3 tips for staying healthy while in isolation at home - the COVID 19 cocoon!

3 Super Simple Tips For Healthy Eating While Sheltering At Home

Health is our greatest asset.

Recently, the Australian federal health minister Greg Hunt and AMA president Dr Tony Bartone told us that now, more than ever, we must focus on managing our chronic disease conditions.  

The last thing Australia needs now is for people to get sick from complications of chronic illnesses like heart disease or diabetes. Dr Bartone was specifically urging people to keep seeing their GP (via telehealth or in-person), to keep taking their medications and to keep getting necessary blood tests during this time. Now is the time to keep up your preventative health!

We would like to extend this advice beyond keeping in contact with your doctor (although that is very important).  Now is the time to prioritize your health like never before. Now is the time to nurture healthy eating! 

At Real Life Medicine, our passion is empowering people to reclaim their health.  Helping women lose weight, reverse chronic illness and regain their health and vitality, is our greatest professional joy. 

We truly believe that this time of enforced quiet will provide a great opportunity for self-improvement.  We are forced into this COVID cacoon. If we nurture ourselves in the right way, we will emerge as healthy, vibrant butterflies.

Eating a nourishing rainbow of low carbohydrate veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, meat, seafood, eggs, organ meats is a natural immune modulator, and one of the most powerful actions you can take to lose weight and reclaim your health.

There is so much we cannot control.

We can control what we eat.

This may be challenging in this COVID19 crisis. We cannot shop as easily and we are under more stress (which can lead to poor food choices).

Our advice? Keep it simple. Very simple.

Here are our top 3 super-simple tips for eating well while sheltering at home.

1.Embrace Simplicity!

We may not have access to all our usual ingredients. The fridge may be a bit emptier. We can’t get to the shops as often.  Simple meals are a lifesaver. Simple meals can be delicious.

Our favourites are:

-Eggs, bacon, and spinach

-Salad leaves mixed with a tin of tuna dressed with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and any available herbs

-Steak and Broccoli with butter and salt on the veggies - yum!

2. Be Flexible!

Whether this is trying a new meal you haven’t cooked before, simply having a piece of cheese instead of a full meal or even skipping a meal, letting go of preconceived notions will free you to embrace healthy food.

You don’t have to eat breakfast, or lunch, or dinner.  You can eat dinner at 4 pm, you have dinner for breakfast.

Now is a great time to try out intermittent fasting if you haven’t already

Skip breakfast, keep up your fluids, you may even find you can skip lunch. When done safely, intermittent fasting is a great natural immune booster.

3. Love Your Leftovers!

This is by far our favourite cooking strategy. Cooking can be a lot of work. 

Cook one and a half to two times more than you need and keep the leftovers for a decadently, deliciously easy dinner. 

We love the luxury of heating up my readymade meal. A simple pleasure, keeping healthy eating simple.

We know behaviour change isn’t easy.  We are here to help, guide and encourage with expert, compassionate advice. If you would like more help and support in your weight loss and wellness journey. 

Take great care everyone,

Dr Lucy Burns and Dr Mary Barson