Healthy food to stack up on during quarantine or isolation!

How do I stay healthy? How do I store the food? How should you know what to get if you get quarantined? Should it stay fresh for long? Does it have to stay fresh for long? Will the city or country run out of food? Do I need things that don’t need a fridge? What is smart to buy? How do I still eat and remain healthy in all of this?

All these questions and more are probably running through your mind at the moment. And with good reason.

In this post, we’ll teach you what you should stack upon in order to stay healthy, on track with your macros, and in positive spirits.

The two key takeaways from this post are:

There is a lot of stuff you think has to stay in the fridge that doesn’t have to!
You can divide the food you need into 4 different categories:

Food you can keep in a pantry or a dry place: sweet potato, eggwhite, eggs (to a certain extent), lentils, oranges, butter, rice, bouillon, apple, tortillas, almond- oat- soy and pea milk, granola, nuts, tortilla, jam, beans, canned mackerel, tuna
Food you can eat without having to cook it: hard bread, bread, cheese, canned mackerel, vegetables, salmon
Food you can have in the freezer: chicken, fish, meat, frozen vegetables, and fruit
Food that must be in the fridge: chicken, fish, vegetables, yogurt, milk, berries

If you want to know more about what and how you can eat when you are sick or what top 10 foods to boost your immune system you can click either of the linked post ?

Table of Contents

Fridge, freezer vs pantry – the basics

When deciding on what to get there are 3 main things you should focus on:

What are the protein sources than you can eat in the next couple of days/ weeks? These can stay in the fridge.
What can you keep as a protein source in the freezer that will last you longer?
What can you keep in a pantry? This is the stuff that you keep as a backup.

Why I am splitting it up in these 3 is simply because this is important!

You don’t want all your food to be dependent on a fridge or freezer. You want to keep some stuff outside the freezer or fridge, just in case the power goes out.

This will probably not happen, at least not now, but what is the harm in thinking ahead?

Most of us don’t have facilities that are made for storing food cold for a longer time. Two main reasons for that, your fridge or freezer simply doesn’t have the room, they are too small. Or if the power goes out, you’re not self-sufficient. You’ll lose power straight away and your food will start de-frosting.

Let’s assume that losing power isn’t a problem for now. But it is still important to be knowledgable about what foods actually don’t have to stay in the fridge. So you don’t take up unnecessary space.

Therefore, we have prioritized protein and fat sources in the fridge and freezer. This can be for example meat, chicken, fish, yogurt.

Typical foods that people think have to be in a fridge but doesn’t is butter, eggs, sweet potato, almond milk (keep in fridge after opened, will last for about 4-5 days), fruits, onions, ginger, chili, garlic, tomatoes etc.

Keep in mind that if eggs have been cold, they must be kept cold. This means that if they’ve been a fridge either at your house or in the store, they must remain in the fridge or a place where they will be kept cold.

Also, butter doesn’t have to be kept cold. But it is sensitive to light. So keeping it in a box in a pantry or similar works great.

Macros

Even though you’re in quarantine you should focus on getting the right combination of macros. You probably don’t want all your hard work to go to waste!??

You should focus on a healthy balance between protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The reason why is simple. Of course, you want to stay on track, but a healthy balance of macros will keep your mind and body more awake and at peace.

Being unable to go outside can be really strenuous for a lot of people. Making sure your head and body is at it’s best is important.

In one way it might be easier because you are in complete control of what you eat – no eating out or friends over. On the other hand, it might be really hard, because you are home all day, and that way, the cravings can come easier.

So, it’s all about making stuff easy for yourself. Don’t buy a lot of unhealthy things, you’ll end up eating them. And since you probably shouldn’t go outside too much, then you won’t be subjected to temptations like before.

Let’s look at why the different macros are important and what the main challenges can become.

Protein

Protein is as always, very important! Not only will it ensure you keep your muscles strong, but it is also a healthy macronutrient and that your body needs as a building block.

The main challenge with protein is that if they are animal-based there’s a limit to how long they can stay fresh either outside or inside a fridge. Outside the fridge the amount of time it will stay fresh is very small, in the fridge, it is longer.

However, most of these protein sources won’t stay fresh for at least no more than a couple of weeks. So here, fridge or freezer space is essential.

