condiments (salad dressing, ketchup, etc.), fruit yoghurts, cereals, and so much more. A good place to start is this article, which includes 57 names for sugar. First, eliminate the obvious things: sweets, sugar and sweeteners as well as processed food (white bread, processed snacks, white pasta, etc.). Instead, eat more fruit or include sweet vegetables such as pumpkin, carrot, squash - you can further increase their sweetness by roasting them in the oven.

5. Go easy on carbohydrates - this is especially for those that have noticed all this stress and comfort eating is resulting in some weight gain.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of carbohydrates - the so called slow-burning kind that doesn’t excessively spike your blood sugar and gives you a more steady energy burn afterwards. What am I talking about? Sweet potatoes, whole grains (i.e. quinoa, bulgur, buckwheat, millet, oats, etc.), other starchy vegetables (pumpkin, squash, etc.).

But, if you want to loose some weight, it is a good idea to go easy on carbohydrates for some days. For a starter, try to make one meal carbohydrate-free. Breakfast is a great start - see my recommendation 2 - or lunch (for some inspiration, see here). Dinner is, maybe suprisingly for some, the one meal where adding some slow burning carbohydrates could be beneficial, as it helps you with sleep.

In order to help you ease into the process of improving your health one step at a time, I am currently running a 21 day challenge on my Facebook (@magda.nutritioncoach) and Instagram (magda_healthcoach). The idea is that you need to focus on only one thing every day and gradually shift your daily habits, so that nurturing yourself and taking care of your health becomes automatic.

Hello! I am Magda and I work with people that are ready to transform their health and wellbeing. What are your health goals that you have not been able to reach? Read more about me and my services.

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