It is so familiar it is a meme — the pandemic weight gain.
TikTok and other social media posts abound with people showing the pounds they added over the last year.
These posts are almost as common as the food porn featuring treats foodies have learned to make or bake this year.
The Chief caught up with Squamish registered dietitian Jessica Wang to talk about the extra pounds and about creating a healthy lifestyle overall.
What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: Judging by social media, many of us have gained significant weight during the pandemic. First, from a health perspective, are a few extra pounds that much of a big deal, given we are living through a global pandemic?A: Weight is only one indicator of health. Just because your Body Mass Index indicates you are overweight doesn't mean you are, in fact, overweight.
What you also have to look at is your diet. Typically, people will gain weight because their diet quality has declined, so that would be something to turn around, instead of looking just at weight.
However, if there is someone whose diet quality didn't decline, but maybe they gained weight because they are lifting more weights, that would be a great weight gain.
We look at diet quality, fitness, and overall health and wellbeing. Are people stressed all the time? You have to look at the person as a whole before you determine if weight is a negative thing or not.
Some people have lost weight during the pandemic because they went from eating out very often to dialing that back and making more home-cooked meals.
Q: It seems obvious, perhaps, but why are people gaining weight during this pandemic?A: From all the clients I have seen over the past year, just being at home means there's increased snacking because the pantry is just around the corner. Also, people are out of wack with their routine as well.
Normally, in an office, you would have breakfast, a snack later, a lunch, etc. You are almost conditioned to eat at certain intervals in an office setting. At home, everything is different.
People also often skip meals at home because not being in the office, you aren't going to get the lunch you packed, and that kind of thing.
As a result of skipping lunch, you might be thinking, 'What can I get quick in the few minutes before my Zoom meeting?'
That is often crackers or chips and salsa, things you wouldn't normally eat pre-pandemic.
Q: Most of us have been measured at some point by our body mass index (BMI) — which measures the mass and height of a person. But is there a move away from that, do you think?A: I think BMI is one of the tools to measure health.
It is just a formula. The BMI could be accurate, but it may not be. It is just one way of standardizing a measurement. When I look at an individual, I use that, but I also use waist circumference, which is important.
A person may have an average body mass index but a larger waist circumference, increasing your risk for certain diseases.
I would look at body fat percentage, and then there are a person's mental health, sleep patterns, etc.
If you are normal body weight and average body mass index, but you are filling yourself with junk because you have a high metabolism, that is not healthy.
Q: Many of us know what we have to do to be healthier, but it can be overwhelming to change old habits. We may start well but not be able to keep it up. What is the best way to approach creating a healthier lifestyle?A: Keep it simple. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. The idea is to think of it as a lifestyle change. You have your whole life to make these changes. There's no rush to be in complete health.
You may not be at complete health after you change everything because life is ever-changing.
There will be lifestyle changes — a new job, kids, more stress, a pandemic — that completely change everything.
Take one thing at a time and prioritize what will be most impactful for you specifically.
Take on one thing every two to three weeks or longer, and then layer on one or two new things on that.
A good analogy is cooking in the kitchen: many of the recipes I recommend for weekdays are one-pot meals, where there is only one thing you need to monitor.
Think of that as opposed to making lasagna where you have to cook the meat, boil the noodles, and then have the lasagna assembly line — it is a lot. It is a mess.
You wouldn't want to make that every day.
So, keep it simple when making changes.
Q: There have always been different fads around dieting. Currently, popular diets seem to be keto and intermittent fasting. Can you speak to these types of "diets"?
A: The bottom line is that whatever diet someone chooses, I am respectful of that. It is my job to outline the pros and cons. The biggest thing is the question of sustainability. Can you keep this up? And what do you hope to achieve with it, because it is important to ensure that your goal is possible with the diet you are following. There are certainly pros and cons with those two diets you mention.
The biggest downside of both would be missing out on key nutrients. There are healthy ways to do both of those diets, but it is essential to see a professional to ensure those nutritional gaps are filled.
Q: People are still quite stressed with the pandemic, are there foods that are calming?
A: There aren't any specific "calming" foods, but there are certain nutrients that you can include in an overall healthy diet to help your mental health and brain function.
There is growing evidence on the gut-brain connection. There is a nerve that connects between your gut and your brain. They are discovering that your gut has a huge impact on your mental health: so, taking probiotics, ideally in foods or in supplements if you don't like the foods, can have a big impact.
Prebiotics, such as fibre are also important.
I think these are the best things you can do for mental health, in addition to exercise.
Everyone should be taking a vitamin D supplement — the sunshine vitamin. We don't get enough sunshine here.
Omega 3 too, I find people aren't getting enough of. It comes from fatty fish, and that isn't always people's favourite to eat. Omega 3 is critical for brain function and development. If you can, eat fatty fish twice a week. Where fish get it from is algae, so seaweed and kelp, if you like those, is good too.
Ground flax and chia seeds have Omega 3s as well.
Q: What are some misnomers about nutrition you hear?
A: That lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will help you lose weight is a common one.
There's no evidence of that. What it does is get people drinking an extra glass of water a day, which is great. We all need to hydrate.
Another one that came up recently was that we shouldn't eat leftovers, but there is no evidence to back that up, is long as people are following health and safety protocols for cooling foods, etc.
Q: Some parents restrict children's diets, so not allowing Easter chocolate, for example, or other sweets. What is your advice for kids' eating?A: What I teach parents is to educate their kids. Not to restrict for no reason or make some foods seem forbidden. The worst thing is associating some novelty to the food like it's something special, and kids can't have it. That makes people want things more, whether they are adults or kids.
Parents can educate their children about why they shouldn't often be feeding their bodies with certain foods versus other healthier foods.
Also, let them choose. A parent can say, "Choose one sweet per day, if you want."
Often, when you put ownership on the child, they tend to make the right decision, especially if you educate them about why some things are better for their bodies.
Trust is important; trusting your kids that they will make the right decision. Yes, sure. Some kids will overeat on sweets, but they will feel it, which is a teaching point. A parent could explain why too many sweets caused a tummy ache or why they lack energy after school if they ate unhealthy foods at lunch.
Q: Anything else you want to say?A: When you are looking at any nutrition goal — even if it is veganism or vegetarianism — it is important to see a health care professional to give you the proper guidance. The internet has so much information, and these things can do a lot of harm. Everyone is so unique.
What works for other people may not work for you.
Jessica Wang works at several Loblaws outlets, including at Hector's Your Independent Grocer in Squamish.
