The COVID Diaries: Eating from the Pantry – the Benefits of Meal Planning

Registered Dietitian Nazia Sadat discusses the benefits of meal planning using pantry staples.

With a little thought, meal planning can help you get the proper nutritional balance. Making healthy food choices can help with increasing immunity as well as uplifting our mood. 

Stress impacts the diet choices we make, making it harder to choose healthy foods because of boredom or feeling stressed.

Nazia Sadat, MS, MPH, MS Ed., RDN, LDN offers helpful tips and advice on managing healthy eating, creating meal plans, using pantry food staples, and managing stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlighted quotes from the presentation:

• “Given the COVID-19 situation that we are all in right now, our stress levels are at an all-time high…we’re out of our regular routines, and stress definitely impacts the way that we eat, the way that we function, and the choices that we make. So, meal planning is going to be important, but it can definitely be a challenge as well.”
  
  
• “To help your immune system, choose some citrus fruits, red bell peppers–both are really high in vitamin C…also add in some antioxidant-rich foods…you want to choose blueberries, raspberries, spinach, and some dark chocolate.”
  
  
• “Your mindset is going to be the most important thing, physically and mentally, to try and get through a pandemic. Engage in stress management. Your diet is going to be very, very important…”

Nazia is an adjunct faculty member in the 100% online Graduate Programs in Applied Nutrition at UNE, which emphasizes directly and immediately applying knowledge gained from advanced studies to the nutrition field. UNE offers several optional focus areas, including a customizable option, for its M.S. in Applied Nutrition program. In addition, its Master of Science in Applied Nutrition, RDN focus has been granted candidate status by the Accreditation Council for Education (ACEND) in Nutrition and Dietetics.

To learn more about the Graduate Programs in Applied Nutrition at UNE Online: 

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM GUIDE