The Vegetarian’s Guide To Post-Pandemic Eating

Did the pandemic change the way you eat? Stress eating, snacking, working from home, working out from home, more time at home with more access to the kitchen. After a year of pandemic living, does your daily eating look different than it used to? Vegetarian or not, this Guide To Post-Pandemic Eating will help you figure out which pandemic habits you should keep and which ones to ditch.

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

The Vegetarian’s Guide To Post Pandemic Eating

For over a year, we had to learn how to live (and eat) during a global health crisis. Now, many people are looking forward to getting back to a somewhat normal state of living (and eating). But how do we do that after going through the year long journey of pandemic food trends? From sourdough starters to pancake cereal, banana bread, and the tortilla hack. Social media kept us connected and on trend with what to eat, watch, and buy. Some of the trends might not have been the healthiest. So, it might be time to rethink some of these habits born out of the pandemic and try to find balance in a new + healthy place. I’m ready to emerge from pandemic state of mind, how about you?

Keep Eating At Home

Eating at home became the norm during the pandemic. Stick to it! Eating as a family + cooking your own meals at home has been found to save calories, time, and money! Not enjoying cooking at home? This article can help: How To Enjoy Cooking At Home!

Quit Turning To Comfort Foods During Stressful Times

Enough. This doesn’t work. Sure, go ahead, eat the whole bag of Oreos, call me in a few hours and tell me how you feel. Stop it. Try eating some good mood foods instead. Read this: The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mood Boosting Foods.

Grocery Shop With A Mission

Make a list + stick to it. During the height of the pandemic, I was in and out of the grocery store like a flash of lightning. Nothing extra was getting in my cart. This habit is a keeper. Less time in the store, less chance of packaged + unnecessary foods sneaking into the cart. Curious about what should be in a WFPB pantry? Check this out: What’s In My Pantry.

Meal Prep!

Keep doing this, and if you weren’t doing it during pandemic, you need to start! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Planning your meals is a must for optimal health at any phase of life. Check out what I do on weekends to make my weeknight cooking easier (10 Things To Do On Weekends To Make Weeknight Cooking Easier)

The Vegetarian’s Guide To Post-Pandemic Eating & Social Media

Might be time to unplug from the news cycles, trends, and pressures of what you are ‘supposed’ to look like and feel like as you venture out into the world post-pandemic. Your mental health is more important. Quit searching for the pre or post-pandemic version of yourself, and search for the best version of yourself.

Make Mindful Food Choices

Clean up the unnecessary habits you picked up over the last year. The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mindful Snacking will help you figure out if you are eating with intention or mindlessly snacking. Start there.

Keep Eating The Immunity Boosting Foods

You know you did it. You google searched how to boost your immune system and quite possibly ate, drank, bought, or swallowed a pill to boost your chances of fighting infection. Keep it up! My article, Immunity Boosting Foods, has some easy + inexpensive ways to keep you fighting all kinds of viruses.

Food Hygiene

Please keep this habit! We did it in March of 2020 because we had to. Now do it because you want to. There are other viruses that make us ill besides coronavirus! Wash your fruits + vegetables well, clean your hands after being in public, wash your hands for 20 seconds or more (with soap) before eating.

Plant-Based Is Not Just A Food Trend

It is here to stay, and for good reason! Boost immunity, fight chronic disease, combat obesity + depression. Maybe your post-pandemic eating will include more plant-based options on regular rotation. If you started a plant-based diet during lockdown, you did the hardest part, now stick with it! Not sure? Check this out: Signs That You Should Go Plant-Based.

Yes, You Can Keep Baking

Pandemic baking might not be sustainable. That being said, you don’t have to quit making sweet treats right in your own kitchen. Just bake with a healthy twist. Like I do! This article is a good place to start Healthy Alternatives to Refined Sugar or check out all of my eggless baked goods here.

Make A List Of What Worked & What Didn’t Work

Once you figure out what new habits or routines you want to keep from the lockdown year, make a list. Then, make them easy. Restructure your new post-pandemic life to make these habits/routines a regular + easy part of your life. Habits rely on repetition so make them easy to repeat. Need a place to start? Check out this article: My Daily Checklist Of Healthy Habits.

Be Realistic

During lockdown, life was certainly different. For some, it was simpler. For others, it was more difficult. Some of the things you were doing during lockdown might be difficult to fit into the new norm. Your post-pandemic eating will definitely change, mine did! Give yourself a break and give it time to adjust to the (yet again) new norm.

Strive To Be The Best Version Of Yourself. Not The Post-Pandemic Version.

Be gentle on yourself as you emerge out of pandemic life. It is ok to look different or feel different than you did over a year ago. Celebrate the fact that your body pulled you through one of the worst years in modern history, and thank it for staying healthy.