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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and all this week, we're taking a closer look at some of the tricky new health challenges that have come up during COVID-living and offering some solutions. We picked five different pandemic self-care topics to end the show with, one each day this week, based on what we've been hearing from you and seeing around the internet.

Yesterday, we talked about how to stretch during the pandemic, who did that stretching with us. Now we'll tackle nutrition including how you can boost your energy at a time when you're mentally and emotionally as well as physically fatigued, and a few other things. Joining me now is Kéra Nyemb-Diop, PhD, nutritionist. Dr. Nyemb-Diop, welcome to WNYC.

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: Thank you. How are you today?

Brian Lehrer: I'm doing great. Thank you. What do you see as the number one nutritional issue for people during the pandemic? Is there a number one?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: Yes, I think a lot of people right now are not feeling good because they have gained weight during this pandemic, either from stress eating or not being able to get enough exercise. I want to tell them that if they are feeling this way, that it's okay if they gain weight during this quarantine or even any other time, they really don't need to be obsessed about tracking everything they eat on My Fitness Pal, because this actually can affect the relationship with food in a negative way.

I would say that obsessing about your weight and stressing about food is probably more unhealthy than the pound you've gained. Honestly, the pandemic is already so stressful so don't punish yourself by over-exercising and depriving yourself of food. I would give them three tips; don't diet, you don't need to fast, detox or go keto. Manage stress and take care of your mental health and everyone has a different way of managing stress. I love baking and walking. Yes, practice mindful eating, appreciating your food, eating without distraction, and listening to your physical hunger.

Brian Lehrer: A lot of people are really fatigued also, whether that's physically or mentally or both. What do you think is the best way to boost energy levels with nutrition during this time?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: I would say eat consistently, would be my number one advice, and give yourself permission to eat the food you enjoy. Of course, nutrient-dense foods such as whole grain, fruit, vegetables, protein, dairy, nuts, beans are important to replenish the nutrients our body needs, but other that are maybe considered less nutrient-dense and that have more sugars or fat don't do much for us nutritionally but makes us happy and participate in our well-being so I would say also [unintelligible 00:03:06] your cravings and eat that chocolate brownies if you want to.

Brian Lehrer: You're being very permissive in your approach to this. Do you think that's common among nutritionists when it comes to weight and the amount that you're eating?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: I think it's getting more and more common. It's necessarily not the standard, but I think that it's important to keep a balance. That's why I'm talking about that because I know a lot of people can feel guilt and shame around their eating habits, and it's very important for me to let them know that eating healthy is not just about having a healthy balance of nutrients. It's more than that.

Brian Lehrer: Not a week goes by that at least one Brian Lehrer show caller doesn't bring up supplements as a way to boost immunity against the coronavirus, and of course, supplements aren't cures and won't protect anyone against COVID-19 per se, but what would you recommend people take if they want to get into supplements at this time?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: I'm really glad you said that supplements aren't cure, because our immune system is a complex system and it's impacted by many factors, what we eat, stress, sleep, exercise, our environment and even our age, so I would encourage your listeners to think about this. Of course, good nutrition is important for health, particularly in times where the immune system might need to fight back. I would say vitamin A, B6, B9, B12, C, D, and E, and elements such as zinc, copper, selenium and iron have been demonstrated to have key roles in supporting the immune system and reducing risk of infections. I would say if you're looking for a supplement, I would recommend multivitamin supplements.

Brian Lehrer: How about D in particular? This has come up a lot with respect to COVID. I think the science is out to say the least regarding direct relevance to COVID but also if people are staying indoors a lot and not getting the amount of sunshine that they might ordinarily, people have talked about D in that context. What's your take?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: Of course, the sun is one of the best source of vitamin D. It's true that if you're staying inside more during the pandemic, your vitamin D level may drop. Another thing, it's also well known that the melanin lowers the skin's ability to make vitamin D and so people with darker skin are high risk of vitamin D deficiency. I would definitely encourage your listeners to get your vitamin D level checked to determine if they really need a supplement and then take one if necessary.

Brian Lehrer: As for food, oh, yes, food, remember that. Even though people have returned to shopping and grocery stores to some degree, folks are still doing that sparingly, those who are doing it at all, and one way to space out times between trips is to stock up your freezer. There seems to be this idea among some that frozen vegetables and proteins are not as good for you or even bad for you. Processed foods aren't the best but nutritionally, talk about frozen foods.

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: I would say that I think processed food can provide safe food and a significant amount of nutrients for a lot of people and that just because the food is processed does not mean it has lower nutritional value. In fact, sometimes it may be the contrary. If we think about frozen broccoli, for example, having frozen broccoli always available on hand makes it easier to eat and so accessibility is nutrition.

Brian Lehrer: That isn't really processed in the way that we think of processed foods with chemicals and stuff. I mean, frozen broccoli is generally just broccoli, right?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: Yes, it is broccoli that has been frozen very quickly after being picked, so there is not much difference comparing to a fresh broccoli, actually.

Brian Lehrer: We are going to leave it there except to say that Dr. Kéra Nyemb-Diop, nutritionist, is active on social media and supporting people in eating foods that come from many different cultures and for people in many different circumstances in the pandemic. You want to just say how people can follow you?

Kéra Nyemb-Diop: Yes. People can follow me on Instagram at @black.nutritionist. Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Kéra Nyemb-Diop, PhD, nutritionist, thank you so much for the information today.

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