Hi everyone! I thought I’d use this platform to get some tips on what food and nutrition is important to keep ourselves healthy and our immune system strong against COVID-19
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Thank you very much Sophia! It is a very interesting and urgent topic indeed. I noticed that you recommend to limit consumption of fatty animal products. Could you please expand on that a bit? The reason I am asking is that some doctors in our part of the world said that our ancestors historically used to eat a lot of fat meat (mainly lamb and horse) and that tradition helped them to surviving severe flu, cold and lungs deseases. We are modern generation and we can't eat so much meat products as our grand-grandparents. And in time of the quarantine with its restrictions on movements it became even more problematic. However I try to follow this recommendation to be stronger in counteracting COVID-19. And I wonder if there could be any specific measure of, say, weekly consumption of fatty meat and animal product for a man of around 50.
Thank you for this interesting question! When I said that one should limit their consumption of fatty animal products, I was referring to people who are overweight. Fatty animal products, like Gouda cheese or whipped cream have a lot of calories. Swapping them for products with less fat and therefore less calories can be a useful tool for weight loss. Indeed, many scientists around the world have differing opinions on the consumption of animal products. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having fatty meat and animal products weekly. However, I would suggest not eating too much red meat, since the consumption of red meat (particularly processed meat) has been linked with a higher risk of some cancers and poorer cardiovascular health. So swapping red meat for chicken every once in a while is advisable. I hope I gave you a satisfying answer and feel free to ask me any more questions you have!
Thank you Sophia! Thats perfect. Its so confusing with all the information out there, so this helped a lot - and made me realize i need to drink a lot more water!
Thank you for your question! There is no such thing as one food product that can boost the immune system and protect against the effects of COVID-19. However, paying special attention to an overall healthy and balanced diet is very important right now. First and foremost, if you cannot go outside and enjoy 5-20 minutes of daily sunshine, due to being in quarantine or other reasons, you should consider taking a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy immune system and protects against infections of the respiratory tract. It is also important to drink 1.5L of water every day, especially in summer! Because many people are limiting their trips to the supermarket, a lot of canned fruits and vegetables are being used right now. While these are great for a time of crisis, you should read the ingredient list and try to buy products without added salt or sugar, when possible. It is also important to be active in order to strengthen your respiratory muscles and improve your cardiovascular health. Some evidence suggests, that overweight and obese COVID-19 patients have a poorer outcome than patients, who are a healthy weight. So if you are not currently ill, it is advisable to strive for a healthy weight. To do so, make sure to eat 2 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables with a high vitamin C content, which is also good for the immune system, are citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers and fennel. Limit your consumption of fatty animal products and snacks and make sure to consume enough fiber, to stay full for longer. A good source of fiber is whole grain products! Zinc also plays a key role in the immune system, so make sure to get enough zinc by consuming eggs, cheese, milk, meat and wheat bran. Egg yolk, beef and wheat bran also contain iron, which helps to kill off infected cells! I hope I’ve given some useful advice; if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer them!
Hi! 20 μg/day are recommended. Around 2-4 μg of that can be absorbed through dietary sources (for example fatty fish). The rest needs to be formed through exposure to sunlight or supplementation. Of course, always talk to your doctor before taking a supplement!
Thank you very much Sophia! It is a very interesting and urgent topic indeed. I noticed that you recommend to limit consumption of fatty animal products. Could you please expand on that a bit? The reason I am asking is that some doctors in our part of the world said that our ancestors historically used to eat a lot of fat meat (mainly lamb and horse) and that tradition helped them to surviving severe flu, cold and lungs deseases. We are modern generation and we can't eat so much meat products as our grand-grandparents. And in time of the quarantine with its restrictions on movements it became even more problematic. However I try to follow this recommendation to be stronger in counteracting COVID-19. And I wonder if there could be any specific measure of, say, weekly consumption of fatty meat and animal product for a man of around 50.
Thank you Sophia! Thats perfect. Its so confusing with all the information out there, so this helped a lot - and made me realize i need to drink a lot more water!
Thank you for your question! There is no such thing as one food product that can boost the immune system and protect against the effects of COVID-19. However, paying special attention to an overall healthy and balanced diet is very important right now. First and foremost, if you cannot go outside and enjoy 5-20 minutes of daily sunshine, due to being in quarantine or other reasons, you should consider taking a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy immune system and protects against infections of the respiratory tract. It is also important to drink 1.5L of water every day, especially in summer! Because many people are limiting their trips to the supermarket, a lot of canned fruits and vegetables are being used right now. While these are great for a time of crisis, you should read the ingredient list and try to buy products without added salt or sugar, when possible. It is also important to be active in order to strengthen your respiratory muscles and improve your cardiovascular health. Some evidence suggests, that overweight and obese COVID-19 patients have a poorer outcome than patients, who are a healthy weight. So if you are not currently ill, it is advisable to strive for a healthy weight. To do so, make sure to eat 2 portions of fruit and 3 portions of vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables with a high vitamin C content, which is also good for the immune system, are citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers and fennel. Limit your consumption of fatty animal products and snacks and make sure to consume enough fiber, to stay full for longer. A good source of fiber is whole grain products! Zinc also plays a key role in the immune system, so make sure to get enough zinc by consuming eggs, cheese, milk, meat and wheat bran. Egg yolk, beef and wheat bran also contain iron, which helps to kill off infected cells! I hope I’ve given some useful advice; if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer them!