Fat

Fat will keep you full. You need less fat than carbs to get full. This is great with regard to storage space. Your brain also needs fat to function properly.

You can have fat sources such as sour cream, avocado, and salmon, but there is a limited time it will stay fresh. But different kinds of nuts and nut butter will stay fresh for a really long time and can be kept in the pantry.

Also, many of the other fats such as butter, olive oil, coconut oil, etc aren’t really things you eat, rather things you use for cooking. So, getting enough HEALTHY fat can become a problem in the long run.

I don’t recommend consuming fat from unhealthy sources such as chips, chocolate, cookies etc.

The sugar rush is terrible for your body and brain and will render you unfocused and fat, and nobody wants that..

Remember, that when there are restrictions on where you can go and gyms are closed you use way less energy than before. So, you also need less food than if you’re very active.

Carbohydrates

This is your body’s fast fuel! You need this to do the stuff you’re doing and keep going. However, keep in mind that your activity level will probably change, then you need fewer carbohydrates.

That being said, this is probably one of the easiest macro sources to stack upon. Because it can stay in the pantry, for what feels like forever. So naturally, you might have quite a bit of this.

The main challenge with carbohydrates isn’t that it is hard to store. It will be that it is easy to consume and it tastes good! So try your best to limit yourself.

To conclude, many carb sources will stay fresh for almost forever, this is not your problem. Your problem is getting enough fat and protein.

Tips & tricks

There are a couple of tips & tricks you can use to either prepare for different situations or create alternative solutions.

Do you have a small fridge or freezer?

Live in a cold place? I would consider getting a box you can close and a lock. That way you can keep food there in case the power goes out.
Live in a warm place? Getting a freezing container/ box can be a smart investment. Many stores now sell ones that you can plug into an outlet. This can work as extra fridge space. If you lose power this can also keep the food cold for a small period.

What to get at the store?

So what should you buy?

This post is split into three, based on how you should store the food: Fridge, Freezer, Pantry. In each part, I’ll also focus on Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.

Food to keep in the fridge

Food you keep in the fridge is the food you should plan on eating within the expiration date.

It is important when you plan for shopping to think of how much can the fridge keep, but also how much can you actually eat?

protein corona — What protein sources should you rely on?

Protein sources:

Chicken breast: this is a lean protein source and very protein-dense
Salmon: has a lot of healthy omega3 and can be eaten raw (make sure it’s not wild salmon as you can’t eat that raw due to bacteria)
Cod: has idoine which is important, can be both cooked in the oven, pan or boiled
Greek yogurt: a real luxury in the beginning and a good protein source.
Try to get hold of a greek yogurt low on fat. This can you also keep in the fridge for a long time
Cheese: you can keep hard cheese/ matured cheese for a long time in the fridge. Keep in original packaging. If moldy you can take a cheese grater and cut it off.
Milk: if you can drink milk this is a great protein and calcium source
Scampi or shrimp: if buy pre-cooked, you don’t have to cook them at home
Whole chicken: is protein-dense, has some fat which will keep you full for longer and it also as collagen which is a really healthy protein that we get waay to little of in today’s society (you get it from cooking the bone and bone marrow), collagen is important for our tendons, ligaments, skin and muscles. You can also make bouillon on the leftovers.
Meat or beef: a great protein source, make sure it is grass-fed so that it is high on Omega3

Remember! When you purchase fish, chicken or meat at a grocery store check the expiration date and try to purchase food that has a long expiration date.

Don’t open the package before its time to eat, as they are packed in a way that will ensure the food remain fresh longer. Consider to freeze down after you’ve opened it.

A trick we also use is to cook the food. Cooked food can be kept for 3-4 days in the fridge according to Mayo Clinic. You can also put it in the freezer.

Fat source:

Butter: this can also be kept outside the fridge, butter is light-sensitive so it should be kept out of light in for example a dark box, but doesn’t have to stay in the fridge
Sour cream: a great fat source that will add a lot of taste to your meal
Chilimayo: might not be healthy, but I try to not eat that much milk products, so this can save a boring meal.

Carbohydrates:

Vegetables: such as cucumber, carrots, lettuce, spring onions, onions, broccoli, cauliflower. Lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower stay fresh forever it seems.
Fresh yeast and sourdough: although this is not a carb in itself it will be when you make bread?