When the coronavirus pandemic slowly started to sink in for most Filipinos, most focused on their personal hygiene as a way to fight off the virus as information agencies and media outlets broadcast that washing your hands is the most effective way to combat it. People started going to grocery stores and pharmacies, purchasing excessive volumes of alcohol and masks, inciting panic in the general public. After all, cleaning after ourselves was the most handy solution we have. 

As confirmed cases continued to blow up, cities began to implement community quarantines which almost immediately turned to lockdowns. Curfews imposed, and non-essential establishments temporarily mandated to close down until further notice. The people’s concern suddenly shifted from “how to keep myself clean” to “what will my family eat in the next month?” Naturally, chaos ensued. People started panic buying canned goods, noodles, and other food items that have a longer shelf life.

But is it really worth it? Worth all the trouble of going to brick-and-mortar groceries, worth the worry? Today we’ve rounded up some factors to reconsider before you go on hoarding the shelves of groceries for instant food.

Canned foods and noodles are packed with harmful preservatives. An example is BPA, BPA can be found in cans used in canned foods packaging. BPA is a known chemical that is known to cause birth defects and has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other serious problems.

Instant noodles are also known to have monosodium glutamate (MSG) as well as tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ)- a chemical preservative derived from the petroleum industry, is known to be present in instant noodles. According to Dr. Sunil Sharma, a general physician and head of emergency at Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital in New Delhi, “…even though dietary intake of these elements is allowed within a limit, regular intake of these can cause severe health issues.”

Health and nutrition should be a priority during this pandemic. Most people at high-risk for the virus are those who have existing conditions and are elderly-- both of which have one thing in common: they’re all immunocompromised. One way to combat the virus is to equip the body with the nutrients that it needs. It helps to invest in immunoboosters such as fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C, broccoli, ginger, and garlic to name a few. Plan ahead: think about nutrition while making a shopping list especially for the immunocompromised household members.

Skip the line. Go online. One of the highly emphasized steps to flatten the curve is social distancing. But we can’t help it; we interact with people on a daily basis. We need to get our supplies and supplements while some establishments are still operable, otherwise we’d starve to death, or we end up compromising our wellness. In the first quarter of this year, the global market has seen an eviden paradigm shift of retails from physical to online realm as the COVID-19 crisis continued to worsen. With online groceries and e-commerce taking over the retail industry, we too, as consumers should be receptive and consider skipping the line, lest be falling victim to the pandemic.

Think Positive! Mindset is vital. It is important to not only be physically healthy but mentally healthy as well. Adapt a positive stress management strategy, be it soaking in the tub, reading a book, cuddling your kids or dogs, or dancing with your family members to music you all enjoy. Skip too much alcohol consumption. It also helps to stick with a routine: get up and sleep at your usual hours, eat on time, and find a way to do your workouts at home.

Malagos Homegrown Produce is an online organic grocery store by Malagos Garden Resort that sells and delivers Davao local products such as organic farm produce, fresh meat and fish, and award-winning Malagos products such as their chocolates and cheeses. All products and ingredients are homegrown in our Davao vegetable farm in Calinan. But our physical store is located at Bolcan Street, Brgy. Wilfredo Aquino, Agdao, Davao City. Go healthy, go organic now.