Year: 2020

Five Ways to Beat the Quarantine 15

1. Get real about your weight. Most of us look in the mirror from the neck up. When was the last time you looked at yourself from the neck down? Do you have a point of reference from before the COVID-19 quarantine? How do you measure your weight now? Is it the same way you measured before the stay-at-home period began? How do you determine what your weight should be? How recent is your weight gain (really)? 2. Look at your eating plan. Do you have one? Are your meals and snacks scheduled or random? Are you willing to schedule your regimen formally (on paper)? How hungry are you before your meals (using a 1-10 rating scale – 1 = starved; 10 = stuffed) and after you eat? 3. Look at your drinking plan. Do you have one? Are you eating to quench your thirst instead of drinking water? 4. Take a look at the other factors that can directly affect weight. Rate your stress on a scale of 1-10: 1 is totally relaxed, 10 is completely stressed out. How do you deal with your stress? 5. Make a schedule. Our brains love habits – good and bad (the brain doesn’t distinguish). How long do you think it takes to form a new habit? Surprisingly, it’s not 30 days, like we may have thought – it’s 66 days. Specifically, what new habits would you like to develop around your relationship with food? How can you break them down into Mini Habits that you can weave into your day? What can you do to build a foundation for these habits so you can start eating healthy during quarantine and avoid the “Quarantine 15”? Focus on the behavior, not the outcome. Guarantee success by making the first goal really easy. Measure your progress – visually – using any marker that is meaningful to you. Ask yourself this: When I _______________then I will _____________________. Celebrate weight progress – it builds success!

Mexican Spring Rolls: Cinco De Mayo Recipe

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we’re pleased to share one of our client-favorite Mexican fusion recipes: Mexican Spring Rolls! While the COVID-19 pandemic may have derailed your usual Cinco de Mayo celebration, you can still create a party atmosphere in your kitchen with this festive, Mexican-inspired recipe. Mexican Spring Rolls Recipe Servings – 6 rolls Serving Size – 2 rolls Ingredients cilantro leaves – 12 ea enchilada sauce – 1/2 cup green onion, diced – 2 ea ground turkey – 1 lb NutriFit Calypso Salt Free Spice Blend – 1 tsp onions, chopped – 1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated – 3/4 cup rice paper – 12 ea romaine lettuce, shredded – 2 cups tomatoes, diced – 1 cup Directions For each teaspoon of the Calypso Blend, you may use: 1/2 tsp. ground chilies, 1/4 tsp. ground cumin, 1/8 tsp. each black pepper and garlic powder. To make filling: 1. Sauté ground turkey with enchilada sauce, Calypso blend and onions until cooked through. Pour off any excess fat and cool. To roll the spring rolls: 1. In a bowl of warm water, dip a sheet of rice paper until both sides are moist. Let sit for 1 minute until the rice paper is soft. 2. Place approximately 2 tbsp. of the meat filling on the edge of the rice paper (closest to you) and add a teaspoon of green onion, cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Take the rice paper from edge and roll 1/3 of the way; fold in both sides towards the center and then continue to roll the rest of the way (like you would roll a burrito). 3. Repeat for the remaining sheets of rice paper. (You can cover the rolls with a moistened paper towel as you are rolling the other sheets to avoid the rolls drying out.) 4. Serve immediately or cover the rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Social Support while Social Distancing

There are many different types of social support systems that we all need as humans. Now, more than ever, it’s important to figure out who is actually there to support you, and what kind of support he or she provides. Here’s a simple exercise that can help you define your social support system using pen and paper. No drawing skills needed! Start with a small circle, just big enough to contain the people with whom you can be most intimate. Put their initials in that circle. The next circle is for family or close friends – draw a larger circle around the first and insert these folks in that circle. The next outer circle is for friends that you enjoy spending time with but are not people with whom you’d share your inner thoughts. You’re halfway there! Three more circles – professional colleagues are placed in the next circle, or those people whom you think you could count on for help if needed. Then comes a circle of non-professional acquaintances, more distant relations or neighbors. The outermost circle are people who provide informational; support, like your lawyer, banker, therapist or coach. Now that you have a visual of your perceived social support system, you have a more concrete understanding of the people that you can call on. Perhaps the most helpful part of this is seeing where you have “holes” in your social support, and since friendships benefit all parties, reaching out now really can be very helpful to others who may need to fill holes, too. And, you might come away with a new perception and increased gratitude for supportive people in your life right now! Taken from a Podcast with Dr. Shelley Carson, author of Your Creative Brain (Jossey-Bass).

Takeout v. Home Delivery

Are you in the 60% of US consumers that order takeout once a week? Have the number of times you order per week gone up during the current COVID-19 pandemic? Are you worried about quarantine weight gain, or the ‘quarantine fifteen’? We have some healthy takeout meal tips and advice on why it might be better to consider healthy home delivered meals while you’re staying safe at home. Think Beyond A Single Meal It’s easy to order up something on the spur of the moment that’s delivered before you’ve had time to consider the overall nutritional value of the meal, and how it fits into your daily caloric targets, but that’s where you can easily get in trouble. Consider your daily caloric intake , and what that spontaneity might cost, beyond the amount you’ll pay in dollars and cents. The overall calorie, fat, carbohydrate and protein of each meal matters. Consider Portion Sizes While a larger container of any given item may be less a better value, it’s important to consider what the right portion size is for you when you ‘dish up’ for dinner! Leaving some leftovers for the next day is a great way to avoid the dreaded quarantine weight gain. If your delivery doesn’t contain a recommendation for portioning that is appropriate for your individual body and lifestyle (you’re remaining active while staying safer-at-home, right?), finding out the correct portion size can help turn a regular delivery dinner into a more healthy takeout meal! What To Do With Leftovers  Not one for repeating the same meal? Think about buying up some freezer bags and putting some of that delivery away for a couple of weeks. Most cooked food can be successfully frozen if properly packaged for the freezer (ie. ziplock-style bags that allow you to see what’s inside) for up to 3 months. COVID-19 – How to handle containers that you might bring in from outside Do you have confidence in the safety of the food that is being delivered to your door? If you are receiving meals from a source (like NutriFit) that wipes the containers and bags before sending them out, you can rest more easily. However, it’s a good idea to wipe off any boxes that you receive from others with a bleach towel, then throw out the wipes or put the towel back into a bucket of diluted bleach solution and sanitize the surface that you worked on.Wear gloves while you’re doing this, then dispose of the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water. Everyone has their favorite guilty pleasure takeout – at NutriFit, we offer healthy, tasty versions many of your favorite Chinese, Mexican, Italian (and more) dishes. Our A La Carte menu features over 100 items including vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, gluten free options – all of which come labeled with full nutritional information.

Delivery Procedures

We are continuing our non-contact, nighttime deliveries as a part of our health and safety procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our drivers are our own employees (non-contractors) and all enjoy paid sick leave benefits. Sick employees, in any department, are not permitted to come to work. Our drivers also now wear gloves when delivering your meals. Our delivery bags are cleaned with a cleaning solution daily and are also lined with anti-microbial material. We are also offering curbside pick up to our clients who would prefer to pick up their meals from their facility.