One of the resolutions in entering a new normal era is to start a healthy life. Starting a healthy life can be done anytime and anywhere, but it takes perseverance in running it every day.
The current uncertain situation in this new normal era, having a healthy body is everyone’s dream. Therefore, before starting a healthy life it is better to find out more about what a healthy life is and how to start the habit.
In starting a healthy life, you must get used to eating healthy foods and exercising regularly. According to Nova, creating your own schedule is a good step to start your healthy journey. By creating a schedule you can plan your meals and exercise program for each week.
Plan your meal program for the next week, complete with a meal schedule, cheat day, and time to exercise. If you are not accustomed to exercising, you can start with light exercises such as pilates and yoga. As for cheat day, Nova suggests planning what meals you want to consume during cheat day and adhere to your plan.
While during the “new normal”, food safety has benefitted from an increased awareness on good practices of personal hygiene, in the future, regulatory frameworks that have a long-term vision and that will ensure consumers’ protection will need to be put in place. In order to facilitate access to safe foods to all, the implementation of regulations will need to be delegated to the industry sector, and the active and informed participation of the consumers will be more critical than ever.
A few months ago, the FMI Foundation challenged a number of food influencers and partners to share some of their best suggestions and advice they would offer people striving to manage various food challenges being presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. These resources are available on the Family Meals Movement Consumer-Facing site; creating an easily assessable resource library for consumers and industry stakeholders seeking family meal ideas, help and motivation. This diverse collection of helpful guidance covers a gamut of topics, including:
- Recipes.
- Food Safety.
- Shopping, Stocking, and Planning.
- Family Meals.
- Creative Hacks.
- Self-Care.
- Nutrition assistance programs.
New FMI Foundation-sponsored research, found in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, shows that meals together support a family’s emotional well-being AND enhances its physical health, through encouraging more fruit and vegetable consumption. With this in mind, this year’s National Family Meals Month campaign will focus on helping families enjoy more healthful meals together at home.
If you have made changes to your diet since the pandemic began, you’re far from alone. People have been reported to at least make some change to their habits around eating or food preparation. Sixty percent say they’re cooking at home more, and many say they are buying more packaged foods than usual.
For 15 years, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has conducted an in-depth annual Food and Health Survey asking 1,000 American adults dozens of questions about their dietary habits, health conditions and attitudes toward food safety, environmental sustainability and the overall food system. Many of the answers are tracked from year to year to help us understand trends in the way we eat, shop and think about our food-related priorities.
This year’s survey results yielded key insights on how the American public is thinking and behaving when it comes to nutrition, food safety and agriculture in a time of incredible upheaval resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Additional surveys fielded during the past six months are further putting into perspective how COVID-19 is altering our approach to food. We’re noticing wide-ranging changes in what we’re eating, how we’re purchasing our food and our attitudes toward its safety and availability.
If you have made changes to your diet since the pandemic began, you’re far from alone. People around the world report at least some change to their habits around eating or food preparation. Sixty percent say they’re cooking at home more, and many say they are buying more packaged foods than usual.
All that time around the house means that over a third of us are also snacking more, a number that our surveys first picked up on in April and has remained constant through late summer. One in three (33%) say that they’re eating more often when they’re bored or not hungry, and nearly the same number (32%) say they’re eating snacks alone more often, an indicator of the shift to a more isolated lifestyle. Parents have been especially hard hit by disruptions to their food routine. For instance, 41% of parents with children under 18 said they are snacking more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, versus 29% of those without children.
We’re also finding positive trends around consumer attention to healthier eating. In July, nearly 4 people said they were eating healthier now than before the pandemic, with only 10% reporting that they were eating less healthfully. Thirty percent reported snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables and eating healthy snacks more often since the pandemic began.
While it is much more broadly understood by the public today that COVID-19 is not transmitted through food, the early days of the pandemic showed significant concern about coronavirus exposure via food handling or food preparation, with nearly half of consumers in April ranking it as one of their top three most important food safety issues.
When it comes to food, there is no question that the pandemic is forcing us to embrace new eating patterns and reevaluate how we feel about obtaining and preparing our food. But has COVID-19 brought us to a “new normal”? In some areas, like snacking and online grocery shopping, IFIC data shows the pandemic may be accelerating a trend already underway. Other behaviors are likely driven by our increased time at home and reduced mobility, both of which will be heavily influenced by the widespread availability of a vaccine. Future data will show us if what we see today represents any durable change in our attitudes and behaviors toward food.
So, are you ready to change your diet? Share your thought in the comments and let us know what change have you made to your eating habit. Until next time, and stay healthy.
