Who knew that the 21st century would ever face the days of being in a lockdown?
Unfortunately, It’s true!
The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 was declared to be a pandemic by WHO on January 30th, 2020 after receiving critical reports from several nations.
This outbreak is known to have spread severely in multiple European countries as well as into other continents where it has collectively taken the lives of thousands and it continues to do so.
“Although older people are the hardest hit, younger people are not spared. The coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you…” said one of the tweets made by the Director-General of WHO on March 21st, 2020.
After the declaration, the rate of hospitalized patients and positive cases has been climbing at an unbelievable pace and to isolate this incline of a life-threatening emergency, a nationwide lockdown has been under effect in multiple countries across the world.
Amidst this pandemic with limited to non-existent transportation between cities and closed up shops under the curfew, getting items of necessity would be tough if not already scarce. It is unknown until when this global crisis would prevail but what’s certain for coming days is that you’ve got to be prepared and stocked with the essential items for sustaining your daily life (strictly in required limited quantity) to ensure the following things:
- You don’t perish out of starvation and that you have enough food for a week or two.
- You’ll avoid contamination by preventing contact with foreign objects outside your home.
- You’ll become self-capable of enduring power-cuts or similar difficult situations.
- You’ll avoid risking your life for errands and also sustain yourself in sudden calamities.
Keeping the current situation in mind, it will also be ideal to learn about maintaining certain conduct which would also accommodate the needs of the rest of the population.
As we practice caution, we mustn’t forget the core of humanity that is kindness. The immediate perils of today should not support the long-running problems of mankind during such time.
In order to become positively supportive of each other, here’s a list of rules and ethics one should follow to suitably adjust to a peaceful co-existence.
- Avoid going out and stay indoors.
- Avoid splurging on shopping for unnecessary items.
- Avoid overbuying the items of necessity such as tissue paper and hand sanitizers, etc.
- Avoid shopping for groceries and vegetables in bulk for a week or two.
- Avoid performing daily errands that require heading out unless absolutely necessary.
- Try to maintain hygiene as much as possible and avoid purchasing any type of meat.
- Practice Social Distancing even while spending time with Friends and Family.
- Prepare health kits and food kits for the under-privileged and share your resources.
Failing at these would not only be cruel but it may invoke scenarios of chaos and crime which can ultimately become another hardship to manage for the collective populace. Let’s not become the cause of someone’s plight.
Those tips will surely keep you from endangering other people’s lives as well as your own in the long run until the pandemic has settled.
With this being sorted, there does still pertain a crucial question about what exactly should you stock for to not build a serious reliance on vegetables or meat.
You might even wonder which foods could pertain to your needs and if they could also keep you satisfied enough so that you don’t run out of your meal supplies during the initial days.
Which foods would be the best during this lockdown?
For combating against this virus that especially weakens the immune system to the point of compromising it, the wise thing to do would be to eat foods that boost your immune system in COVID-19 and also prove to be nutritious on the whole.
Being held at home under a lockdown might make it difficult to make full-course dinners each night but you shouldn’t be starving yourself either. Preparing distinct meals could be the key to both evade ennui and keep yourself excited all the same for days despite the awfully scary news and the condition of humankind.
Grocery List – What To Buy?
The foods listed below shall prove to be nutritious and can be either combined with other ingredients for easy recipes or eaten singularly too. You could always improvise by making them the base ingredients to prepare your own unique recipes!
Remember to not buy the whole stocks of these foods as we’re not in an apocalyptic situation yet and primarily because it’s also our duty to consider the needs of others aside from our own. Kindly do not overbuy as the retailers too might be unable to meet our obnoxiously unreasonable demands.
Aside from common beverages, for your convenience, the food is divided into two categories namely perishable and sustainable or non-perishable. The latter includes those kinds of foods that can be stored for a longer duration.
Perishable
While food as we know it is usually perishable after a greater time period, this category includes foods that might deteriorate after a short period of time or if kept open for too long.
Leafy Vegetables
Vegetables that need to be refrigerated are usually the common staple in most of our households. These can include Spinach, Lettuce, Kale, Broccoli, Green Beans, Cucumber, etc. These green vegetables are good for nurturing your body as well as providing cellular growth to your organs. Storing these in a cool place can get you through a week easily even when you don’t buy it in bulk.
Fruits
Fruits are the optimal source for increasing immunity as they are abundant with various vitamins and minerals that boost your immune system. Bananas, oranges, kiwi, papaya, apples, water-melons, etc are a few of the best examples of easily available fruits that also prove to be nutritious.
