By April Lisante

The other night I put down the Pinterest at around midnight to take the dog out, and I found myself down in the kitchen. This scenario has undoubtedly happened many times before but this time, I reached in the fridge and grabbed a little, mini cannoli. And I ate it right on the spot. The next night, I caught my husband and one of the twins in the kitchen after 11 p.m. eating Fruity Pebbles and Nutella toast.

The thought of doing that would have seemed foreign to us just a couple of months ago, but I’ve noticed during this quarantine business that along with our interrupted sleeping patterns and extended waking hours, our eating has become a bit, how do you say? Lax.

I just recently did a column about my family’s quarantine cooking joy. We love making meals together and eating meals together. But this has also meant a lot more eating in general.

For the past few weeks, I’ve used my column to try to tackle some of the quarantine quandaries we’ve all been facing when it comes to grocery shopping, finding goods from our local restaurants and bakeries, and cooking at home.

But one of the subjects I haven’t yet touched on is staying healthy at home and avoiding overeating during this stressful time. In other words, avoiding the “Quarantine 15” as Flourtown nutritionist Patricia Morris likes to call it.

"I tell people that during the quarantine, you have to have a plan," said Morris, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator who does nutrition counselling in Flourtown. 

“You have to tell yourself ‘This is the time I’m going to get healthy’,” said Morris, who tackles the issues on her blog patriciamorrisrd.com. “I’m going to do something positive.”

Ok, ok, I am listening. I did start quarantine telling myself I’d use the down time to walk every day and do yoga. But by the time I finish doing three hours of homework with the kids, writing a story, cleaning, doing laundry etc., a piece of leftover chocolate Easter bunny sounds like the only game plan come afternoon.

But Morris has some ways to avoid my pitfalls. She offered some tips to all those in quarantine who want to try to watch what they eat, start a new regime, or just stay healthy during this time.

1. Have a daily plan. It is critical because you are home all day to plan out your meals ahead of time. Sometimes, that may mean deciding what the meals will be for the following day and either defrosting the meats, precutting the veggies, or assembling the mis en place to make the meal. If everything is all ready to go, you are less apt to reach for junk food. “I say if you know what you are going to eat the next day, you are golden,” Morris said.
2. Be aware of the foods you are bringing into the house. If you are the one grocery shopping, remember, you are going to be home all day with the foods you bring into the house. If the husband loves to bring chips to work with his lunches, those fiery Cheetos aren’t leaving the premises now. He’ll be stowing those bad boys at home, in your line of vision. If the kids need their Tastykakes, you will come face to face with them at midnight. Oh yes, you will.
3. Don’t buy your favorite junk foods when you make the weekly journey to the grocery store. You want the pints of Ben and Jerrys but guess what? If you can avoid putting it in the cart, odds are you will not want to don a mask and gloves at midnight these days to make the trek to Wawa. So, you learn to go without it, Morris says.
4. Don’t be afraid to try new foods when you can’t find your usual suspects in grocery chaos land. If you love your carbs but can’t find your favorite mac and cheese or risotto, remember potatoes and beans are also carbs, and could up your health repertoire, said Morris. “Make a list of carbs and try some new one,” Morris said. Same goes for other things, like that flavored coffee creamer you’re hooked on. If there’s been a run on Cheesecake Factory non-dairy creamer, try skim milk for a change. This is the time to do it.
5. Clean out the pantry. Now is the time to use up all the good non-perishable food you’ve been avoiding cooking, like that tri-color quinoa you don’t know how to make. It’s also a good time to go through your spices. Typically, spices can be healthful and like turmeric, packed with antioxidants. “But if they’ve been in there 10 years, they won’t be as good as they would have been,” Morris said.
6. Take a hard look at your take-out habits, like coffees. Sure, we can still get some take-out and drive-through foods, but Starbucks is plain shut down. Morris suggests that every time you are craving a drive-through meal or that latte and muffin, take the money you would have spent and put it aside in a jar or drawer. “I think most people would be shocked to see how much money they have,” Morris said. “People get coffee in the morning or go out to lunch at work. If people are worried about finances, take a look at where you are spending your money.”