By now, you’ve probably noticed that at least every now and then, you’ve been eating a few different foods than you did before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Maybe you had a regimented healthy diet before being stuck at home and now you enjoy a cookie or two every hour. Or perhaps you’ve changed out your diet of vegetables and fruits for pounds of sharp cheddar cheese. Either way, science says your COVID cravings are completely normal.
According to Men’s Health (who spoke with Kent Berridge, Ph.D., a James Olds Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan Department of Psychology), your food cravings are connected to your brain. And obviously being quarantined at home, surrounded by unhealthy food choices, is going to impact what you eat. It’s not even that you’re just working from home under normal circumstances. You’re surrounded by stress and anxiety and this is why we’re craving peanut butter and pickle sandwiches and ramen with a melted slice of American cheese on top.
Below you’ll find a few strange food choices that you may or may not be enjoying while at home.
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10 Covid Food Cravings
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Peanut Butter and Pickles
If you’re finding yourself craving peanut butter and pickles, you might be pregnant. If you’re a man and this isn’t scientifically possible, you might be trying to feel better about enjoying peanut butter so much. The addition of pickles, while being a nice, crunchy treat, gives the sandwich extra probiotics and sodium.
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Chocolate by the Handful
There’s a good chance that prior to quarantine, you weren’t eating chocolate by the handful. Well, the reason you’re doing it now is likely because you’re kind of bummed out about the state of the world. Chocolate is known to be a mood enhancer, so chow down all you want as long you’re OK with your pants not fitting anymore.
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Cola and Red Wine
If you’ve never made the simple cocktail of cola and red wine, you haven’t lived. If you’re craving it throughout your quarantine, it means you’re in need of relaxing (booze tends to do that). Plus, the red wine is full of antioxidants, so there’s that, too.
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Cookies at Random Times
If, when you wake up, your first thought is that you should have a cookie (or seven), you’re likely dealing with a ton of stress. You should probably find some way to de-stress before you gain 20 pounds made purely of chocolate chips.
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Loaded French Fries
If instead of buying the usual bags of spinach and broccoli, you grabbed a family size bag of frozen french fries, you’re probably suffering from sleep deprivation. Add a dollop of cheese, bacon, and whatever else you like, and your carb-bomb should put you right to sleep.
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Hot Sauce on Everything
If you’ve started adding hot sauce to everything (like literally everything), you’re probably looking for a way to end the monotony of your daily schedule. Instead of eating popcorn with hot sauce, try changing up your schedule a little bit and taking a break from work.
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Ice Cream For Breakfast
Ice cream is usually a treat for the evening. For some reason, nighttime makes this indulgent treat not seem so bad for you. If you’re hankering for some mint chocolate chip at 8 a.m., it’s probably because your terrible diet is getting to you. Ice cream can help with heartburn and your churning stomach acid.
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Mac and Cheese With Crumbled Doritos
Carbs are the name of the game when it comes to quarantine foods. If you’re adding crumbled Doritos to the top of your mac and cheese, it means you’re really bored. It also means you really love cheese -- potentially too much.
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Cold Pizza Dipped in Cola
If your quarantine diet consists almost exclusively of cold pizza, it might be time to sit down and make a shopping list. Pizza is great, but all that crust and cold cheese can’t be great for your system. If you find yourself craving your pizza crusts dunked in cola, your blood sugar might be low.
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Ramen For Every Meal
If you live alone, there’s nothing strange about eating ramen for every meal. But, if you had a family, you might be trying to grab hold of the nostalgia bandwagon and relive the days when you didn’t have the stress of having a family coupled with a pandemic staring you in the face.
