Nutrition Tips for COVID-19

Pretty tired of talking about this to be honest, but since a few people have asked me how to strengthen their immune system naturally I suppose it’s a good opportunity to make a post. Everything I suggest here is applicable to any virus or flu — not just COVID-19.

My philosophy on keeping a strong immune system is pretty simple: ‘be ready so you don’t have to get ready’. Basically, I aim to consistently consume a variety of whole foods from quality sources to cover my nutrient requirements and build a healthy microbiome. That said, there are a few nutritional strategies that you can use to improve your immune system in the short term. But first, some lifestyle disclaimers.

Smoking, drinking, stress and sleep should be your main concern straight away. These are all proven to significantly lower immune function, and can be fixed or improved within 1 week. Alcohol and tobacco are simple (not easy) to fix — just consume less or none. Give yourself 8 hours of sleep if at all possible, set all screens to a warmer setting at night, meditate or relax before bed and make sure your room is as dark as possible. Stress should improve with sleep as the two are never mutually exclusive, but also have a stress management practice throughout the day. ‘Mini meditations’ where you take your attention to your breath for 10 seconds, physical activity, and a positive mindset to start the day will all lower stress. These four things will aid your immune system so much more than any pill can, and they don’t even have to be perfect — any improvement counts.

Now for some food stuff.

Pre biotics and pro biotics — Absolutely include these in your diet regularly, as there are more and more studies showing the effectiveness of these foods on overall health. Check out a study by ‘Roberfroid et al. 2010’ for some evidence. Building a healthy micro biome is a huge component of immune health. I might do a whole post on pre/pro biotics at some stage and go a little deeper, but for now just think of ‘pre’ as foods that feed your existing ‘permanent resident’ bacteria, and ‘pro’ as new bacteria that stay in your body on holiday. For increased pre biotics you should be thinking fibrous vegetables with herbs and spices. Garlic, onion, asparagus, oats, banana, apple, seeds and other whole grains are all great sources. Pro biotics come mostly from fermented foods like kefir yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, tempeh and miso. Try to consume a variety to get the best benefits. If you add some or all of these foods into your diet make sure you pay attention to how your body reacts. Some of these foods can cause digestive discomfort so don’t continue eating something if it has this effect — find whats right for you.

Herbs and spices — Most of these exhibit some form of antiviral/antibacterial properties, so regularly consuming a good variety will also aid the immune system. Here are a few ideas to start incorporating if you don’t tend to eat many herbs/spices:

· Clove

· Cinnamon

· Cumin seeds

· Fennel seeds

· Bay leaves

· Chilli

· Mint

· Coriander leaves and seeds

· Lemon/lime juice and peel

Check out the study by ‘Lin L et al. 2014’ for more info on these. I will also include essential oils in this section, which have a fair amount of scientific backing for immune health, so have a read through ‘Swamy MK et al. 2016’ for more info on those. I would go for a blend of several of the herbs/spices listed above for immune benefits. And when I say ‘blend’ I mean a blend of the real ingredient used in cooking, not a supplement.

Hot Drinks — Most flu’s and viruses don’t like heat. Its why we get a fever when infected, and also why they tend to be more prevalent in winter. COVID-19 is no exception, and anything above 40 degrees Celsius seems to kill the virus quite quickly. Enter the humble cup of tea. Drinking tea several times a day is great for both preventing, and recovering from flu viruses. I wish more people would choose tea instead of paracetamol, which works to suppress symptoms (like fever) and allow the virus to live longer in your body.

As for specific types of tea — any will be helpful, but licorice root seems to have a better preventative effect than most. Licorice has been shown to block angiotensin receptors in the mouth when ingested, which is what a virus binds to before entering the blood stream. Have a read through a paper by ‘Wang L et al. 2015’ if you want some scientific backing for the licorice.

There you go people, three relatively easy things that can be implemented to increase your chances of resisting viruses this flu season. And please don’t assume everything the mainstream media ‘reports’ is true — do your own research and educate yourself if you want to feel more relaxed about the current situation.

As always you can contact me at https://www.formativenutrition.net/ if you are interested on working with a coach to improve your health, thanks for reading.

References:

*Roberfroid M et al. 2010. Prebiotic Effects: Metabolic and Health Benefits. Br J Nutr. 104.

*Lin L et al. 2014. Antiviral Natural Products and Herbal Medicines. Journal of Traditional and Complimentary Medicine. 4(1).

*Swamy MK et al. 2016. Antimicrobial Properties of Plant Essential Oils against Human Pathogens and Their Mode of Action: An Updated Review. Evidence-based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

*Wang L et al. 2015. The Antiviral and Antimicrobial Activities of Licorice, a Widely-Used Chinese Herb. Acta Pharm Sin B. 5(4).