Healthy Eating in Lockdown

In and out of lockdown, who would have thought! Have you perfected the date night dinner, home baked bread and got the veggie patch growing. If we look for some silver linings out of lockdown it might just be that you have time to engrain long-term new healthy eating habits.

With time to plan your shop and hop into the kitchen, you may find yourself eating better than ever! The snacking, walking to the fridge to take a break from work, study or just because you are a little bored- that is an area of the diet to take a close look at.

Healthy snacks in Lockdown

• The upside of being stuck at home is time to get creative in the kitchen. Make your snacks interesting. You are more likely to eat foods you like the look and smell of. By throwing some interesting, nutritious foods together you might stay away from the biscuit tin! Try adding Rokeby farms probiotic Yoghurt with some seasonal fruit and mix it up by adding in different seeds- hemp or chia.
• Look for a new recipe and have the family jump in the kitchen. Which team can make the tastiest savoury muffins perfect for an afternoon snack? Using Rokeby farms Probiotic yoghurt, creamed corn, grated carrot, tasty cheese, a few herbs, some eggs and flour you will cook up a treat.
• If you are working from home, it can be easy to keep on going and not take a break. Or go the other way and using the pantry and fridge as a distraction for a lot of breaks! Planning is always the key to success. Plan what you will have for snacks for the day and prepare them first thing in the morning.
  • Cut up a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables in the morning, to be shared for snacks during the day.
  • Have a handful of nuts (~30g) in a container ready to go with a cup of Rokeby Farms protein smoothie.
  • Cook a pot of soup to have a mug of when hungry
  • Cut up extra vegetables the night before to dip into a tzatziki dip made with Rokeby Farms Probiotic Yoghurt.

Food to look after your mood

Food and mood go hand in hand. We feel like eating certain foods when we are in a particular mood and our food can also impact our mood.

Food and our diet are now recognised as an important part of mental wellbeing. There are a whole lot of ways food influences mood particularly via the good gut bacteria in our gut.

Eating patterns that have plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds such as the Mediterranean diet are good for our mental and physical wellbeing. The antioxidants and dietary fibre are the really good bits that our bacteria can use to produce gases that are involved in influencing our health. Why not make a delicious Greek salad, topped with chopped nuts and drizzled with a yoghurt and herb dressing made with Rokeby Farms Probiotic Yoghurt. Who wouldn’t be in a good mood after eating that?

Rokeby farms Probiotic Yoghurt has over 15million good gut bacteria that can also add to the good bacteria you ahe in your gut. A wide variety of good gut bacteria research tells us is good.

A healthy diet is something you can do for yourself to help look after your mental health. It is recognised in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. A nutritious start to your mental wellbeing for the day could be a bowl of natural muesli, fresh chopped fruit, topped with Rokeby farms Probiotic Yoghurt.

Dinner time

Run out of time and everyone is hungry? Half the battle of cooking nutritious meals is the time it takes.

• Practice a few dishes so you are confident and can whip them up in no time.
• Get the whole family involved. One of the best tools you can give your children is confidence in the kitchen.
• Freeze extras for next time
• Use a mix of frozen and fresh veg to save time

For specific dietary advice, make an appointment with an Accredited Practising Dietitian