The Future of Agri-Food In The Post COVID-19 Era — Part VI-Healthy Eating

The New Healthy Eating

by Yekta Kuseyrioğlu

Second Wave Talks and Ways to Find Hope

It has been almost more than six months since the first lock-down was announced across the world. Honestly, The COVID-19 era is quite utterly dreadful, with its severe economic and health consequences. As of now, the Autumnal equinox passed, we are heading towards winter.

As the life of summer is returning indoors, the fear of the second wave surrounds us. Most of us are searching for ways to stay positive and face this crisis with resilience and persistence. Thus, healthy eating habits could be one of the tools that may help to cope with those uncertain times.

Healthy Eating Habits: A Silverlining of COVID-19

As we all know, healthy eating is not a new topic. According to the United Nations, almost 800 million people are considered obese, and more than 40 million children under five are overweight worldwide.

A healthy diet is a global problem. Thus, it is included in Sustainable Development Goals 3 (SDG 3) as Good Health and Well-Being. According to the Sustainable Development Goals’ guidelines, good health starts with nutrition.

Today, with the COVID-19 Pandemic, healthy eating is again on the front-line. The pandemic raised our awareness of the relationship between nutrition and health. Food has seen more and more as a medicine for a healthy immune system.

According to Food Navigator news, today, consumers are in a prevention mindset, and they are doing things to prevent diseases. The demand for fresh and healthy food is on the rise, and it also boosts interest in local products. People started to search for fruits and vegetables that do not go a long way before reaching the market shelves. This situation also supported local businesses and created a sense of solidarity.

Plant-based diets are also on the rise. Plant-based nutrition, with its low environmental impact and health benefits, is a suitable alternative for animal-based nutrition.

It was also found its place in FAO dietary guidelines long before the pandemic. Now, with environmental and health concerns are rising, plant-based nutrition is becoming more and more popular.

Healthy eating habits are not only boosting the immune system but also promote healthy mental health. According to Harvard Health Publishing, some foods such as citrus, foods rich in zinc, and magnesium may improve your mood and lower stress while boosting your immune system.

Feeling Down? Cook Something!

We all know that for a healthy immune system, we need to manage our stress levels.

High-stress levels for an extended period cause adverse health effects. In addition to immune system advantages, cooking healthy meals may help to reduce anxiety. Several studies show cooking, baking, chopping could be a cure for stress and allow us to cope with these uncertain times. As the famous TV Chef, Guy Fieri once said:

“Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together.”

Here’s Your Latest News

As the world is in the throes of a second wave, we should take care of ourselves against the threat of Covid-19. We have summarised some healthy eating news for the last couple of weeks from all around the world.

• Nestlé’s CEO expects sales of its health nutrition business to double.
• Green Monday, a plant-based platform of Hong Kong, raises $70m.
• Healthy soils mean healthy food. A new soil documentary on how to tackle the effects of climate change on grounds is launched.
• China’s first 100% plant-based culinary studio is opened in Shanghai.
• Caulipower launched healthy, gluten-free new products.

If you want to learn more about smart agriculture, you can also check our report on the subject.

For any of your questions or feedback, you can shoot us an email to:

info@kokprojekt.com