A12 O THEGLOBEANDMAIL| MONDAY,MARCH9,
LIFE&ARTS HEALTH&WELLNESS| OPINION| PUZZLES | WEATHER
| NEWSI’mworriedaboutthecoronavirus
outbreakandIwanttostockupon
healthyfoodsjustincaseIam
askedtoself-isolatefortwoweeks.
WhatshouldIhaveonhand?
C
anadians who have trav-
elled to countries with an
outbreak of the novel coro-
navirus (e.g., China, Iran, Italy, Ja-
pan, South Korea) – and have po-
tentiallybeenexposed–arebeing
advised by health authorities or
their employers to self-isolate for
14 days and monitor for any
symptoms.
Peoplewhohavebeenexposed
to someone with a confirmed
case of COVID-19 are also advised
to stay home and not interact
with others to prevent spreading
the virus. If you’re concerned
about a possible self-isolation, be
prepared by stocking your pantry
with a supply of nutrient-dense
foods that will last for two weeks.
(This advice is not intended to
cause panic; the health risk
linkedtoCOVID-19islowinCana-
da.)
Use the following tips to help
you eat healthy, balanced meals
whether self-isolated or not:TAKEINVENTORY,MAKEALISTSortthroughyournon-perishable
foods. Check best-before dates on
canned goods, ready-to-eat
breakfast cereals, packaged
grains, crackers, peanut butter
and condiments.
Do the same in your fridge and
freezer. Throw out what’s past its
prime. Best-before dates refer to
quality, not safety; they tell you
how long a product will maintain
its peak freshness. Eggs, milk and
yogurtcanbeeatensafelysoonaf-
ter their best-before dates have
passed, provided they’ve been
stored properly. Make a grocery
list of foods you’ll need for break-
fasts, lunches, dinners and
snacks.Shopforproteins(include
fatty fish and plant proteins),
whole grains, fruits and vegeta-
bles (include dark green and
bright orange produce) andhealthy fats. Consider adding the
following non-perishable and
longer-lastingperishablefoodsto
your shopping cart:PROTEINFOODS
Tinned tuna, salmon and sar-
dines, sources of anti-inflamma-
tory omega-3 fatty acids, can be
used for sandwiches, salads and
main dishes. Consider tinned
clams,whichaddproteinandlots
of iron (8 mg per one-quarter
cup) to spaghetti sauce.
Canned lentils and beans (e.g.,
black beans, chickpeas, kidney
beans) are excellent sources of
plant protein (and fibre) and can
be added to soups, salads, whole
grain bowls, tacos and chili.
Keep a couple of bags of frozen
edamame (in pods and also
shelled) on hand for protein-rich
snacks and meals. Unopened,
firm tofu and tempeh will stay
fresh for weeks in the fridge. Add
frozenshrimptoyourgrocerylist,
too. Include eggs, yogurt, cheese,
milk and/or plant-based milks.
Consider stocking your pantry
with shelf-stable dairy and non-
dairy milks, which can be stored
for months before opening.WHOLEGRAINS
Dry goods such as quinoa, brownrice, barley, bulgur, farro, rolled
oats and unflavoured instant oat-
meal can be used for porridge, pi-
lafs, grain bowls and salads. In-
clude whole-wheat pasta for a
quick, fibre-rich meal. If you eat
cold cereal, restock those, too.
Look for whole-grain cereals that
havenomorethan6gofsugarper
serving or, even better, no added
sugar.
Store whole-grain sliced bread
in the freezer and take out only
what you need to use at one time.VEGETABLES
Canned peas, corn, green beans,
carrots, beets and pure pumpkin
purée(addtosmoothies)arecon-
venienttohaveonhand.Lookfor
reduced-sodium varieties where
possible.Stockuponfrozenvege-
tables, including leafy greens
such as kale and spinach, as well
as broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower rice and spiralized
vegetables. Include frozen vege-
table medleys to stir-fry and add
tosoups.Longer-lastingfreshveg-
etables include potatoes, sweet
potatoes, winter squash, beets,
carrots, cabbage and onions.FRUITS
For snacks and desserts,choose
fruit canned in its own juice andunsweetened applesauce. Buy
unsweetened dried fruit such as
raisins, dried apricots, dried ap-
ples and dried cherries to add to
trail mix, hot cereal, pilafs and
salads.
Don’t forget frozen fruit, in-
cluding berries, pomegranate
seeds and mango, to blend into
smoothies and add to yogurt.
