Eating in the Time of COVID-19

Guacamole has always been a good friend to me. Happy times, sad times, social times. But during a time of home confinement? Many of us weren't prepared for this.

In this serious time of COVID-19 social distancing, we're spending WAY more time at home obviously. But it's stressful. We're concerned about our family and friends, our neighbors and ourselves.

What happens if I get sick? What happens if my family gets sick? When will things get "better"? Folks who live alone are feeling the effects of isolation even more...

Working from home (for people who aren't used to it) should not consist of sweat pants, constant refrigerator drive-by snacking and early cocktail hours. I KNOW guacamole is better with margaritas but not at noon. We're not on vacation. We're WORKING from home or at least distancing ourselves from others by staying put.

Here's my unscientific advice (that I'm not really heeding): BE GOOD TO YOURSELF.

It's unclear how long this is going to continue. Your body deserves better, especially when we're stressed out and under more anxiety than ever. A natural response for so many is to eat, drink, smoke or do drugs.

My fear is not overdosing on guacamole. My fear is that this global situation is putting a new kind of constant anxiety on people, some of which fight every day under normal circumstances to not drink or abuse drugs.

We've become pretty good at checking on our older family members and neighbors. Don't hesitate to check on your friends who have overcome addiction in their lives or struggle with it now. Living in the time of COVID-19 is a big deal. It will be remembered and talked about.

Let's not let the stress and uncertainty grab hold of our loved ones. Easier said than done, but DO WHAT YOU CAN. Let's pick up the phone, make the video call, whatever. For those who are truly vulnerable, we're here for you.

(And don't beat yourself up about the guacamole. The gyms will be open again sometime...)