Now more than ever, our health should be a top priority. This means making mindful choices to nurture our bodies rather than poor choices can result in being overfed and yet undernourished.
It’s only natural we are all feeling a bit more stressed, but stress can prompt us to make nutrition choices that are not the healthiest or to be tempted by high-calorie comfort foods – which often contain too much fat, salt, and sugar. These may fill our bellies, but we may be lacking many important nutrients that support overall health, including our immune system.
To keep a healthy, balanced diet that supports our immune system, start by taking note of the essential nutrients you should pay more attention to.
Nutrients We Need More Of
When you’re at the grocery store, preparing meals, or if you’re considering supplementation, make sure you are consuming the following nutrients:
Fiber
Best known for helping with regularity, high-fiber foods are filling and relatively low in calories. Certain fibers can also encourage the growth of “good” bacteria in your digestive tract, which support immunity because they serve as an initial line of defense by crowding out potentially harmful bacteria that might enter the digestive tract.
Magnesium
While it’s not a mineral we typically think about, magnesium contributes to hundreds of bodily functions. Magnesium supports the health of your immune and nervous systems, supports muscle function, and assists your cells in producing energy.
Vitamin D
Most people associate calcium with healthy bones, but your bones need Vitamin D too, since it helps your body absorb calcium from your diet. Vitamin D is also needed for proper muscle function and supports the activity of the immune system.
Potassium
This mineral supports the function of nerves and muscles and helps regulate blood pressure. Potassium also supports chemical reactions in the body that generate energy from food.
Iron
One of iron’s key functions is to support the transport of oxygen to cells and tissues. If you do not have enough iron, your body cannot make hemoglobin, and you may get anemia.
Where Can You Get Those Nutrients From?
If you plan ahead and know exactly what you’re getting, your trip to the grocery store will be shorter and more effective.
The great news is that most of these nutrients can be found in foods that are easy to buy in bulk and maintain a long shelf life until your next essential grocery run. These are some foods to stock up on that contain the nutrients mentioned above and can help you create healthy meals for days:
- Dry goods like oatmeal, lentils, and whole grain pastas and cereals can be great sources of fiber, iron, and magnesium. Some cereals are also fortified with Vitamin D. The most important feature is to ensure that you’re buying “whole grain” to get the full benefit, so read labels carefully.
- Fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber and potassium and a single carrot provides a days’ worth of beta-carotene, which helps protect the health of cells, including cells in the immune system. The body also converts beta-carotene to vitamin A which supports the health of the skin, including the specialized immune cells that reside there.
- Vegetables are packed with minerals and vitamins. Keep in mind produce that lasts the longest: onions, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Frozen fruits and veggies pack the same nutritional punch as their fresh counterparts, so stock up on them when you find them.
- Fermented foods are also great options that provide beneficial probiotics (the “good bacteria”) to the digestive system. Some fermented foods, like tempeh or Greek yogurt, are also excellent sources of plant-based protein (and yogurt is a great source of calcium) and both foods have relatively long shelf lives.
- Canned items can be a life saver and have a long shelf life so you don’t need to worry about expiration dates just yet. Make sure to choose low sodium options and stock up on tomatoes (sauce, diced or paste), beans, broth, tuna, salmon, sardines, chicken, and nuts. You can also buy canned veggies, such as corn, pumpkin, and chili peppers.
Avoid Food Waste: Tips for Storing and Preparing Food
We need to take care of the foods we are buying and try to reduce food waste as much as possible. Here are some useful tips to avoid food waste while keeping the nutrition in your food:
Tips for Storing Food
- For dry goods – like beans, rice, pasta – store them where it is cool and dry.
- Most canned goods are years away from their expiration dates, which means they can safely be stored in your pantry.
- Know the difference between “sell-by” and “use by.” Just because the sell-by date has passed on your carton of milk, it can easily stay safe for a week or so after that – provided it’s been properly stored in the refrigerator.
- Eggs can easily stay fresh and safe for 3-5 weeks after you buy them — which is likely to be long after the date stamp on the carton. Even ground beef, which is highly perishable, is safe to eat for a day or two after you buy it – even if the “sell by” date has passed.
