What to Buy for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Americans are clearing out store shelves as they stock up during the COVID19 pandemic. There is enough food, but such panic may leave you without certain items you need during this time. 

So make a list, focusing on dried and frozen goods that will keep, along with some seasoning and spices to give you a bit of flavor. Here are a few key things to buy.

Frozen fruits and veggies have the same amount of nutrients, but will last longer than fresh. Canned or dried beans and legumes are nutritious and can be made into a ton of different soups and stews. Stock up on your preferred cooking broth: vegetable, chicken, or beef. Dried pasta is always a good bet, since it can be a delicious meal on its own or added to soup or stew. You probably already have a few cans of tuna, salmon, or sardines, but if you like canned fish this can be a great way to liven up a salad, sandwich, or pasta dish.

It’s great to get some of your favorite dairy products like milk, eggs, yogurt, and hard cheese. When storing these products, keep them on the shelves in your refrigerator rather than in the door; they’ll stay fresh longer in the cooler part of the fridge. You can still get your greens in during this time. Opt for harder veggies like broccoli, brussel sprouts, or cauliflower. Carrots stored in the fridge and potatoes stored on the counter are versatile and can last for weeks.

Make working from home a little more enjoyable with easily storable snacks like nuts, dark chocolate, popcorn, olives, pickles, and pretzels. This time is a great chance to eat less meat, but if you want the occasional nibble then dried meat like jerky or dry cured sausage can liven up your snack game.

If you have babies or toddlers in the house, make sure to get baby formula, a good variety of baby food or other simple food you can make for them.

Get your pet’s favorite wet or dry food to avoid having them get too used to indulging in your human food leftovers.

No need to go overboard here, but it is important to have the essentials to get through a typical cold or virus. If you have kids, get some children’s fever reducer. Other items that are important to have on hand are your usual multivitamins, ibuprofen or tylenol, any allergy medicines you usually take, cough medicine like dayquil, and hand soap. If anyone in your household uses menstrual health products, check that you have one or two cycles worth of supplies. Yes, you should get toilet paper but remember that the country isn’t actually experiencing a shortage; it only appears so when people panic buy in bulk.