Nutritional Tips To Help You Stay Healthy During COVID-19
With Coronavirus being a new virus, there are no specific studies into certain foods or supplements that can help to prevent or cure the disease. But there has been extensive research into the role that nutrition plays on immunity as well as the link to helping to reduce the risk of other infections.
Dr Amy Anfilogoff has compiled some simplified nutritional advise to try and help you and your family stay healthy during this period.
1. Make your plate as colourful as you can
The more colour on your plate, the better! Why? Well, colourful fruit and vegetables are rich in phytonutrients– these are chemicals produced by plants that can help to prevent disease and keep your immune system working well.
Not only do they have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties they have also been shown to boost immunity, repair DNA damage from toxin exposure, and neutralize carcinogens. So try and get as many different veggies on your plate at dinner time to help you stay healthy.
2. Try to get all your required vitamins and minerals from food, not supplements
Nourishing your body with whole food should always be your first step. Most people are able to get the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals from eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. Nutritional supplements should not be considered as an alternative. Unfortunately, no single supplement can contain all the health benefits that fruit and vegetables do! Obviously, if you have been advised by a health care practitioner to increase your intake of a certain vitamin then it will be important to stick with this advice.
3. Increase your intake of vitamin C
Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant, which helps to neutralize circulating free radicals in the body. It has been shown that some free radicals can contribute to a number of inflammatory disorders as well as cancers. Not only does vitamin C help to fight off these diseases, it has also been proven to reduce the duration and severity of a common cold.
Foods particularly high in vitamin C are oranges, strawberries, kiwis as well as vegetables such as kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, peppers and potatoes ( that doesn’t mean crisps!).
Recommended is around 80mg per day.
4. Consider Meat-free Mondays
Having a meat-free day a week is a great way to increase your vegetable consumption at mealtime. Studies have also shown that by reducing your intake of processed meats, it can help to lower the risk of certain cancers. In addition to this, it will help you save money and reduce your carbon emissions.
