When life gets uncomfortable or downright surreal, it’s natural to look for a cozy space of security. And, nothing says security like a big bowl of mac and cheese or a heaping scoop of ice cream with sprinkles. After several weeks of stay-at-home quarantine, what seemed like short-lived security begins to live a lot longer on your hips, waist, and tummy. Because Covid-19 may be a factor in everyday life for a while, it’s time to start finding ways to blend comfort and good health into delicious meals.

You may decide to cook on your own or have food delivered. Either way, here are three easy tips to keep your eating habits on the cleaner side while still offering that much-needed relief.

1.    Make

If you’re cooking at home, it’s time to give your favorite recipes a little spiff up. Look for ways to swap out unhealthy ingredients for more healthy options. You can always Google “healthy food swaps” to find specific items from your recipe, but here are a few simple swaps to clean up some favorites:

• Avocado mash vs. butter on toast
• Applesauce vs. oil or butter (this is great for cakes & muffins)
• Baked potatoes vs. fries
• Hummus or Mustard vs. mayo
• Skim milk or almond milk vs. whole milk
• Turkey bacon vs. pork
• Greek yogurt vs. sour cream
• Spaghetti squash or zoodles vs. pasta
• Romaine lettuce vs. taco shells

2.    Better Boxed Lunch (or dinner)

If you’re looking for a hybrid — you want to cook but don’t trust yourself to make the healthy swaps — try ordering boxed meals. There are a wide variety of options available from companies like BlueApron, Hello Fresh & Daily Harvest. Look for ones that fit your budget, cooking time preference, and skill level and you are back on the path to healthy eating in the click of a button.

3.    Order Healthy

Restaurant meal delivery has never had so many options using tools like Door Dash, Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Postmates, or other delivery services. Now, the same great healthy menu options found in-restaurant can be dropped conveniently on your doorstep. It may be time to ditch the age-old pizza delivery in favor of a spinach salad with chicken or any other lean menu option. Just scroll, find the healthy options, click, and eat better.

And don’t forget, if you’re looking for help creating a clean-eating roadmap, Real Appeal has an arsenal of support available to get you on course. Go to RealAppeal.com to get started.