Derval O'Rourke: Dealing with excessive screen time - and my quinoa, avocado and spinach bowl

Derval O'Rourke. Pic: Joleen Cronin

The developments within the tech industry have made our lives easier in so many ways.

Not only does it make communicating with each other simpler through text, phone and email, but it also helps us complete many day-to-day tasks like washing dishes and clothes, getting to and from places and giving us a source of entertainment through TV and the internet. 

I’m someone who loves my phone and I can easily slip into excessive screen time. I use my phone for work and often the boundaries are blurry which can make me struggle to switch my phone off.

This week I am going to talk about screen time and some aspects to be aware of when using our screens. I will also be sharing a recipe for a Quinoa, Avocado And Spinach Power Bowl.

Screens have permeated every aspect of our society, you may even be reading this week’s Irish Examiner on your phone or laptop. 

Screen time is exactly what it sounds like, it is the amount of time that you spend on a device with a screen such as a phone, laptop, television etc. 

There is no definitive answer to how much screen time is optimal, but I have read a lot of articles citing that adults should be aiming for no more than two hours of screen time a day — this is outside of work.

Technology is an amazing tool but it’s important to consider that we manage our technology rather than technology managing us.

Some areas to consider:

• Sleep: The blue light from screens can affect the quality of your sleep in a negative way. It can make it difficult for you to get to sleep, and can also can affect how long you are able to sleep. Sleeping with your phone in your room can also affect your sleep due to notifications coming throughout the night. Whether your phone lights up or ‘bings’, both of these can affect your sleep.
  
• Physical Effects: Long exposure to screens can lead to several negative effects on your body such as headaches, dry eyes and eye strain. There is also a knock-on effect of being much more sedentary in your life.
  
• Mental Health: With so much time spent on screens, browsing the internet and social media, research has shown that there is a link between rising screen time and decreasing mental health, particularly in adolescents.

For society in general we have never been so connected but we have also never been lonelier. A recent study showed that Ireland had the highest level of loneliness in Europe.

What you can do to help manage your use of technology:

• Make an active effort to store your phone in a different room or a place where your phone and your family/friends' phone can be stacked together without looking or engaging with the phones.
• Manage your notifications. You do not need to see everything and immediately respond, you can have dedicated times to check your phone and updates.
• Try to not reach for your phone first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. I try hard to leave my phone outside of my bedroom at night
• Monitor weekly screen time and make a conscious effort to reduce it to a level that you are happy with, many phones will give you options to set limits on screen time
• When do you ‘switch off’, set clear boundaries. Also, notice how you feel when you go for long periods of time off your phone, I can feel a noticeable difference in my mood.

• Fitness Tip: Start decreasing your screen time by increasing your physical movement. Can you scroll less and stroll more?
• Wellness Tip: Take stock of how much time you spend on screens and see where you can cut back. Try to eat meals at home at a table or counter instead of in front of a device. 

Quinoa, Avocado And Spinach Power Bowl

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This salad can be eaten immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not cut the avocado until just before serving as it may turn brown. A dollop of hummus is fab on this!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the quinoa:

• 100g quinoa (you can buy pre cooked quinoa in most supermarkets if you don’t want to cook your own)

• 200ml vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 lime, juiced and zest finely grated

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1 tsp agave/honey/maple syrup

• To serve:

• 1 small punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 handful coriander roughly chopped

• 4 scallions, sliced

• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)

• 1 small bag of baby spinach

• 2 avocados, diced or sliced

Method

1. To make the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa under cold water. Add the quinoa and the stock to a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil.

2. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquids are absorbed.

3. Stir in the coconut oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper.

4. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.

5. To make the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and syrup. Set aside with the quinoa.

6. To serve: Stir together the quinoa, halved cherry tomatoes, coriander, scallions and jalapeno peppers, if using.

7. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the spinach between four bowls, place the quinoa salad on top and drizzle with the dressing.

8. Top with the avocado and serve.