Eating Healthy When it is Cold Outside

Brrr…it’s cold out there. You either don’t want to get out or you can’t. You know you have to eat, and should eat healthy, but wonder what, how, and maybe even…Idon’t care. Does this sound familiar? We’re here to help.

As I tell my patients, be realistic and take it one step at a time.

Being realistic, you need to think about YOUR situation. What can YOU do? What can you afford? What can you get out to, and what will you eat?

Healthy eating involves planning, not only planning what to eat, but also having the tools available to be able to stock and prepare food. It doesn’t take a lot. A microwave, appropriate “dishes” in which to cook in, refrigerator, and can opener maybe all you need. If you have a stovetop, oven, pots and pans, and other kitchen utensils, more power to you, but you don’t actually need them.

Plan by having a list of food you want to keep in the house. For example:

•Eggs. A great source of protein. They can be scrambled either on the stove top or even in the microwave. Add some cheese or vegetables and you have a delicious omelet. If you can, boil up a bunch at a time and have hard boiled eggs available for those times you just don’t know what to eat. If they are already boiled, it is easyto pop one in your mouth.

• Cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt.These are all another good source of protein,easy, and also a source of dairy. Choose Greek yogurt since it’s usually higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates (sugar).

• Vegetables. You may shy away from fresh vegetables because they don’t keep long enough. To fix that, you can eat more, buy less, or purchase frozen or canned. Be careful though, canned vegetables and soups can be high in salt (sodium). If you are watching your salt, choose the lower sodium varieties.

• Fruit. If your fruit keeps spoiling, eat more or buy less. I don’t recommend canned fruits because they usually come with too much sugar. If you must get canned, make sure there’s no sugar added. Enjoy the natural sweetness.

• Nut butters with no additives

• Canned and prepared foods. Some good examples of prepared foods are rotisserie chicken and frozen meals. As for canned foods, you can choose tuna, salmon, sardines, soups, and many more. Check the labels for lower sodium if you need to keep your salt down.

If you can get out, but can’t carry groceries home, most grocery stores allow online shopping and will deliver. If you have limited ability to get out, shop, cook, or prepare your meals, you may qualify for delivered meals. If you can get out, Greenwich House Senior Centers provide breakfasts and lunches Monday through Fridays. You may also, depending upon your situation, want to hire someone to shop for you or qualify for in-home services that provide shopping and food preparation, includingcleaning.

There are many services available to help you depending upon your situation. In the sidebar, you will find a list of contact information for many servies, but also remember to check with family, friends, spiritual centers, or others you trust, asking if they know someone who provides the best services for you.

Doable!

Stay warm, fed, and healthy and enjoy!Joy Pape is a West Village Resident, Nurse Practitioner and Diabetes Educator at Weill Cornell Medical College, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Comprehensive Weight Control Center. 646.962.2148

Shop Online

Fresh Direct https://www.freshdirect.com .

Whole Foods https://www.instacart.com .

Delivered Meals

Citymeals on Wheels info@citymeals.org

or 212.687.1234

God’s Love We Deliver. https://www.glwd.org/ or clientservices@glwd.org or

212.294.8102

Henry Street’s Health Seniors Select

Meals info@henrystreet.org.or

212.766.9200

Senior Center