Longer-lasting fresh fruits in-
clude oranges (last three to four
weeks in fridge), grapefruit (six
weeks) and apples (four to six
weeks). Unripe green bananas
will take two to five days to ripen.HEALTHYFATS
Nuts, nut butters and seeds also
add protein, fibre, vitamin E and
minerals to snacks and meals.
Buy frozen avocado chunks to
add to smoothies and salads.
Makesureyoursupplyofcook-
ing oil will last you for two weeks.SNACKS
Include granola bars (compare
brands for added sugar), whole-
grain crackers, hummus, roasted
chickpeasandwhole-foodenergy
bars.LeslieBeck,aToronto-basedprivate
practicedietitian,isdirectoroffood
andnutritionatMedcan.Eatinghealthyintheeventofself-isolation
Worriedabouta
coronavirusquarantine?
Prepyourpantrywith
asupplyoffoodsrich
innutrientsthatcan
lastacoupleweeks
LESLIE
BECK
OPINIONI
f the new dramaRun This Town
proves nothing else, it’s that
movie fat suits should be re-
tired. (The one that actor Damian
LewiswearstoplayRobFordisru-
inous.) Not because they throw
you out of the story and cancel
suspension of disbelief – al-
though they do. Not because ac-
tors, no matter how skilled, can’t
properly act through them – al-
though they can’t. But because
theyareoffensive:bodyshaming,
fat-phobic and possibly even trig-
gering.
In the past 30 years, fat suits
have been used almost exclusive-
ly for two reasons. One, to make
the audience recoil (Mike Myers
asFatBastardintheAustin Powers
franchise; Jenna’s weight gain on
30 Rock,with its catchphrase “Me
want food”).
Andtwo,torepresentacharac-
ter’s lowest point, whether it’s
how they’ve “let themselves go” –
BettyDraperinseasonfiveofMad
Men; Thor inAvengers: Endgame–
or the nadir they rose from, like
teenage-loser Monica onFriends;
younger, not-hot Julia Roberts in
America’s Sweethearts; and sad
Debby Ryan onInsatiable, before
her jaw was wired shut.
Almost every time a fat suit is
applied, the story is the same:
Look at how pathetic this person
is/was. Pudgy Nicolas Cage inAd-
aptation, out-of-shape Ben Stiller
inDodgeball, self-loathing Oliver
Hardy (John C. Reilly) inStan and
Ollie–theirweightisasignoftheir
failure as human beings. Gaining
weight is a punishment for nasty
Regina (Rachel McAdams) in
Mean Girls, and it embodies Sa-
mantha’s(KimCattrall)unhappi-
ness in the firstSex and the City
film. (She gains maybe 11 pounds,
and her dearest friends recoil
from her in horror.)And as careful as Jillian Bell is
to not fat-shame her character in
Brittany Runs a Marathon, her
weight loss is synonymous with
success.
A fat suit is never used at the
endofafilm,toshowacharacter’s
triumph. Putting one on is never
theapexofthehero’sjourney.Fat
is a thing to be mocked, pitied or
overcome, period.
Andthethingsactorswhowear
them say – for this alone, fat suits
should be banned. Roberts, doing
press forAmerica’s Sweethearts(in
flashbacks,herchubbyselfwasal-
so painfully naive and a virgin, as
if anyone over a size 4 must be
dim-witted and asexual), re-
countedhowittooksolongtoap-
ply her latex, her makeup artist
suggested she take a nap. “If I fell
asleep and woke up 60 poundsheavier, I’d never sleep again,”
she replied. (Every time an actor
wears a fat suit, mention is made
of how long it takes to apply it, as
if it were a heroic quest, evidence
of stamina, fortitude and – yuck –
bravery.)
GwynethPaltrow,playingplus-
sized inShallow Hal, discussed
with great compassion (ahem)
how unattractive “fat clothes”
are.TyraBanks,whodonnedafat
suit for a segment on her talk
show, described how shunned
she felt. Sienna Miller, padded to
play Roger Ailes’s wife in the
miniseriesThe Loudest Voice, gaily
described how she and Russell
Crowe, also padded to play Ailes,
“laughedalot”abouthow“unrec-
ognizable”theywere.Thepointis
alwaysthesame:Isn’titjustawful
how lonely and ashamed these
sad fat people are?
Icanthinkofoneplacewherea
little padding may be necessary:
to indicate the healthier “before”
in a story about dramatic weight
loss due to cancer or drug addic-
tion,asEllenBurstyndidinRequi-
em for a Dream. For everything
else, why not hire the actor you
need?
A hundred size-10 actors could
haveplayedBethAiles;ahundred
plus-sized actors could have been
fine – not to mention, able to
properly emote – as Rob Ford.
