I just heard a news anchor comment on how she will need to lose her “Quarantine 15” as soon as the lockdown is over. That made me laugh out loud, but probably because it hit close to home. I remember when I was in college my friends and I spent a lot of time in the fitness center so that we could ward off the “Freshman 15”. I only wish I had that metabolism or the access to that gym now.
This got me thinking (again), about how very important nutrition is for everyone, but even more so for those living with a chronic illness. Having a chronic condition takes its toll on the body. The illness may prevent a person from eating at all or from eating enough which can mean that the body won’t get the fuel it needs to produce energy. In the case of COPD, you may require more calories because there is an increased work of breathing which takes a lot of energy. I hope you and your doctor have discussed nutrition at previous checkups and will continue to think of food as tool to stay healthy. Please note that just because you are eating enough food to satisfy hunger does not mean that you are being adequately nourished. We need to make sure we are providing our bodies with the nutrients we need to maintain health.
So how is the food situation where you live? It seems that over the last two weeks fresh vegetables are getting harder to find here. I hope that isn’t the case everywhere, but it certainly has been difficult here. I am having to opt for frozen vegetables and frozen fruits to blend into smoothies. I picked up a can of apples the other day and almost had myself convinced that if I made fried apple pies out of it, that could count as a healthy fruit option. Haha! But, ultimately my more reasonable side prevailed and stuck to my berry smoothie option for the win!
Since we are in a new house now, I am hoping to set out a small garden. It seems our growing season has gotten a little longer in recent years, so I don’t think I am too late in getting one started. Do any of you have tips for growing a successful backyard garden? What do you grow? Or what would you suggest I steer clear of? I think I have room for a 10’x10’ garden spot that will get full sun. I’m hoping that will give me enough yield that I can do some canning for the winter.
I hope to do a “Teaching With a Twist” in the next week or so to address the importance of nutrition in more detail. In the meantime, check in with me and let me know how you are doing! I love to hear from you!