- Then there’s the “use by”, “best by” and “best before” dates, which aren’t even expiration or safety dates at all. In fact, they’re not even required on the label. Manufacturers put them there to let you know that after that date, the quality of the food might decline. So, you might see a change in texture or color, but the food is still perfectly safe to eat.
Tips for Cooking Food
- Microwaving does not destroy nutrients.
- Lightly wash, but don’t soak, your fruits and vegetables. If the first utensil you tend to grab is your peeler, you might want to reconsider. The skins and peels of fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Watch what you cut away. There’s more vitamin C and calcium in broccoli stems than the florets, more nutrients in asparagus stalks than the tips. The hard center core of a pineapple has the highest concentration of bromelain, a natural enzyme which aids digestion.
- A tiny amount of healthy fat helps with the absorption of carotenoids, so a few slices of avocado in your spinach salad or a little olive oil in your tomato sauce will boost your uptake.
How to Create Healthy Meals from Foods You Have at Home
Now that you have your pantry and freezer well stocked and food is properly and safely stored, here are some ideas on how to create healthy meals:
Start with protein.
You can go with animal protein – cheese, eggs, canned tuna, salmon or chicken – or plant protein –beans, peas and lentils, tofu or tempeh.
Add healthy carbs.
There are plenty of good-for-you sources of carbohydrates – and they provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. Try adding canned or frozen vegetables, fruits and grains such as brown rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, whole grain breads or corn tortillas.
Turn leftovers into makeovers.
Plan to make the foods you cook do double duty. If you’re grilling chicken, make extra and add it to tomorrow’s pasta. If you’re cooking some fish, make enough to fold into some corn tortillas with salsa for fish tacos tomorrow night.
Make one-dish meals.
Find some one-dish meals that you like – soups, stews, casseroles – that include your protein and veggies all in one dish. That way, you can still have a balanced meal of “an entrée and two sides” without having to make three separate items for yourself.
Repurpose foods that are reaching expiration.
There are many ways to get the most out of your perishable food items, even when they start to look a little sad. When your tomatoes get too mushy to cut up for salads, consider making them into homemade tomato sauce.
Are your bananas getting brown and squishy? Give them more life by unpeeling them and keep them in the freezer as a healthy smoothie ingredient! Soups, stews, salads are great dishes that can incorporate many different ingredients with shorter shelf lives.
What About Leftovers?
When it comes to leftovers, an easy way to remember food storage guidelines is simple: two hours, two inches, four days – the numbers make up the “2-2-4 rule”.
Two hours is how long foods can safely stay at room temperature after you’ve taken then out of the oven or off the grill – or, in the case of cold foods, how long they can safely stay out of the refrigerator or cooler. Once the time limit is reached, the food should be refrigerated or frozen.
The two-inch rule means that you should store leftover foods in shallow containers – no more than two inches thick – so they can cool evenly and quickly. If containers are too deep, it takes too long for the food in the middle to cool down.
The last rule says that you should use your refrigerated leftovers within four days – otherwise, you should toss them out.
Take care of yourself and your body. Plan out your grocery list and stock your freezer, refrigerator and cupboards with healthy staples. Focus on the important nutrients you may need to increase in your diet and choose foods accordingly. It’s a great time to start getting creative in the kitchen – you may even be surprised at what tasty meals you can put together with what’s already in your pantry!
Susan BowermanM.S., R.D., CSSD, CSOWM, FAND – Sr. Director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training
Susan Bowerman is the senior director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the Dietetic Advisory Board (DAB). As a registered dietitian, she educates distributors about our global nutrition philosophy and is responsible for developing nutrition education and training materials. Bowerman earned a B.S. in Biology with distinction from the University of Colorado and an M.S. in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University. She is a fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and holds two board certifications as a specialist in Sports Dietetics and in Obesity and Weight Management. When she is not busy teaching and writing, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and gardening. Her favorite Herbalife products include Simply Probiotic and Herbalife Formula 1 Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix Banana Caramel.