With the cooler weather and current lockdown, the lure of comfort food, booze and sedentary streaming is hard to pass up, especially when you’re told that staying at home, sofa-bound, is the new heroism. This crisis has seen me craving foods that don’t usually make it through the door, from the cheapest white loaf to Maggi noodles. Writing this, I’m even contemplating putting the two together. Maggi-jaffle anyone?

Something has to be done to avoid slipping towards what could, in a few weeks or months, find its way into our shared vernacular: iso–bod.

I recently pressed pause on drinking, so I can tick that one off. I’ve been using Chris Hemsworth’s Centr since its launch last year. Writing about it back then, I became the butt of much piss-taking about whether I was on the search for what his stunt double, Bobby Holland Hanton, dubbed “the Thor shape”. While I’ve been leaning into exercise I still have days where it’s missed in favour of hitting snooze. For me, it’s not about attaining a shape; it’s about turning up.

Luke Zocchi, Hemsworth’s personal trainer, figures heavily on the Centr platform. “I designed my whole section of workouts to be done in 20 minutes, to be this functional high-intensity workout that doesn’t take up your whole day,” he says. “A lot of people just focus on training, which is very important, but part of getting results is your diet. If you commit to a solid 20-minute training session and you’re supporting it with good food, you’re definitely going to get results and see a difference.”

There are just south of 200 cookbooks on my shelves, but I take the easy option, throwing the question of what to eat to my address book to gauge what chefs and restaurateurs are eating for inspiration. “Right now, I’m cooking whatever’s in the fridge,” says Sydney chef Dan Hong. I’m wondering if that includes the new Merivale at Home offering.

“Buying lobsters direct from the boat,” says Cornwall-based Jack Stein, son of Rick. “They’re as cheap as they’ve been for years, 10 quid a go, so I’m making lobster linguine. Roasting the shells in olive oil, miso, garlic, gochujang, fresh tomatoes and parsley.” I’m sold, though I don’t have any lobster, or gochujang for that matter. Jamie Oliver recently advised that if you don’t have an ingredient, swap it out. I’m not sure sardine linguine really has the same romance.

“We’re mostly eating out of our garden,” says Sydney chef and restaurateur Palisa Anderson. “I made a ragù from osso buco, calves’ liver and some pork fat with carrots, tomatoes, celery, onion and thyme from the garden.”

Melbourne-based Yorkshireman Matt Wilkinson chimes in. “We’re writing weekly menus on Sundays – bloody delicious since I have the time.” He reels off everything from satay chicken skewers to a uniquely Aussie shepherd’s pie using roo mince and Vegemite, a full English for dinner and an ever-dependable staple, jacket potato.

I dare say there’s a common thread of comfort whether you’re acclaimed in the food world or not. I note the suggestions, working out variations, but also wonder whether well-made comfort is a slippery slope to that Maggi-jaffle.

“We don’t have that many simple pleasures left in lockdown,” says Dr Megan Rossi, an Australian-born, London-based gut health expert who has demystified the gut and its connection to overall health for many.

“Enjoying your food should be key,” she says. “So takeaway, that’s completely fine, but have some steamed or microwaved vegetables just thrown through. My husband was craving a curry the other night so we ordered in and I just stirred in the mixed veg, adding that little bit of extra plant-based goodness. He didn’t even realise.”

When we talk about gut health, it relates to the functioning of our entire nine-metre digestive tract, which represents 70 per cent of our immune system.

“There’s evidence to show that people with better gut health do have stronger immune systems,” says Rossi. “Now, of course, it’s important to make clear that just because you’ve got a strong immune system it doesn’t mean that you’re immune to getting COVID-19. But it does make theoretical sense that if you have a strong immune system and get COVID-19, you’re likely to be able to cope with it better and less likely to become severely ill.”

So is good gut health difficult to achieve, focusing on restriction at a time when we’re craving indulgence? “It’s really far from that,” says Rossi. “It’s about what you include in your diet rather than what you’re taking out.”

Plant-based meals feed the gut bacteria, so achieving a diverse range of fibre – around 30 types a week – is key, she says. “You should still enjoy your food through your taste buds, but just consider with every single meal what’s in this that’s going to feed the gut bacteria.”

Her tips for upping your fibre intake are refreshingly simple – eat more grains and cereals like wild rice, quinoa and wheat, legumes, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Rossi’s hacks include having mixed seeds in a glass bottle and shaking them on whatever you’re having, like you would salt and pepper.

Frozen vegetables are underrated, she says. In instances where supermarkets have run low on frozen or tinned vegetables she has bought fresh vegies in bulk, steamed them and then frozen them, working with whatever’s available.

Rossi is particularly enthusiastic about legumes. “Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans are so underrated in terms of being superfood prebiotics,” she says. “You can add them to whatever you’re having, whether chickpeas in a soup or if you’re having spaghetti bolognese you can leave out a third of the mince and add lentils, thus not only increasing the affordability of the meal, but also the fibre and the gut-loving nature of it.”

And rejoice – Rossi hails the humble potato. “With the skin on it’s actually a really good source of fibre,” she says. “And cold roast potatoes the next day are this really amazing thing where the chemical structure changes, which means that it’s now resistant starch – the type of fibre that feeds the gut bacteria.”

Studies have shown that high-fibre diets can have positive impacts on mental health as well. The toll of COVID-19, whether related to isolation, concern for family and friends, or uncertain economic prospects, on mental health is as important as the physical affects.

And then there’s exercise. The sight of my creaky downward dog serves no one, so Yoga with Adriene via YouTube or the Find What Feels Good app are my go-to for daily(ish) yoga sessions. Exercise and yoga give me grounding and clarity, as does meditation, making for a web of actions that make a real difference, I find.

So, for now, I’ll forgo the Maggi-jaffle and concerns of iso–bod, or attaining my own Thor shape for that matter. In isolation it’s all about well-made comfort food with balance and maintaining good health. Stay safe and pass the remote.