food to boost immunity, nutritious diet

nutritious diet and an optimally functioning immune system can never go wrong. If you have a healthy immune system, your body can safeguard you from any disease, even the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. While as of now, there is neither any vaccine available nor proven home remedy to protect you from the COVID-19, there are some vitamins and foods which you can inculcate in your diet to have a strong immune system and in turn, fight the infectious disease.

Yogurt: To ensure hand hygiene, experts and doctors recommend washing hands with soap or using an alcohol-based rub, regularly. While hand sanitisers do kick away germs, they take good bacteria essential in building immunity, as well.

"Yogurt is a natural probiotic and aids in the formation of good bacteria in our body. Remember, it has to be freshly made. If you have sore throat regardless of the cause, yogurt might worsen it but for better immunity, you need probiotics so you can resort to supplements", says Clinical Nutritionist Lovneet Batra.

Turmeric: The golden spice turmeric is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin, the compound present in turmeric is a very potent agent and aids in healing of wounds and infections. This is the reason, it is often suggested to have turmeric milk.

'Most people have it (turmeric) in the wrong way. If you are having haldi (turmeric), don't have it in water, instead, boil it in the milk and have the popular turmeric milk. You can also take it with coconut oil and black pepper', says Ms Batra.

Natural Anti-virus Foods: Tulsi leaves, star anise (a spice), garlic, and ginger are some of the natural anti-virus food items which gives protection from seasonal flu as well. For boosting immunity and flushing out toxins, Ms Batra suggests a Tulsi drink which can simply be made by boiling three to four leaves in water.

'You can also take three to four pieces of star anise, give it two to three boils and have it warm. You can have ginger and amla juice. You can also have garlic; take one garlic clove, mash it, and expose it to air for five minutes so that its compound called allicin which has potent medicinal properties gets activated and then have it', says Ms Batra.

Zinc: It is another nutrient that helps your immune system and metabolism function. An individual can either take Zinc supplements or inculcate in their diet through cashews, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, among others.

FOODS RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS

Superfoods like berries, onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and even pumpkins are high on antioxidants. Include one of these in your diet at least once a day. They are extremely essential for building our immune system, which in turn fights off the virus. These foods also contain abundant amounts of Vitamin C, B and E, which help get rid of infections.

GET YOUR DOSE OF VITAMIN C

Our body relies on these nutrients to launch an effective immune response. So, stock up on lots of citrus fruits like guavas, oranges, amla, berries, lime etc. Add vegetables of different colours to your plate and include moringa, basil leaves, spirulina, neem, green tea in your diet.

GOOD OL’ TURMERIC

Turmeric, rich in anti-inflammatory properties, has an active compound called curcumin, which is known to have multiple benefits. Add turmeric and black pepper to your diet. It’s an ageold, tried and tested recipe for boosting your immune system. Have it in the form of tea along with water and spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, saffron etc or have a glass of haldi doodh.

COCONUT OIL

Start your day with 1-2 tsps of organic coconut oil. It helps in reducing inflammation and digesting fat-soluble vitamins. Coconut oil has antiviral properties that can attack a variety of bacteria and viruses.

FERMENTED FOODS

Just a spoonful of fermented foods encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut. With high levels of good bacteria comes strong immunity. Sauerkraut, miso, kefir, yoghurt, kimchi, home-made pickles and kanji water are some great options for fermented foods

LIQUORICE

Known as mulethi in Hindi,it has many antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is known to be very effective in many viral illnesses. So, brew yourself a warm cup of liquorice tea if you feel like you have a cold coming up.

PREBIOTIC FOODS FOR GUT

Prebiotic foods — including flax seeds, chia seeds, apples, oats, barley, potato, bananas, garlic, kiwi — promote growth of friendly bacteria in the gut and help with digestive problems. It even helps build a strong immune system.

IT’S TIME FOR A LIFESTYLE CHECK

Besides eating right, certain lifestyle modifications can also prepare your body to fight the virus head-on. Here are a few:

Keep stress away: Stress produces hormones which affect our immune system deeply. So, one of the most important ways to increase our immunity is to reduce stress.

Sleep well: With increased workload we often indulge in caffeinated beverages without realising how tired our body actually is. This disturbs our sleep, which in turn causes stress that again hampers our immune system. Exercise regularly: Mild exercise often releases stress and boosts our immune system. If you are tired, rest and sleep well, but do include light workouts in your daily routine. Give up smoking/vaping/e-cigarettes: Smokers, especially those with a respiratory condition, are more susceptible to coronavirus. Now is the time to quit. Take more of Vitamin D: Since there are few sources for this, try absorbing it the natural way. Stay positive: Half of the battle is won when you don’t let negative thoughts and anxiety affect yourself. Having a positive attitude can go a long way in coping with the crisis. 

WHAT SUPPRESSES OUR IMMUNITY?

Under-eating

Under or over-exercising White sugar and refined carbs Chemical-laden foods Lack of sleep Stress Consuming alcohol and smoking 

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY’

TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUT TO PREVENT THE VIRUS’

Your gut is the immunity headquarter of your body. It contains over 70% of your immunity. So, take care of your gut and balance your good bacteria to systematically work on prevention of coronavirus by building your immunity and preparing your body for a speedy recovery.

Superfoods can help reduce contamination’

Though there’s no foolproof way to avoid the infection, strengthening our body’s immune system with superfoods and other ingredients can help reduce the risk of contamination. It is essential to have a diverse range of foods that can provide all the essential vitamins and minerals.

B-complex Vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin D are extremely important for strong immunity.