Know what to eat

Immunity has been the buzz word for over a year and half. Ever since the Covid 19 pandemic took centre-stage, there had been a scramble to boost immunity. But even when a number of nutraceutical products have appeared in the market drawing attention with “immunity” tags, the fact remains that there is no replacement for a balanced diet.

Nutrition has never been so much talked about as during these past 18 months. A number of nutrition gurus have also appeared in the social media and there are much debates over keto diet and intermittent fasting that it becomes difficult to know whether these diet plans are worthy to adopt.

The search for a balanced diet has been on for a while now. Those looking for weight loss it is important to know what constitutes a balanced diet and what are the requirements of the body. There is no diet that would fit the bill for all. It always has to be customised.

Dr. P. K. Sasidharan, former professor and head of the Department of Medicine at Government Medical College, Kozhikode, who, had been speaking about food as medicine has this to say:

  • Always eat a balanced diet every time we eat, with plenty of high fiber vegetables, some fresh fruits, water and one source of protein, and finally as a least important item, use carbohydrates very sparingly, depending on our physical activity, if you are overweight you can even skip them
  • Take enough water (2-2.5 liters) to ensure adequate urine output (1.5 liters)
  • The minimum plan is avoiding weight gain and try to achieve weight reduction – not by keto diet but with balanced diet
  • If you can ensure 12 hours of fasting in every 24 hours it will prevent obesity and activate autophagy
  • Avoid all kinds of junk foods and fast foods, artificial colors and flavors
  • Do some physical activity every day and get some sunlight exposure
  • Ensure adequate rest and sleep
  • Maintain good oral-dental hygiene
  • Vitamins like Vitamin D (500-2000IUonly), B1, B6,B12, folic acid,Vitamin C and Calcium could be daily supplements for those who are not able to absorb it through their food intake. This should be done only after consulting your doctor

Basically, wrong diet and poor lifestyle are responsible for most problems like the lifestyle diseases. It has been found in many studies how these very problems are so much related to worsening Covid 19 conditions.

Even when all the manifestations of Covid 19 are still to be known or are under study, the bottom line remains that body’s immunity plays a major role in keeping away many diseases, Covid or otherwise.

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