Maintain Healthy Food Intake at Home During PSBB

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

An employee prepares boxes of food at Healthybox in Mampang, Jakarta on 28 July, 2019. Healthybox offers catering services consisting of choices of healthy foods based on personal preference.

During the period of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), the movement of people is restricted. The availability of food to meet daily needs is often limited. It is still important to maintain a healthy food intake at home during the PSBB period.The Covid-19 pandemic instantly changed people\'s lifestyles. People’s awareness of the importance of consuming healthy food is growing, so is their awareness of the importance of staying at home. People who are used to buying food from kiosks have to adapt to these changes and ensure their nutritional intake.

According to Covid-19 Community Mobility Report (https://www.gstatic.com/covid19/mobility/2020-04-1_ID_Mobility_Report_en.pdf) from Google, which was released on April 11, 2020, the movement of Indonesian people to retail shops and recreational areas decreased 43 percent compared to the average movement from 3 January to 6 February, 2020. The places in question include restaurants, cafés and shopping centers.

The movement of people to grocery and health stores fell 24 percent. Movement to the workplace dropped 30 percent and movement within residential areas rose 15 percent.

Also read : Details on Social Restrictions Needed to Strengthen Synergy

Lorenzo, 25, a resident of Bekasi, must also change his movement habits to prevent spread of the coronavirus. He stayed in his rented room in Jakarta all day and only went out if there was an urgent need. To meet his daily food needs, he relied on app-based delivery services.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO (PRI) 01-07-2010

People enjoy and order food at Warteg Warmo in Tebet, South Jakarta, on 1 July, 2019. The food kiosk is famous for its 24-hour service.

"I order food via an app-based delivery service twice a day. My expenses for food are bigger, but it\'s better that way than having to go out. I am even too worried to eat at the warteg [food kiosk] near my rented house," he said on Thursday (16 April 2020).

Another way he purchased food was at a drive through service. He makes payments by scanning the QR code on a digital wallet. Lorenzo said this was the best way to minimize physical contact with others.

Indonesian technology company Youtap recorded increased non-cash transactions since the first week after Covid-19 entered Indonesia in early March 2020. This increase occurred at McDonald \'s drive through services in Indonesia. The increase in non-cash transactions has quadrupled with an average increase in the value of daily transactions of 170 percent.

Awareness of the importance of consuming healthy food is growing, so is awareness of the importance of staying at home. People who are used to buying food from kiosks have to adapt to these changes and ensure their nutritional intake.

Youtap Indonesia CEO Herman Suharto said a 129 percent increase in non-cash transactions had also occurred at other business partners (merchants) throughout Indonesia. This was influenced by changes in consumer behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"At present, we are continuing to educate our merchants for the Clean, Healthy and Safe program, which is to maintain cleanliness, social restrictions and non-cash transactions. We also inform that micro, small and medium enterprises [MSMEs] provide delivery services with non-cash transactions," Herman said.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

An employee prepares juice drinks at Bron, The Urban Café in Denpasar on 7 April 2020. Young people in Denpasar, through the “Dapur #GiziUntukMedis” movement collected donations and distributed them to medical workers and disaster mitigation agency staffers as well as people in the community affected by Covid-19.

Healthy food adaptation

Lorenzo admitted that he often bought fast food with ojol (app-based motorcycle taxi services). However, the Covid-19 outbreak made him worried. He also began to combine his consumption of fast food with vegetables and fruit.

Lorenzo is not the only one with this kind of awareness. According to a report titled “the Impact of Covid-19 on Consumer Behavior in Indonesia” by Surveysensum, public awareness to consume fruits and vegetables rose 47 percent. Awareness of consuming vitamins rose 46 percent, water consumption rose 55 percent, washing hands rose 85 percent, and physical activity rose 18 percent.

"Indonesian consumers are certainly worried about the situation lately. About 90 percent of consumers feel their daily life has been disrupted since the outbreak of Covid-19. However, 45 percent of them believe that this situation will soon improve and conditions return to normal within two months. That is, consumers hope the situation will be under control by the end of May 2020," said Surveysensum CEO Rajiv Lamba.

While waiting for conditions to return to normal, some residents are trying to maintain immunity, including by consuming healthy food. Private employee Ivanka, 24, said she maintained a healthy body by making a daily food schedule. She made sure that fruit, vegetables, meat and carbohydrates were on her diet every day.

KOLEKSI PRIBADI

Simon Nainggolan (left) and his wife Lokadita Brahmin. Simon was one of those who tested positive for COVID-19 and recovered with  self  isolation.

From the daily schedule, Ivanka can decide which foods need to be purchased for stock for a week. Aside from being more planned, this method also makes storing food in a limited place effective.

"I was able to see records of the food I had been consuming. Without realizing it, I was maintaining daily nutrition," she said.

Dean of the University of Indonesia’s medical school, Ari Fahrial Syam, said that good endurance could be obtained with balanced nutrition, which contains calories, protein, fat, vegetables and fruit. He also recommended the consumption of multivitamins and the importance of keeping yourself from being stressed. This is important to counter the potential for Covid-19 infection.