Gain control of emotional eating
Coronavirus anxiety and quarantining could increase eating disorder risk, the experts warn. Asst. Prof. Betül Öztürk, Director of School of Applied Management Sciences, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), said, “People may turn to food for comfort when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored, which is defined as ‘emotional eating’. Emotional eating can result in excessive weight gain as well as other illnesses.”
Asst. Prof. Betül Öztürk warned about consumption of carbohydrates during this period when there is minimum physical activity, and said that consuming vegetables high in protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, and drinking 2-2.5 liters of water a day would be very healthy.
Öztürk said, “We are in a period in which our regular physical activity is limited. Therefore, opting for vegetables high in protein would be a healthy choice. Legumes such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, black-eyed peas, grains such as oatmeal, barley, and quinoa, and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, nuts, pistachios, or cashews are rich in protein. We can make a healthy eating schedule by consuming these products. We need to obey the warnings of the officials and stay at home; however, we must protect our health during the time we spend at home. If you often find yourself in the kitchen looking for something to eat, you are in an unhealthy cycle, your emotions trigger you to overeat. We can be bored or sad from time to time, however, turning to emotional eating during this time is not the right thing to do.”
NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PSYCHOLOGY
Öztürk, who points that food with low glycemic index (GI) are healthier, said, “Cucumber, uncooked carrot, mushroom, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, artichoke, tomatoes and avocado are foods with zero GI. We must avoid carbohydrates such as bread, cakes, muffins, etc. during this time. Vitamin A is very vital these days as it protects from respiratory diseases. Dark green vegetables such as spinach and chard, orange vegetables such as carrots, squash, etc. provide us the daily dosage of vitamin A.”
‘VITAMIN’ RECOMMENDATIONS
Öztürk stated the following: “Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which cannot be stored in our body because it is a water-soluble vitamin. Therefore, we need to consume an orange, a kiwi, or 2 tangerines every day. Zinc is another an essential mineral that is necessary for our immune system. It is also important to consume food that contain zinc such as fish, milk, and eggs weekly. Another essential thing we need to consume is olive oil, which is indispensable to the Aegean cuisine, and is very rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. Vitamin D also boosts the immune system. A deficiency in vitamin D can result from inadequate exposure to sunlight. Therefore, consuming fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel that are high in omega is very important.”