Packed foods
These are the foods that are available in canned or frozen packaging. They are known to contain preservatives and could degenerate once after they’re opened but they’re usually a good source of carbs, protein, and other vital minerals depending on the food you pick. Frozen Peas, Fish, etc are the few items that are known to be good sources of protein, iron, and vitamins.
Dairy products
Yogurts, Bread, Cheese, Butter, and similar food items are known to be the source for providing energy along with fats and thus they can come handy when preparing various recipes too. Some of these can also be enjoyed singularly or combined in different combinations to make delicious dishes for breakfast.
Animal Proteins
Eggs, seafood, and poultry chickens can be a good source of protein but only when they’re consumed in a shorter duration from the date of their purchase. These foods will keep you satisfied for a long time as our metabolism requires some extra efforts to break them down for effective digestion.
Storing them in bulk is strictly against the norm as they’re also known to decay whilst breeding ailments causing organisms.
Non-Perishable
Vegetables
Potatoes, Onions, Corn, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, are among the few vegetables that contain starch which is a primary source for carbohydrates in our diets. These vegetables can be stored in various forms and they usually last longer when stored in containers as opposed to keeping them uncovered.
Potatoes can also be found easily in every marketplace as they’re an important ingredient in multiple recipes. You can fry, grill or roast it and use other means to get different flavors when mixed with herbs for any of your three important meals of your day.
Food Grains
This is by far the most underrated but strangely also most appreciated kind of food that you can buy. Grains including wheat, rice, barley, oats are excellent for providing all-day energy and they can last you for weeks if you are careful and don’t waste them. Storing them might require some measures such as mixing a little castor oil or folic acid powder depending on which grains you use. But all in all, stocking these grains and cooking them into various flavorsome dishes will make you nostalgic about all the food you ate while growing up.
Pasta, Nuts, Noodles
Those might be three different types of foods but Pasta, noodles, and nuts can be stored dry which makes them excellent survival food in any scenario. Merely boiling them or mixing them in water for some duration of time makes them consumable without requiring a lengthy cooking process.
Another best part about cooking them is you can incorporate various spices to make them absolutely appetizing for either lunch, breakfast or even dinner.
Cereals
This is a No-Brainer. Cereals are nearly an indispensable part of our morning routine as it can not only provide us the energy to begin the day with high fiber content but they also double up as snacks or mini-meals during movie marathons.
Okay, some of you might prefer other things for snacks but hey, during lockdowns, almost everything is a snack if you’re brave enough. On a much lesser dark note, do not overstock on cereals, remember they’re also a part of the others morning routine, how’d you take it if you couldn’t find any?
Dry-Fruits, Popcorn & Chocolates
Popcorn can be considered mankind’s glorious invention even though the process of making them is quite simple. These popping corns mixed with herbs and spices will tingle anyone’s taste bud during Netflix and Chill sessions and even otherwise.
The Dry-fruits, chocolates, energy bars are also an incredible source of being stress busters while providing substantial energy to satisfying basic hunger pangs. Stock these up but sincerely, don’t deprive the world of these fantastical food items.
Water, Milk, and Beverages
Keeping yourself and your dear ones hydrated is equally important as staying well fed. Gather not more than a gallon of water per person which will easily last for a week or even two. You might also benefit from keeping a small RO plant at home that cleanses the tap water thereby providing you nearly unlimited water supply.
For Milk and other beverages such as Coffee, Tea, remember to never overestimate your needs and always stock just enough for a week or so. Get tetra-packs for milk that can be stored without worrying about spills and as for hard or soft drinks, keep in mind that partying can wait until after the lockdown, seriously.
Must Read: Quick Recipe of Dalgona Coffee – The Quarantine Fix
Getting the basic meals that satisfy you should be prioritized over the impervious desire to create ostentatious recipes that require a fifth of all your ingredients. For those of you who might have kids at home, teach them about these times or make it interesting for them by making themes for meals each day or reciting an entertaining story linked with meals.
Groceries and Rules – The two Basic Utilities to survive through this Pandemic
Eating healthy has never been more important than now with such viruses and other ailments becoming rampant in our society.
Even though any vaccine or cure for the coronavirus isn’t found yet, your immune system at its healthiest can still help you combat the effects of such a virus to a certain extent if you strictly follow these basic rules.
