Have you gained weight lately? Is the pandemic responsible or is it the pack of sandwich cookies and pints of Haagen Daaz Vanilla Bean ice cream you brought in as a treat?

It could be both. The pandemic is causing you to eat food to comfort your stress and anxiety. I get it! I’m guilty. Knowing that I’m lactose intolerant, I ate sandwich cookies and Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean ice cream. OMG … when I tell you it was good as all get out, that would be an understatement.

Here’s the thing. As good as it was, I paid dearly. Not only did I get Lots of congestion from the dairy, the sugar caused hot flashes and I gained three pounds. Lmao!

Some of you will say three pounds is no big deal. In the scheme of things, you’re right.  I can walk it off in a week. That’s providing I eat the right foods from this point forward.

My friends and colleagues tell a different story. They’ve become a different person during the pandemic. Some gaining 10-15 pounds. They’ve been eating their way through the stress and anxiety.

Gained Weight Lately?  Working Through Health Challenges Caused By Eating the Wrong Foods.

It’s no secret that you are what you eat. Yet when it comes to stress, anxiety and uncertainty, food becomes the focal point. Not always the best of foods either. Now that I’m back on track, I feel a thousand times better and have more energy.

Some of you have shared recipes of the foods you’ve found helpful as we work our way through the pandemic. Believe it or not, the pandemic has caused a lot of you to change your eating habits. Especially when you found out that pre-existing conditions like diabetes could become a serious factor with COVID.  Eating for your health became crucial.

Gained Weight Lately?  Change Your Habits and You Change Your Life

Although this is a statement that can be true for life in general, it is especially true when it comes to what you eat. You are opting for plant based meals over heavy meat centered ones.

Beans in general have become the protein staple in your menu. The black bean in particular. Yes, black bean burgers have taken the place of the hamburger in a lot of your house holds. Some of you will choose the burgers in the freezer section of the grocery store. Others of you will go the old fashioned route and make your burgers from scratch.

From Scratch …

From scratch is the best kind. It might take you a few tries to get the consistency of your burger right. Once you get it, it’s on. Bread crumbs, flaxseed, ground almonds, mushrooms even cooked brown rice can help eliminate a lot of the moisture. I’ve used everything mentioned above except flaxseed and ground almonds. Sometimes I use them in the same batch.

I always pour the juice in the can off the beans and rinse them. Then I blend half the can and leave the other half so that it can help create bulk. I also add, bell peppers, onion, garlic, shredded carrots and a touch of jerk sauce to my batter. Of course there’s Herbamare for seasoning or Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper.

It ends up being a combination black bean/veggie burger. I don’t grill mine, I still use the skillet and peanut oil. Once they’re done, I clean the skillet and add butter to it and brown my buns, then the building of the burger begins.

Lettuce, tomato, sauteed red onions, and mango chutney. When there’s no chutney, I’ll drizzle honey mustard dressing on top of my burger. You can add sprouts, cheese, avocados and of course the traditional mayo, ketchup and mustard.

Gained Weight Lately?

Black bean and veggie burgers are a great way to help with managing weight gain.  They also make good alternatives when transitioning from eating meat. If you’re like most of us at this time in history, your stress level is through the roof. You can ease some of the stress by eating foods that will build a stronger and healthier body.

Google a few recipes. Give them a try and see what creations you come up with. Share them in the comments. We’d love to see what you’ve done.

That’s it for this week. As always …

Dedicated to Your Health and Beauty,

Juliette Samuel,
Esthetician/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care