3 Ways the Pandemic Improved Your Eating Habits

It’s been quite a year. And now, as Covid-19 vaccines begin to roll out, we’re all starting to look forward to a return to a more normal way of life.

We might want to hang on to some of the changes we've had to make even after the crisis has passed.

Although few of us would have chosen the drastic changes to our lifestyles and habits that the last year has brought, there have been a few collateral benefits. We might want to hang on to some of the changes we've had to make even after the crisis has passed.

Here are three ways that the pandemic may actually have improved our nutrition and eating habits

1. We’re more connected to local food providers

The early months of the shutdown revealed the vulnerabilities of our highly efficient but highly centralized food supply. Early in the pandemic, we heard stories of farmers dumping crops that they couldn’t get to market while consumers stared at empty store shelves. At the same time, growers who usually sell a large portion of their goods to the restaurant industry suddenly found themselves with no outlet.

Programs that forge a more direct connection between consumers and local growers help to create a food distribution system that is more resilient to disruption.

Happily, these two groups have found each other. Participation in consumer-supported agriculture (or CSAs), where consumers pay local growers in exchange for a share of whatever they are harvesting, shot way up. “Misfit produce” subscriptions, where fresh produce that is bound for the landfill due to minor cosmetic flaws is redirected to consumers, are also enjoying a big uptick.

Programs like these, which forge a more direct connection between consumers and local growers, help to create a food distribution system that is more resilient to disruption by events such as pandemics and other natural disasters. They also promote the consumption of fresh foods and reduce food waste. Win-win-win!

2. We’re cooking and growing more of our own food

Prior to the pandemic, the average consumer got almost half their daily calories from somewhere other than their own kitchens. Suddenly, we all had to remember how to cook!  

Being forced to cook more meals at home has had some positive effects on our nutrition.

Cooking, as a basic skill and habit, has been in decline for decades. Being forced to cook more meals at home has had some positive effects on our nutrition. Food we cook ourselves tends to be lower in sugar, salt, oil, and calories than food we get in restaurants.

Although I enjoy cooking, I was not in the habit of having breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home seven days a week. I suddenly...

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