Covid-19 may have put a hurdle in our work out routines as we practice not only social distancing, but financial distancing for many of us as well. There is an upside to isolating ourselves in the middle of a healthy kitchen. Here are my pro cooking tips to help your health take advantage of this isolation
The last time I was on a 30 day lock down with limited contact with the outside world, I was focusing on a significant change in my life style. Some may call it Rehab, but regardless of those semantics, I put 30 days between me and a really bad habit. Now I find myself in much better company and I'm slowing building my garage gym with borrowed weights and a workout bench. My workouts have been enhanced with my plant-based diet so I'm hoping to come out of this like I did the last time, a whole new better person.
Many of you may be more worried about toilet paper for the things that come out of us and putting less focus on what we put in us. Take a few minutes to read these tips to set you and your families health up for an entire rehab of your own.
1. Spend less money on tempting junk food and focus more on whole grain and fresh healthy snacks. Prep them ahead of time so you'll always have some healthy at your fingertips
2. Covid-19 is preying harder on those with an already compromised immune system. Avoid consuming ingredients with excessive preservatives, herbicides, pesticides, stabilizers and chemical fertilizers. For a complete consumers guide visit the EWG.Org
The more toxins we consume, the more we distract our immune system from its primary purpose, to defend us from disease
3. Wild animals have a bad wrap with theories that coronavirus was caused from eating bats and other wild things. Under any circumstances, consuming anything but plants can slow down, stop or reverse our forward progress to wellness. At worst, animal ingredients can damage the 60,000 miles worth of endothelial function in our blood vessels. When healthy, the endothelium lining is the barrier that filters out what gets absorbed into our muscle tissue where toxins and diseases can breed and grow to create various health issues. Animal products will put microscopic holes in the barrier and we become contaminated rather than passing the toxins out and down the toilet.
4. To avoid packing on unwanted pounds, be cautious of the carbs you consume. Shoppers are stocking up on bread, tortillas, pastas and potatoes. In moderation there is very little harm done, but in a time when our activities and calorie burning opportunities are limited, lowering your carbs will help decrease weight gain.
5. Plant protein is more common than you think. If you're a traditional thinker that protein only comes from animals, then maybe you have wondered where the animals get their protein from. Plants of course. Our body needs to absorb 9 essential amino acids every day to produce healthy muscle tissue. Animal protein does contain those 9 but they come with more negative effects than those that come from plants. Here is a short list of ingredients high in protein and with all 9 amino acids:
Soy Beans, Tofu & Tempe
Peas
Lentils
Quinoa
Rice & Beans
Almonds & Peanuts
If you surround yourself with ingredients that will improve your health and remove any terrible temptations from within your reach, by the time the lock down is over we can develop new and healthy habits.
Now get back in the garage and do some dusty push ups.
-PG