Cooking Amid Coronavirus: A Dietitian's Notebook

Early this morning, I headed to my local grocery shops to check out what the coronavirus hoarding fuss meant for food shoppers. First stop was Coles. I had to laugh. Toilet paper was obviously back in stock. Every person I passed in the aisles had a pack underarm, in their trolley or in a bag. Of course I bought a pack for myself!

In recent weeks it’s been a shock to find stripped bare shelves when we’re so used to the plentiful. I was shocked to see the empty meat shelves. And there was still no rice or pasta.  

But the purpose of my trip was not to stockpile. Rather, as an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist, I wanted to help give people some ideas of how to manage their nutrition at a time of shortages and leading into what might well be a challenging time ahead. 

Don’t forget the fresh stuff 

I was delighted to see well-stocked fruit and vegetable aisles in all three major supermarkets. There was a plethora of colours - green, red, orange, yellow, black, white, brown, purple, pink and blue fruits and vegetables. So while the frozen veggies and many shelf-stable items might be all gone don’t forget the fresh stuff. Go for colours! 

Remember it’s best to have a combination of fresh/raw and cooked vegetables throughout your week for optimal health. Why? All fruits and vegetables, no matter how they are prepared (cooked, canned, fresh or frozen), provide us with a host of goodness. We also know that some beneficial nutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables decrease after prolonged exposure to heat and cooking. A good example is Vitamin C which we know is important for keeping our immune system strong. So, eating raw foods may give us that extra dose! 

The advice about avoiding COVID-19 reminds us to keep our immunity up. We can do this through what we eat. We now know to boost our immunity, we need to keep our gut healthy. Choosing a variety of different vegetables and fruits with different and deep colours is the key! 

This is our chance to work on our healthy habits and be more plant-based

If this doesn’t epitomise the problem of nutritional imbalance in the Western World (too much meat and not enough veg and fruit), I don’t know what does! (Empty meat shelves and overflowing fruit and veg)

With the hype of everyone trying to stockpile food suitable for “freezing”, it can be easy to think of meat and forget about how you can prepare fresh vegetables and fruit to last the long haul too. 

Perfect for stewing and freezing: Apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, pears and berries. All were on special the day I shopped!

Perfect for peeling, chopping and freezing: Avocado, watermelon (also on special the day I shopped) and bananas. Make your own frozen berries too. 

Chop up fresh to make your own frozen vegetables bags (Environmentally friendly/reusable freezer bags preferred): Broccoli, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower, snow peas, corn, carrot, corn, capsicum. Your pre prepared frozen veggie bag makes for a quick accompaniment to any meal, or ready to go for a stirfry. Bundle up Brussel sprouts, pumpkin with any kind of potato and freeze for a quick ready-to-roast vegetable side. 

No pasta sauce, no tinned tomatoes? No worries! Cook your own with some lovely chopped fresh tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil! It only takes 10 minutes and is great for freezing! 

The day I shopped there were no shortages of onions, garlic and ginger that I could see! Did you know that onion, garlic and ginger freeze really well? To freeze: Peel and chop onion (no need to blanch), peel whole garlic cloves and keep ginger whole (no need to peel, and it’s actually easier to grate when it’s frozen). You’ll have a supply ready to go as bases to stews/casseroles, stir fries, marinades and soups. 

Wholegrains are rich in prebiotics, important for keeping your gut healthy and boosting immunity! Plus the more diverse your intake of plants is, the better for your immune system – and wholegrains count as a plant food. 

It seems the health food aisle is receiving more love than ever – but a few exotic grains remain. 

No couscous or rice? Try quinoa! Perfect for gluten free cooking also.

Pop over to your local bulk food store or Co-op 

Out of flour, oats or rice at the supermarket? Plenty to try here at “The Source Bulkfoods”, Balgolwah. All rich in prebiotics for keeping your gut healthy and immune system at optimum. 

Try making up a batch of muffins (great for freezing) with grated fruit like apple or pear using one of these flours (millet, lupin, sorghum wholemeal, spelt or buckwheat) as a base. 

Or why not try black or wild rice? Their benefits for gut health are superior to that of white and brown rice varieties. 

The lovely Laura Frost (a fellow Accredited Practising Dietitian), who works at “The Source Bulkfoods” opposite Coles at Stocklands Balgowlah, told me: “We’re busier than at Christmas”. She noted in the past week storewide The Source had sold 60kg oats and 100kg rice. 

Choose nutritious shelf-stable choices 

I do understand the hoarding hype. It is a good idea to stock up on some staple foods, especially with talk of potential lock downs, social distancing and especially for those shopping (for others) with self-isolation in mind. Here are my top recommendations for what remains on the shelves: 

Choose canned and dried legumes (I found a good dried stash at “The Source”). 

The not-so-popular pulse pastas made with legumes (ranging from green peas, chickpeas, red lentils and borlotti beans) are the most underrated pastas available, why not give them a go? In this climate of less readily available meat, these types of pastas can give you a whopping 22-28g protein per 125g serve (as much as a small steak, not to mention they’re fibre loaded too). 

Shop locally along the Northern Beaches 

Why not shop more locally and support each other through this time? While meat is running off the shelves at Woolworths and Coles, support your local butchers like Richard’s Meats (Roseberry St, Balgowlah) who were very well stocked. As I came to their store, toting my toilet rolls bought from a supermarket chain, the local butchers Ross and Pete who were busy stocking for the day, asked me: “What were you doing looking for meat produce up at the supermarkets! Come here to shop!”. 

They mentioned almost any meat is good for freezing, pork and lamb is the most reasonable price-wise at the moment and whole chickens are the hardest to get. “Hopefully one of the perks of this whole shamble is people will shop more local,” they noted cheerily. 

Richard’s Meats had a full stock of meat including whole chickens as of 9am this morning, an ode to the boutique supply of local business. I purchased just one chicken to make a chicken soup with vegetables currently in my fridge and soup mix in my pantry (comprising pearl barley, split peas and lentils) to freeze. I’m also keeping the drumsticks to make a stock, throwing back to the old days of using everything you had. 

Change up your shopping times/locations 

I appreciate I came to the shops early this morning. What’s stocked at 8am won’t necessarily be available at the end of the day. As Laura mentioned: “I’ve never seen a weekday at this time so busy at the supermarket. People are still looking to buy fresh, all this greenery will be gone by the end of the day”. So perhaps the old saying the ‘early bird gets the worm’ rings true here. Try switching your shopping routine to picking up a few items early (after the 7-8am protected shopping hour for the elderly and vulnerable) if you shop at the chain supermarkets. Or, swing by your local Harris Farm if you’re after a more bountiful evening shop. The Harris Farm hub at Manly was bursting with fresh fruit and vegetables last night at 6:30pm. 

 Stay thoughtful

Try to resist getting caught up in the hype of hoarding. Remember we’re all in this together and it’s the health of us as a society which will see us through this time. Leave taking that extra can of tinned tomatoes for someone else and just buy a couple for yourself! 

Take home message

The moral of the story is this. Today, my shop was a quick clip for a few groceries and items. But I didn’t buy out the shop. Don’t be afraid to be creative and cook using what you find to prepare and store with future weeks in mind. Be thoughtful in what you buy and we can be confident there will still be enough left to go around tomorrow!