New Strategies to Stay Strong & Healthy Through COVID-19 and Beyond
Part II
In Part I of this two-part series, we discussed 7 Ways to Shop and Look for Healthy Foods that you and your family can use to maintain good health habits through this unprecedented pandemic.
Today’s article focuses on five new elements to add to your Stay Strong Regimen as we all develop new habits and ways of being in this new era of living. We’ll discuss how each aspect can support our daily quarantined new normal.
Healthy Recipes
Just to prove we “walk the talk,” let me present some healthy recipes to keep your taste buds happy during the lockdown, while not making the stomach too unhappy.
Chicken with Vegetables
I get it – The name is very unassuming, but trust me, under the circumstances, this is one of the best meals you could have for dinner.
Ingredients
- Garlic
- One tablespoon olive oil
- One pound chicken breast
- Water
- Soy sauce (Reduced sodium)
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Black pepper
- Honey
- Olive oil
Preparation
In a large frying pan, over medium/high heat, mix garlic and olive oil. Add water, chicken, broccoli, carrots, and put the lid on. Let it cook for about 8 minutes.
Take the lid off, add honey, pepper, and soy sauce. Mix well. And, that is it.
Creamy Chickpea Curry
Ah, the very name makes my mouth water. This delicious dinner is absolute bliss during this time of doom and gloom. Here’s what you need to make it:
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Chopped onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Curry powder
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Chickpeas
- Tomatoes
- Coconut milk
- Salt & pepper
- Some greens
Preparation
In a large non-stick frying pan on medium to high heat, pour some olive oil. Add your onions, garlic, ginger, and sauté everything for a minute. Add your spices: curry powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder, paprika.
Let the spices simmer for all the flavors to come together. You can add salt and pepper to your liking. During the last minute, you can add some greens (spinach is a good idea).
And that is it. Enjoy this delicacy; you’ve earned it!
Ways to Commune
The best way to commune during COVID-19 lockdown is to not commune at all – I might be repeating myself. Still, there are so many ways to play reverse psychology.
Most businesses around the country have shifted to a work from home model.
Others that are not suitable for remote work have shut down altogether (restaurants, brick & mortar retail). Unless you are unscrupulous enough to go out to see some friends – there is no way you can socialize with people as if everything is normal.
Yet, homo sapiens have always longed for the company of fellow humans. Thanks to modern technology, you can have meetups online that – provided your internet works fine – are as good as meetups get.
Below are some free online tools you can use to commune during the crisis:
Zoom
Zoom – scarcely a household name a few weeks ago has gone past several airlines in market value. Zoom is an excellent platform that allows you to have video calls with friends from all over the globe. The video quality is close to perfect, and the sound rarely has lag. To cap it all off, it’s completely free – up to a certain degree of usage, of course.
In a free account, you cannot add more than three people, and one session cannot last for more than half an hour…such a bummer. Nevertheless, this is an excellent tool to keep some sense of society alive while you are hunkered inside your house.
Google Hangouts
This is another fantastic tool under the wing of Google. Hangouts is entirely free and has no limitations to the number of people who can join in a meeting. The call quality is commensurate with the standards one has come to expect from Google.
What’s more, this tool is entirely web-based, and you do not need to install separate software on your desktop or app on your mobile device.
Among other tools that allow for online video chat are Skype, Slack, WhatsApp, etc.
The Family
I once read a joke/meme online that went like this:
“Today, my internet was broke, so I got out of the room and spent some time with the family – I never knew they were such friendly people.”
The last line is a caustic remark to suggest we have become so engrossed into the virtual world that ‘quality time’ with the family has completely lost its meaning.
So maybe, the community you are looking for is cooped up with you in the same place you all call house. Perhaps that is the only friendly society you need right now.
Final Thoughts
In this hard time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to boost our immune system so it can provide us essential protection against the disease. The healthier the diet is, the better you feel. You need to try out these recipes and make them a part of your regular diet so that your body is strong enough to take on any challenge.