Immunity-Boosting Foods And Habits That Can Help Fight COVID-19 read
Nov 17 2020
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Little did the world know before COVID-19 that immunity can be so important to our lives. The thing that we took granted all our lives - our immunity - proved to be more important than anything.
Thanks to Mother Nature, it is quite easy to boost our immune system. All you need to do is just follow a planned diet and make a few changes in your daily routine. To help you fight with COVID-19, we have curated a list of helpful foods and habits. Take a look!
Types Of Superfoods That Boost Immunity:
1. Carrots, apricots, and broccoli: These eatables contain beta carotene, that gets converted into vitamin A in our body. Vitamin A boosts the immune system and helps antibodies to fight against foreign bodies like viruses. Some other fruits and vegetables that contain beta carotene are sweet potatoes, mangoes, spinach, kale, squash, and cantaloupe.
2. Oranges, strawberries, and green pepper: Vitamin C increases the count of antibodies in the blood. Not just deadly conditions like COVID-19, Vitamin C also helps in fighting everyday diseases like cold flu. Some other fruits and vegetables that contain an ample amount of Vitamin C are grapefruit, kiwi, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cooked cabbage, etc.
3. Eggs, tofu, and fatty fishes: According to medical experts, Vitamin D selectively kills bacteria and viruses that enter our body. Like Vitamin C and Vitamin A, Vitamin D also helps in increasing the number of white blood cells. These cells are the ultimate reason for our immunity. Some other edible products that contain Vitamin D are fortified milk, cheese, fortified juice, and mushrooms, etc.
4. Beans, seafood, and cereal: These food products contain Zinc - a substance that helps in growing your immune system. While there is no proof that Zinc can directly help you fight with COVID-19, there is enough amount of evidence that it can help you fight with other diseases caused by viruses, like the common cold. Wheat germ, oysters, crab, lobster, beef, pork chop, dark meat poultry, and yogurt also contain Zinc.
5. Milk, nuts, and eggs: Most dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese contain protein. It is a key element in building the immune cells in our blood. Other than dairy products, one can consume nuts, lentils, beans, roasted chickpeas to get protein.
While food is the first line of defense as a key element in building a strong immune system, daily habits also play a major role in boosting it. Three ‘must-do’ habits that should make to build a better immune system are as follows:
1. Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is something that we perceive as a necessary evil while in reality, it is the opposite of that. Researchers have shown that getting a standard amount of sleep (around 7 to 9 hours per night) is actually beneficial to a person’s body.
Not only does it heal our body from fatigue, but it also helps in our brain in retaining more information. On the other hand, if you do not get enough sleep, the level of stress hormone increases drastically in the body.
2. Reduce Stress
Sleeping is one way to reduce Stress. Stress can induce the body to produce hormones that suppress the immune system, eventually making our body vulnerable to foreign bodies likes bacteria and viruses. Here are a few ways by which you can reduce stress:
- Meditate daily
- Slow down the hustle in your professional life if you feel mental fatigue
- Talk with people
- Play with children or pets
These steps may seem very small at a glance. But they can reduce the number of stress hormones in our body. Many studies have shown that people with a lesser amount of stress hormones have better immune system than the other lot.
3. Exercise Daily
Doing even moderate exercise can boost your immune system in the longer-term. Moderate level exercise might include daily jogging, cycling, or morning walk. You must have noticed that people with a daily habit of a morning walk or jogging are less likely to catches common diseases like fever or influenza.
Scientists have not made a vaccine against COVID-19 yet. Until the time they make one, don’t forget, a good immune system is our first and last tool in the battle.