Quarantine may end but will we be too fat to get through the door?

Paris:04.04.2020

The coronavirus has shaken the world like nothing else. But beyond the terrible toll of death, economic devastation and fear, the virus is likely to leave another lasting mark. It is going to make us all fatter.

“I don’t know if we are going to come out of this experience stronger, but we will have gotten fatter,” warned nutritionist Beatrice de Reynal, who said that was only one thing to do — eat less.

“It is going to happen to us all, even if we try to exercise,” said Julian Mercier, a French sports, health and cooking coach. With more than a quarter of humanity under lockdown, and with many worried they will get the virus next, the temptation to comfort eat was hard to resist.

By doing little or none of the physical activity we normally do, an adult is likely to burn off up to 400 fewer calories a day, said dietician Jennifer Aubert. Which is why we have to reduce our portions and move as much as we can — as long as it is not to the fridge and back.

Other experts point to people who have panicbought a cupboard full of fresh food, finding themselves duty-bound to eat their way through it. Being alone and coping with the stress of the situation, as well as worries about whether they will have a job to go back to, can tip people into over-eating, the British Nutrition Foundation warned.

It is advising people to embrace the lockdown to learn to “put together healthy meals” which “can be a source of enjoyment and help your well-being.” Not everyone cooks, however, says Pascale Hebel of the French CREDOC research institute. Which can lead to a heavy reliance on fatty and salty ready-meals and tinned food.

Others warned against using food as a way of soothing children forbidden to play with friends. “To avoid problems it is easy to make spaghetti bolognese that everyone likes rather than to fight to make them eat spinach,” Mercier said. Experts were unanimous that cooking for yourself and structuring your day with regular meals and physical activity, were vital if we are to come out of this in decent shape. AFP

MUST FIGHT THE CRAVINGS