With the whole world gradually descending into a temporary lockdown, it’s no surprise that one of the top priorities is what we are consuming. Supermarket shelves are emptying faster than they can be refilled. Toilet paper has, overnight, become one of the most coveted objects available to us. With the situation reaching unseen proportions, there are many areas of our lives that have become magnified. One of these is, of course, the food we eat. Here at Office Groceries, we have always taken care of the nourishment needs of those in the workplace. Office fruit deliveries are usually additions to the office that enhance the working lives of people, whereas the onus has been placed on food as the crucial component to life in a time of emergency.
In this post we shall be giving you some ways in which watching your diet can help you during this trying period. We preach that fruit is beneficial to the workplace, but diet in general is a crucial part of our lives we must monitor in times like these. Read on if you would like some tips on how to munch responsibly, and check out our blog post from last week, Office Fruit: Fun Recipe Ideas for Your Leftover Apples for a more lighthearted read.
1. Variety is the spice of life (in quarantine)
In a recent article published by the Guardian, Sheena Cruickshank, a professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, spilled some tea on the topic of diets. Highlighting that we are in a symbiotic relationship with our gut bacteria, she stated that a diet which maintains this relationship efficiently will help us to fight infections such as the coronavirus. These bacteria not only fight infection, but they ‘programme our immune system’. Consuming foods that benefit our microscopic benefactors is crucial in the times of a pandemic.
Foods that will benefit your gut bacteria are surprisingly easy to locate. These bacteria thrive in guts that are sustained by foods that are high in fibre. One such snack is the humble banana, which, of course, is a prime component of each of our office fruit baskets. Not only is it full of potassium, which helps regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions and nerve signals, they can also help you to combat viral infections. Another food that’s a friend to your gut is almonds. These little pellets of deliciousness have great probiotic properties, meaning they are highly beneficial for your gut bacteria. They are also high in fibre, and full of fatty acids and polyphenols. It’s a win-win, and lucky for you we stock almond milk as part of our office milk deliveries.
2. If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready
Maintaining a high-energy diet will allow you to exercise more readily when you’re staying cooped up indoors during a potential lock down. The official NHS recommendation for weekly exercise time for adults is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 of intense cardio. It will be difficult to abide by these recommendations when cooped up in the house, so the limited exercise we can engage in will be greatly aided by our diets. In terms of a pre-emptive coronavirus treatment for ourselves, consuming foods with the right kinds of sugar is crucial.
A recommendation of ours would be apples and bananas. Fruits that are composed of complex carbohydrates that will give you enough long-lasting energy to exercise and fight off infection.