Coronavirus Quarantine Can Be the Opportunity to Transform Your Weight & Health With Trophology: 5 Date-Driven Nutrition Tips by Candice P. Rosen, R.N., MSW, CHC

Not sure how to eat and stay healthy during COVID-19 quarantine without resorting to your familiar diet of spaghetti, bread, pizza and sugar? I encourage trophology, or food combining, which is one of the foundations of my Data-Driven Fueling Plan. As you combine foods, monitoring blood glucose is the key to weight gain versus weight loss; good health versus poor health.

• Make Wednesdays and Fridays Vegan Days: Avoid dairy! Try vegan yogurts, cheeses and milks. Dairy is inflammatory and will deplete your bones of calcium (it’s true!). There are unsweetened milks of almond, hemp, cashew, etc., and all are available in grocery stores. A low-blood-glucose breakfast idea would be a sprouted grain English muffin, spread with a tofu or nut-based cream cheese, some sliced tomatoes and topped off with sea salt or Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend.

• Eat Fruits High in Fiber: Apples, bananas, oranges, berries – the list goes on. You will still want to avoid sugary fruit juices, as well as very sweet fruits like pineapples and mangos while trying to lose weight. Fruit is always eaten alone with two exceptions: they can be added to a vegan smoothie and they can be eaten with a nut butter or seed butter. These healthy fats reduce the chance of a blood glucose spike.
  

• Nothing White: To lower blood glucose, do not eat or combine animal proteins with any white potatoes, bread, rice or pasta. Ever. Sorry!

• Eat More Sweet Potatoes: Think wholesome, nutritious, responsibly grown, pancreatic-friendly foods (food that doesn’t raise your blood glucose) like sweet potatoes and yams, which are an incredibly nutritious carbohydrate that are low in sugar levels and provide fiber. They’re best consumed baked or steamed, but can also be cooked in a variety of other ways. A great lunch or dinner option (and it is inexpensive) is a baked sweet potato, split down the middle with a large spoonful of black beans, a tablespoon of tomatillo salsa and a side salad. To lower blood sugar, eat them with veggies and plant-based protein together – not meat!
  

• Try Fish: Give your body a break from animal protein. Red meats increase inflammation and provide poor sources of fat. However, if you crave protein, try fish. For those who aren’t allergic, fish is a fantastic source of protein that’s low in carbohydrates and contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, one of the few consumable healthy fats! If consuming fish raw, remember only sashimi-style – no white rice! To lower blood sugar, combine fish with veggies, not starches or fruit.

The information on 30Seconds.com is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice. The information provided through this site should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, and is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your personal healthcare provider.

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