What are your food essentials?

Over the past few weeks/months we have been practicing social distancing and to a certain degree self-isolation. Although I am not required to ‘self- isolate’ purely because I don’t fall into the risk category (not at this stage anyway) I am conscious to stay away from the public arena where I can because really, why am I there in the first place?

The essential business

Fortunately for me my ‘other work’ is an essential business. I say fortunately because I still have a steady income and job security (but I am well aware this could change at any stage) and they require me to turn up to work as normal to process and despatch orders/food items to those who are doing the right thing and staying at home or those businesses who are able to keep their doors open to service the public’s needs.

Despite working with pre-packaged, non-perishable food & household items I still have a need to shop outside the warehouse and venture to other essential businesses for my pantry and fridge staples.

As I come home every evening I open up the fridge and cupboard doors and see the contents dwindling rapidly before my very eyes which got me thinking, how many times have you visited the supermarket, local grocery store or bakery in the past 2 weeks for food items? Once, twice, three or more times?

Wants before needs

As yet it isn’t a crime to visit a food store for supplies but maybe what should be a crime, is how many times we visit each week for what we class as essential items? Are we falling into the trap once again putting our wants above our needs? Do we really NEED that food item or are we WANTING it purely for self-satisfaction?

Are we learning during this time of change to learn how to live without? To reassess our food purchases and most importantly to access who and where our food dollars are going? Food is our greatest commodity, we have to ensure we continue to recognise both its financial and wellbeing value.

The key foods being consumed in our Planted household 

Fruits & Vegetables

• Lettuce
• Tuscan kale
• Broccoli
• Lemons
• Mangos
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Asian greens
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Ginger

Pantry/Fridge Staples

• Canned tomatoes
• Dashi broth
• Corn chips
• Refried beans
• Black beans
• Oat Milk
• Fermented cabbage
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Asian noodles
• Coconut milk
• Capers
• Super Feast Medicinal mushrooms & tonic herbs

Despite me noticing the frequency in which these items are being consumed, I am conscious that I don’t need to go and buy an overly excessive amount of each item just because I can. I can maybe look to buy one or two more of each in order to ideally shop every 10-14 days as opposed to every 5-7 but to start a mini-mart in my home at this stage, is unnecessary.

Noticing your food habits

Over the past few months I have come to understand what my food habits are like and how they have formed and changed over the years. I often whinge that my cupboards are uneventful and boring but what’s so boring about superfoods and foods that promote health as opposed to diminish it? 

I congratulate myself on my wise food choices, on the choices that contribute towards my sound health and the choices that boost my immune system. I also despise myself for the lack of chocolate, cookies and cake in my house but know if they became a staple, I would no longer appreciate them for what they are; a every now and then treat that fills me with pure enjoyment and satisfaction when I do have them.

I have also realised my desire for perfection has stopped me from starting my own vegetable garden in my tiny but more than capable back yard. I don’t need to aim for a market garden, I am not feeding the masses, I am feeling a family of two. To start, I will be buying seedlings to start growing:

• Kale
• Lettuce
• Herbs; basil, parsley, oregano, chives

At the moment, I don’t need to start with more than that, what I do need to do though is start.

Non-essentials

As we enter into the new levels of the public restrictions we all have a responsibility to change our lifestyle habits; if this virus has taught us anything it’s that we got to a point where we expected anything & everything at the click of our fingers. We didn’t even have to leave our house for food because we could just order our next meal online and track the delivery right to our door (Uber Eats and the like were basically preparing us for self-isolation).

Do we really need to line up at our local café with 20+ others for our morning latte because ‘that’s what we do and need to function each and every day?’ It’s time to change and yes, I accept that we need to support our local small businesses during a crisis like this but we also need to support ourselves and our health more.

We can survive a short time without our luxuries and our so called ‘needs’ because that is what has to happen in order to flatten the curve, to stop the spread and to get us back to our new normal sooner rather than later, oh and it might just save your life at the same time.

New task at hand

Over the next week or two, be conscious of your shopping and eating habits; look at the foods you are eating and just think to yourself; am I eating for health and wellbeing or ease and convenience? Start to see how you can take further control of the foods you to eat to make you a better, healthier and more energic person.

Don’t leave it up to someone else to manage your health; learn to cook the basics and then grow from there. Now is the time to self-manage and self-motivate not just self-isolate.

We are in this together.