Coulditbethatproductionsdon’t
want to hire plus-sized actors be-
cause they then would feel un-
comfortablemakingfunofthem?
Or because they’d have to write a
complete character for them to
play, rather than a caricature?SpecialtoTheGlobeandMailAmakeupartistadjuststhefatsuithecreatedforactorGwynethPaltrow’scharacterinthecomedy
ShallowHalathisBaldwinPark,Calif.,studioin2001.DAMIANDOVARGANES/ASSOCIATEDPRESS
RobFord,RunThisTownandwhyit’stime
for‘fatsuits’tobecomeathingofthepast
Afatsuitisneverused
attheendofafilm,to
showacharacter’s
triumph.Puttingoneon
isnevertheapexofthe
hero’sjourney.Fatisa
thingtobemocked,
pitied or overcome,
period.JOHANNA
SCHNELLER
OPINIONS
omething strange is happening to the fitness indus-
try. Or maybe it already happened – years ago – and
I’m only just noticing now (having no social-media
presence can be a mixed blessing). There’s a shift in
how fitness is being packaged and sold, a shift that empha-
sizes an almost slave-like devotion to the self. During my
lifetime, the act of “working out” was usually presented as
democratic in nature, a basic right accessible to all. Now, it’s
being rebranded as a sort of mandatory luxury item for this
generation of digital nomads.
Hell, even the language has changed. Health is “well-
ness”; exercising is “training”; getting a massage is “self-
care.” Forgive me for coming off as a younger Andy Rooney,
but back in my day, you’d hit the gym a few times a week,
either before or after work, and that was that. Maybe you’d
play some ball with buddies on the weekend, maybe run an
easy 5K Sunday mornings. Food mattered, but it wasn’t
something to stress over.
Today, the expectation is to be up at 4 a.m. for morning
meditation and journalling while riding out the finalwave
of your 12-hour daily fast. Breakfast – and every morsel that
passes your lips thereafter – is posted on Instagram for the
approval of the oh-so legitimate dietitians, trainers and
food scientists who lurk in the comments section. Your
workout is no longer just that, it’s an “experience” to be
shared with your tribe/team/pod, one that we must pause
and express gratitude for whenever possible (quick, grab
your journal!).
By now you’re likely wonder-
ing what my point is. Hasn’t the
pursuit of physical perfection
and ultimate longevity always
been just a tad self-indulgent?
And what’s wrong with indulg-
ing the self anyway? My point –
and my problem – is that entry
into this cult of wellness comes at a ridiculous cost, in both
the literal and metaphorical sense of the word. Forget for a
moment the time commitment required; society is being
duped into believing you need a Fitbit, compression shorts
and a $200 pair of lifting shoes to get in shape, when a
notebook, sweatpants and Chuck Taylors will do just fine.
Of course, there’s always been a market that caters to the
well-heeled. Peloton presents the most extreme example of
this absurdity – have you seen how much those bikes cost?
And then there’s the monthly membership to boot. You
could fly first class to France and tour the countryside on
your own damn bike for the same price. The same goes for
Equinox – not a gym, but a “temple of well-being” that
charges its parishioners thousands of dollars for the privi-
lege of spilling sweat inside its walls.
Pay attention to the way these products are being posi-
tioned. Peloton ads feature everyday, average folks pedall-
ing away on $3,000 machines in their unspectacular homes.
Lululemon ads feature everyday, average folks running and
bending and lifting in outfits that cost more than most
people make in a day.
The message is clear, yet entirely incongruent with real-
ity. At least Equinox has the decency to showcase their
upper-crust offerings in the proper context; in keeping with
the tradition of aspirational luxury brands, their ads make
no sense at all.
Getting in shape doesn’t require a payment plan or a line
of credit. I’ve spent time in posh gyms and I’ve spent time
in musty warehouses and I can assure you there is next to
no correlation between high fees and quality of service.
In Toronto, Hone Fitness offers memberships for as low
as $30 a month and you can bring a friend whenever you
want. The YMCA has 120 fitness centres across Canada with
fully equipped weight rooms and loads of fitness classes;
their membership-subsidy program ensures everyone, re-
gardless of income, can cycle their stress away. You may not
be able to bathe yourself in eucalyptus-infused steam show-
ers afterward, but really who needs that anyway?Paul Landini is a personal trainer and health educator in
Toronto.Fitnesshasbecomealuxury
item.Itdoesn’thavetobe
PAUL
LANDINIOPINIONGettinginshape
doesn’trequirea
paymentplanor
alineofcredit.