HOW TO: NOT OVERINDULGE DURING A LOCKDOWN

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the food lovers of online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat and what to cook. This time our chefs serve you tips so you don't completely overindulge during this lockdown.

It is my stay-at-home day number three and besides the coronavirus, I have another major concern added to it. I fear that when the Netherlands steps outside again for the first time on April 7, we will all suddenly have morbid obesity. Am I the only one who has done nothing so far except eat?

Day 1
My first lockdown day, Sunday, March 15 was truly scandalous. Only going outside when absolutely necessary resulted in: binge-watching two seasons of a Netflix series and consuming the worst things. Cookies, candy, cola, wine, and bread, lots of bread. Products that I don't normally consume (cola), or consume much less (candy) in daily life. Out of sheer boredom and self-pity, you decide to ‘reward’ yourself, to ease the pain with food, resulting in feeling full, nauseous, and even more self-pity (and disgust). Sound familiar? Then definitely read on.

Stick to your habits
Try to maintain your normal eating habits as much as possible. Normally I have breakfast with yogurt and fruit, so why was I suddenly having bread and cheese? And oh yes, is hoarding a habit of yours? Probably not. Besides the fact that this is totally unnecessary and even irresponsible, it has the extra effect that you suddenly have weeks' worth of food at home and not much else to do. Ergo: overindulging 2.0.

Plan what you're going to eat
Keep it in proportion. Think throughout the day about what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Try to stick to that. If you want cookies with your tea while working from home, set aside two instead of the whole pack. Eating chips while watching the news? Do it in a bowl. Bringing an entire bag of chips to the couch simply doesn't survive (at least, not with me...).

Stay active
And aside from eating: try to stay active. Is there a park nearby? Go for a walk or run a lap while you still can. Lay your yoga mat on the floor and get lost in the wonderful world of YouTube workouts. I now watch every day as my boyfriend does push-ups and sit-ups on the floor (and who knows, maybe I'll join him soon). And besides sporty things: find activities to do. Finally hang up those paintings and play games instead of watching TV. Fight that boredom and defeat the quarantine binge-eating! Good luck!

Text: FavorFlav