It seems that the whole world is revolving around the coronavirus. Covid -19 (so called scientifically) began in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan and, today, already affects more than a hundred countries. Some of them have registered a large number of infected and deceased by the virus, while others are still in the containment phase.
The truth is that to a greater or lesser extent, this is something that affects us all and, therefore, appropriate measures must be taken so that the coronavirus does not continue to spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already made its recommendations: wash your hands well, wear a mask, not leave the house… Anything that protects us from the virus is welcome and food can contribute a lot to it. What you eat every day greatly influences your defenses and the immune system and determines that you can get sick more or less easily. What foods should you include in your diet to avoid coronavirus?
In this article we have spoken with Ángel Soriano, a nutritionist from Doctoralia (a platform that unites doctors with patients), so that he can discover the list of foods that you should buy during quarantine to protect yourself from Covid-19. Take note of it!
Foods to strengthen defenses and protect yourself from coronavirus
As the nutritionist Ángel Soriano tells us, food plays an essential and decisive role in our state of health. There are foods that help strengthen our immune system, making it much more difficult for us to contract viruses or diseases, while other types of food reduce our defenses and make us much more prone to contagion.
So, what foods to include in the diet during these weeks in which the coronavirus stalks us? Angle lists some of them:
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Foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber
We can find all this in fruits, vegetables and vegetables (foods that should be the basis of our diet). ” Vitamin A is very important in the function of the immune system and we can find it in all those red or orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins…”, says Ángel. vitamin Dit is also essential. “This vitamin is synthesized by exposure to the sun, therefore, despite the confinement that has been decreed in many countries, it is vitally important not to stop sunbathing during these weeks. Go out on the balcony for a while every day, in the terrace, to the garden or to the window and let the light shine on you (if the sun hits your belly much better)”, advises Ángel Soriano.
Other antioxidants and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, zinc or selenium are also important, which we find in eggs, meat, fish, chocolate (as long as it is pure or high percentage cocoa and in moderate amounts).
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Omega 3 and Omega 9
“We could say that the immune system is born in the intestine. Gut health is the most important thing for overall health. Maintaining good intestinal health implies having a good immune system and maintaining good intestinal health implies having good intestinal flora and, for this, you have to selectively feed the beneficial bacteria in the intestine. And what do these bacteria eat? This is precisely where Omega 3 and Omega 9 play an essential role”, explains nutritionist Ángel.
Omega 3 can be found in chia, in fish, in oils such as flax, while Omega 9 is found in olive oil.
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Fermented foods
As we said, the immune system depends to a large extent on the intestinal flora and fermented foods such as kefir, miso, gherkins or olives, contain enzymes and microorganisms that contribute to maintaining a good flora.
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Mushrooms
Among their properties, fungi such as mushrooms or boletus have compounds called beta-glucans that stimulate defenses and strengthen the immune system.
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Garlic
Yes, during these days you can encourage yourself to include garlic in your recipes. Antibacterial, antiviral, fungicide, anticancer… It doesn’t lack anything!
Angel Soriano also recommends including cereals such as quinoa, legumes and dairy products in the diet. He also advises making a weekly purchase to leave the house as little as possible.
Foods that you should NOT include in your diet if you want to avoid the coronavirus
Just as there are foods that boost the immune system, there are also others that weaken it. Which is it?
- The ultra-processed: all products that contain a lot of sugar, everything that contains refined flour, trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils… Example: French fries, pizzas, soft drinks, cookies, pastries…
- Alcohol: Alcohol decreases the body’s ability to respond to any type of infection or virus and helps ‘bad’ bacteria to grow in the intestines.
“These foods favor the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestine, decreasing and hindering the function of the immune system,” concludes Angel.