The Top Three Most Important Foods During the Pandemic
During our battle with the pandemic, we can reduce our risks of infection and increase our chances of survival and recovery by living a healthy lifestyle, keeping a positive and calm mindset, and eating food that helps improve our immune system, and providing our body with nutrients that are especially helpful to make our body stronger in fighting with Covid 19.
There are three types of foods with the specific nutrients we need.
Foods Rich in vitamin C
Vitamin C can enhance the protective function of the mucous membrane of respiratory tracts and is the first barrier to protect us. At the same time, vitamin C accumulates in neutrophils. It kills the virus when it is swallowed.
Vitamin C in neutrophils is 50 to 100 times more than that in the plasma. Therefore, the human body consumes a large amount of vitamin C when fighting against viral infections. That is why eating food rich in vitamin C is very important.
What are the top three foods rich in vitamin C?
1. Black currant;
2. Red pepper, as well as green pepper;
3. Kiwi fruit.
The people who are infected or suffering from other infectious diseases and people who have cancer or chronic diseases usually have deficiencies in vitamin C. They may need a high volume of Vitamin-C supplements or Intravenous (IV) injection therapy to remedy
Foods Rich in Zinc
Research done during the SARS period proved that zinc could directly destroy or prevent the replication of the coronavirus. A family doctor in New York has treated more than 650 coronavirus infected patients. In addition to conventional antiviral drugs and antibiotics, he used zinc sulfate on his patients. After his treatment, all of his patients survived, and none of his 650 patients were hospitalized.
According to the research, zinc also helps tissue repair, the differentiation process of T cells and B cells, production and release of antibodies.
What are the top three foods rich in zinc?
1.Oysters ;
2. Beef, lamb, and chicken;.
3. Beans and soy products, as well as spinach and nuts
Foods Rich in Essential Fatty Acids
All immune cells have cell membranes and organelles. And there are membranes on all cell organelles. The essential fatty acid is a crucial structure of this membrane. Therefore, eating food rich in essential fatty acids is very important for our immune function.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
There are two essential fatty acids, Omega 6 and Omega 3.
Although the human body needs Omega-6, too much omega-6 will cause our body to produce an inflammatory response and make our immune function unbalanced. It also plays a role in transmitting signals between the inside and outside of a cell.
Omega-3 can reduce our inflammatory overreaction and protect the body. However, Omega-3 lacks in most people’s diets, and the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is often more than 20:1. According to scientific research, to maintain a healthy immune system, it is better to keep the balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 at 2:1 to 4:1.
1. Cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, and tuna;
2. Nuts and seeds, such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts;
3. Plant oils, such as flaxseed oil, soybean oil, and canola oil.
Supplement
In conclusion, during the pandemic eating balanced foods rich in vitamin C, zinc, and essential fatty acids is critical to our immune function and ability to prevent infection and recover fast.
If you don’t eat enough food rich in vitamin C, zinc, or fatty acid, you must take supplements. However, the dose each person needs is different. You need to consult your doctor for proper dosage and those who have health conditions or chronic diseases.
A blood test is helpful to determine how much vitamin C, zinc or Omega-3 supplements you need. If you have special circumstances and health issues, you need to consult with your doctor.
Disclaimer:
The information here should not be used as medical advice. We encourage you to talk to your healthcare providers about your use of dietary supplements and what may be best for your overall health.