Nutrition and COVID-19
Proper nutrition and hydration are very important. Individuals who eat a well-balanced meal on a regular basis, tend to be healthier with stronger immune systems and lower risk of chronic illnesses and infectious disease.
Variety is the key!
Fruits and Vegetables
- Eat fruits and vegetables, an easy way to meet your daily requirement is to eat at least 2 whole fruits per day and 2.5 cups of vegetables.
- Snacks could be a fruit and a vegetable. Here is an easy example: apple slices and celery sticks. Munch!
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, they contain the highest amount of vitamins and minerals; however, if you like to cook your vegetables, make sure you steam or grill them; if you boil them, make a soup; many vitamins and minerals (as well as fiber) are water-soluble, so to make sure those nutrients get into your body, ingest the broth.
- Canned or dried vegetables can be an option when you choose no added salt or sugar.
Water
- Drink enough water. This vital fluid transports nutrients and compounds in blood, regulates your body temperature, gets rid of waste, and lubricates/cushions joints.
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Drink 8-10 glasses per day. You may be asking yourself how to do this, so here are some suggestions:
- Drink some water every hour on the hour.
- Mark your glass or water bottle with ‘goals’, e.g.: by 8 am you should have drunk ¼ of the glass/bottle.
- Always have water close to you.
- Use apps that remind you to drink water.
- Challenge a friend and have "water check-ins" throughout the day.
- Water is the best choice, but you can also consume other drinks, fruits and vegetables that contain water, for example lemon juice (diluted in water and unsweetened), tea and coffee. But be careful not to consume too much caffeine, and avoid sweetened fruit juices, syrups, fruit juice concentrates and fizzy drinks as they all contain added sugar.
Fats and Oil
- Prefer unsaturated fats found in fish, avocado, nuts, soy, olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and more.
- Limit saturated fats like red meat, butter, coconut oil, cream, cheese, poultry skin and lard.
- Prefer fish and poultry over red meat.
- Choose low fat or skim milk.
- Eat fewer processed fats found in ready-made desserts, pizza and fried food
Eat home-made food
- Eat at home to reduce your rate of contact with other people and lower your chance of being exposed to COVID-19. Even when you pick up food you are exposing yourself more.
- This is your chance to try that recipe you read about!
Other healthy measures
- While proper nutrition and hydration improve health and immunity, these factors are not EVERYTHING.
- Your mental health is also important; seek counselling and psychosocial support from trained health care professionals and community-based lay and peer counsellors.
- Practice mindfulness.
- Keep social distancing. Droplets from infected people may land on surfaces and people’s hands.
- Wash your hands regularly.
- Clean surfaces with disinfectant frequently.
In good health,
Ilse