By David Campbell*
Time is a precious commodity. Between work, school activities, and other commitments, it’s hard to find time to cook healthy meals. Or, at least, that’s what we’ve told ourselves over the years.
And then, COVID-19 turned our lives upside down. By the end of March, shelter-in-place orders had us locked down at home. All of a sudden, we had nothing but time. Before long, we started examining our eating habits.
Has lockdown changed the way we consume food? It may be too soon to say for sure, but it appears it has.
Lack Of Time Is No Longer An Excuse
Before COVID’s arrival, every minute of our day was spoken for. On average, we put in 44-hour workweeks – with many among us logging more than 50 hours/week. We spend 225 hours – or about nine days – in traffic every single year.
Once we got home, we weren’t there for long. Often, we shuttled our kids to/from sports, dance, or other after-school activities. After that, we had a choice – cook over a hot stove, or get take out.
Given its convenience, we often chose the latter. According to Zagat, the average American dines out five times per week. To be fair, the number skews higher due to single respondents. However, it’s not unreasonable to assume that families order food at least a couple of times per week.
As scary as the Coronavirus pandemic has been, it has given us our time back. After an adjustment period, some of those working from home after gotten more done in less time. Without typical office distractions or a lengthy commute, we’ve found ourselves with the time to cook.
COVID Fears Have Reduced Dining Out
At the same time, virus fears have kept us away from our favourite restaurants. While COVID-19 infections have died down in some states, they’re soaring in others. Sadly, North Carolina is in the latter category – every other day, we seemingly set new case records.
Media reports have singled out restaurants as a prime breeding ground for COVID. The famous “black light” experiment shows how the virus can spread from one surface to another. On top of this, some have speculated that HVAC systems may re-circulate airborne Coronavirus particles.
Given this evidence, many of us are choosing to eat at home, even as the economy reopens.
Some Of Us Are Making Healthier Eating Choices
At this point, it might not be possible for some to avoid COVID-19. For this reason, people are changing their diet to give their immune systems a boost.
By adding citrus fruits and vegetables like bell peppers and broccoli, they are increasing their vitamin C intake. This vitamin aids in the production of lymphocytes and phagocytes – the more you have, the better equipped your immune system is to fight pathogens.
Additionally, getting more Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and antioxidants can also help shore up your body’s defences. These compounds regulate many immune system functions. For instance, Vitamin D can prevent an under or over-response by T cells.
We’re Teaching Our Kids How To Cook
The first ten years of our lives are the most formative. What we learn in that decade goes onto to shape our future. The current pandemic has led to an increase in home cooking – and the kids are getting in on the act.
The knock-on effects of this development have us excited. The current home cooking boom has focused particularly on healthy eating. Studies show when people learn to cook in their youth, they go on to make healthier choices as adults.
These people have lower rates of obesity. This fact means they’ll have a better quality of life, and be less likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. From a societal perspective, they’ll also have much less of an impact on our health care system.
Delivery And Meal Kit Services Are Increasing In Popularity
The lockdown has inspired many of us to re-discover cooking. However, a few weeks in, some of us ran out of ideas. As soon as we learned that COVID doesn’t spread through food consumption, many turned to delivery services.
In the first week of April 2020, the proportion of Americans ordering delivery rose from 19% to 22%. These services – which include DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and others – have introduced contactless delivery options, which has driven demand even further.
This development has caused these businesses to soar. For example, DoorDash raised $400 million in June 2020. Because of this, their valuation has risen to an unprecedented $16 billion.
Meal kit services have also benefited. They offer consumers the ability to try new recipes while avoiding potentially COVID-infected supermarkets. Meal kit brands like HelloFresh and Blue Apron – both on the ropes before 2020 – have sprung back to life. Five percent of Americans regularly used meal kits before the pandemic. Now, eight percent do.
Locally, many restaurants have launched their own meal kits. In them, they provide the ingredients and instruction necessary to recreate their favorite meals at home. Fans of these establishments have raved about these kits. Thanks to this pivot, many eateries we love may end up surviving this crisis.
COVID Is Changing How We Eat
Necessity is the mother of invention – it’s a well-worn cliche, but a relevant one. Our routines, from work to food preparation, have been upended by the pandemic.
Despite the havoc it has wrought, COVID-19 may change our eating habits for the better. From healthier choices to meal kits, these changes will ultimately have a positive impact on our lives.
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*This is a paid advertisement. David Campbell a sociologist and researcher with an interest in nutrition. He enjoys interpreting the trends of today to try and predict how people will behave in the future.
Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash
