My lockdown, my plate, my heart: how the lockdown promoted Unhealthy dietary habits? by Ritu Choubey

Waking up at 8am, taking your coffee on the go, catching that last bus to work, rustling

through the files and eating that same boring lunch. Good food was a luxury, to be enjoyed

only on weekends. What we used to call as “monotony” and “boring” is what we miss the

most now. While the COVID outbreak has put the need of good health and nutrition to the

front, the measures we’ve had taken to limit the spread (lockdown) of the disease have made

it problematical for many of us to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle.

Earlier we didn’t have much time to browse and increase our culinary vocabulary. But now

we know 10 different ways to cook the same zucchini. But the question remains, are those

ways healthy?

Many recipes use more than required amount of butter or cheese to make it taste delicious.

With the great power of internet, we have a sea of free and unregulated information available

globally. As popularly known as double edged sword, internet is in spotlight again.

In a recent “YouGov” survey done of more than 2,000 people, ordered by the British

Nutrition Foundation, 27% 1 confessed they were eating more unhealthy stuff than they had

been eating before the pandemic.

One of the serious outcomes of lockdown was loss of motivation to try a healthy lifestyle. It

affected people’s diet too. Around 48% 2 people did not feel very “motivated” to eat well,

which in turn was potentially affecting their health.

With everything shutting down for more than 3 months, people had all the time in the world.

Therefore, boredom (63%) 3 was the biggest reason as to why people were advocating eating

more harmful food. Not everyone volunteered eating unhealthy food. In that survey it was

found that as much as 30% people said that being unable to go to the market, they had to

compromise with whatever they had. This made it difficult for them to choose and eat well.

In the same BNF survey, around 45% people also agreed that “anxiety, stress and tiredness”

are also main causes to avoid eating healthy.

There is a positive side of this story too. In the BNF survey it was learned that many were

interested to reverse these ill habits as soon as restrictions were eased. There were as high as

47% 4 people saying that they are looking forward to become more active and healthy in

1 BNF survey

2 BNF survey

3 BNF survey

4 BNF survey

coming months whereas, around 43% people said they wanted to lose some weight, and

almost 29% are planning to make it a daily routine to eat more healthily.

“With lots of us still at home more than normal, it’s easy to spend a lot of time sitting and to

feel less motivated to eat healthily,” said Sara Stanner, science director at BNF.

The pandemic has indeed affected each and every one of us. We might not have gotten sick

but our lives have completely changed by it. Several daily habits got affected like social

gathering, going to work, performing activities like sports and to some extent diet too. To

maintain a healthy heart and a healthy life, diet is one of the prime factors responsible. A

healthy diet is key to a healthy heart. And these surveys show how boredom, monotony,

anxiety and various other lockdown side effects have influenced people to lean on their

“comfort food” to find some peace.

According to another survey done by MDPI on Italian population, as high as 46% 5 people

agreed of eating more than usual during lockdown and roughly 19.5% 6 people addressed the

concern of gaining weight in lockdown. Binge eating is also a major concern by everyone

because boredom is getting serious.

 In this particular survey, they also measured an increase in “comfort food” consumption,

mostly including chocolate, ice-cream, and heavy cream desserts contributing around 42.5% 7

and salty snacks at 23.5% 8 . These foods makes a person feel heavy and tired all the time.

High salt consumption result in high sodium intake. Too much sodium results in high blood

pressure which may ultimately result in stroke or heart diseases. Thus also known as “health

hazard”. Same goes with sweet snacks. Everything is needed by the body for proper

functioning, but in moderation.

In addition to over consumption of comfort food due to boredom, in around 42.7% 9 people

unhealthy eating habits was associated with an increase to higher anxiety levels.

This lockdown has adversely affected our lives and our lifestyle. More sedentary life and

junk foods are common practises in almost every household. Your lifestyle can increase your

risk for heart disease as:

5 MDPI

6 MDPI

7 MDPI

8 MDPI

9 MDPI

 Eating a diet high in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol has been associated

cause heart disease. Also, excess salt consumption e.g. Salty snacks (sodium) in the

diet can lead to high blood pressure.

 Not doing enough physical activity can again lead to heart disease. 10

What can be done now?

The Global Burden of Disease study cites diet as a major factor behind the rise in

hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases. 11 With this being said, lets out the fact that

not everything is bad. Quantity matters. Fats are also essential for our body, but only in a

specific quality of a certain type. There is a significant hike in home cooking meals in

lockdown due to the free time available, but that doesn’t mean one can’t cook healthier.

Educated and healthier choices are key for maintaining a good diet even in lockdown. Here

are some heart-healthy options you can have for a healthier heart:

 Physical activity

It’s no brainer! Those endorphins from exercising do not lie. In this pandemic era, it is

very difficult to have an active lifestyle. However, few aerobic exercises in a day will go

on a long way. It’s all about taking initiatives and being dedicated to follow such regimes.

 Portion size

Quantity matters. How much are you eating is equally important to what are you eating. It

takes just few seconds to eat your overloaded plate and feel stuffed. This leads to

consuming more calories than required. Control your portion size by eating in a small

utensil and keeping a track of how much you are eating in a day.

 Eating more fruits and vegetables

10

https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm#:~:text=Eating%20a%20diet%20high%20in,can%20lead%

20to%20heart%20disease.

11 A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and

risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease

Study 2010.

A strong evidence base from observational studies indicates that high consumption of

vegetables and fruits reduces heart diseases. 12 As a low and middle country, fruits and

vegetables were not a very prevalent part of diet earlier also. 13 One can make great recipes

involving different fruits and vegetables in a fun healthy way. It’s no secret how much

nutritional fruits and vegetables are.

 Whole grains for win

Most of the processed foods contain refined grains such as refined flour which is not good

for health. Whole grains are high in fibre and other nutrients. They keep your blood

pressure in control and are super heart-healthy.

 Limit saturated and trans fats

Limiting unhealthy fats will keep blood cholesterol in check. These fats clog our arteries

and block them if their consumption is not regulated. Using low fat substitutes is a good

start. Instead of butter, one can use plant based oil to cook. Flax seeds can be added to

diet as they are great source of omega-3-fatty acids.

 Reduce sodium intake

We all know the health hazards sodium carries. Canned and processed foods contain lots

of sodium as it works as a natural preservative too. Making your meal fresh is one step

towards being healthy. Putting less salt in your meals is also one way to reduce salt

intake.

Lockdown has changed everyone in every way. It came out of nowhere and didn’t allow

anyone to prepare. In a completely unpresented situation, everyone tried to make some sense

out of this in their own way. However, this has taken a great toll on our hearts. This upside

flip of lifestyle is hard to adapt and looks like it’s going to stay for a while. We cannot change

the environment, but what we can change is our way to handle it. This can be a blessing in

disguise, only if we change our lens to see it as an opportunity.

12 A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary

heart disease. Mente A, de Koning L, Shannon HS, Anand SS Arch Intern Med. 2009 Apr 13;

169(7):659-69.

13 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4597475/