CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) NUTRITION GUIDE

 

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) NUTRITION GUIDE

When someone around you sneezes, about 20,000 tiny particles containing the virus are dispersed into the air. The spread of COVID-19 style viruses occurs when you stay mobile in the air and you are in contact with it. Viruses have certain target tissues. The target of the coronavirus is the lungs. Viruses are everywhere. The purpose of the virus is to transcribe itself by sending its DNA or RNA to the host cell and thus continue to reproduce.

 

Some viruses are dormant and wait for humans to age, immunity weakened, nutritional deficiencies or stress to emerge. This is the answer to the question of why viruses appear in most people during stress and people get sick.

 

Sensitivity Factors for Disease:

 

·      Age

·      Nutritional deficiencies

·      Genetic

·      Weak immune system

·      Chronic diseases

·      Stress

·      In order to be good in terms of the immune system, we need to be physically well. Exercising helps lower hormones such as cortisol that occur during stress. Exercise in your home / dormitory room to strengthen your immune system. Among all these factors above, the most important factor you can control is the foods you take. The right foods you take will both support your immune system and reduce your stress factor.

 

Two situations arise when you do not get enough nutrients:

 

The immune system is weakened.

This makes viruses stronger.

Feeding your body certain foods can help keep your immune system strong and healthy. Necessary nutrients to fight infections are vitamins A, C, D and E, selenium and zinc minerals.

You can choose for your snacks; do not forget to include oilseeds such as walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, which are sources of selenium, vitamin E, and zinc, in your daily routine.

From the sources of vitamin C, lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, kiwi are the foods that support our immune system.

Choose seasonal vegetables and fruits. Remember that the rhythm of the body system and the food grown in its season are unique.

Intestinal flora is very important for the immune system. It is important to consume foods with high dietary fiber content in a more varied way to nourish your gut micro flora. Consumption of foods containing more vegetable sources such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grain foods, legumes is better in terms of intestinal flora. Intestinal flora likes fiber, legumes and fermented foods. Kefir, yoghurt, pickles, kombucha are among the fermented foods.

Below are 7 foods that will strengthen your immune system:

 

1.   Citrus fruits: Vitamin C found in citrus fruits helps improve the immune system and increases the production of white blood cells that fight infections. The most common citrus fruits; grapefruit, orange, lemon, tangerine and lime.

2.   Broccoli: It is a source of vitamins A, C and E.

3.   Garlic: Fresh, raw garlic has antibacterial and antiviral properties.

4.   Ginger: Helps reduce sore throat and other inflammatory diseases.

5.   Turmeric: It is anti-inflammatory and anti-disease. Curcuma, which is naturally found in turmeric, helps balance blood sugar.

6.   Green tea: It is a source of antioxidants called polyphenols that help fight infection.

7.   Sunflower seeds: Contains phosphorus, magnesium, B-6 and vitamin E. It is also a source of tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted by the body into serotonin, which is considered a natural mood stabilizer. In this way, sunflower seeds can help you cope with anxiety and stress.

 

 Food alone is not enough to strengthen the immune system!

It is necessary to stay away if possible to minimize stress and sadness.

The energy of the body, which is strengthened with regular sports, increases and becomes much more resistant to diseases. Advance by setting weekly goals for yourself while doing sports.

There are studies showing that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night are at risk of cardiovascular disease. If you cannot sleep quality sleep in case of stress, try to get support from lemon balm, chamomile and fennel tea. It is very important for your heart to stay in your sleep pattern. You can take advantage of herbal teas such as chamomile, fennel or lemon balm on days when you feel your sleep efficiency decreases.

The cortisol hormone, a hormone that increases both appetite and desire to eat, is secreted more when under stress, and the selected foods in this case are foods with high fat and high carbohydrate (sugar) content, which we call "comfort food". During this period, be careful not to consume foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates as much as possible. The American Heart Association recommends that children ages 2 to 18 should consume no more than 25 grams of simple sugar per day. In addition, according to a study conducted at the University of Illinois, it was observed that the daily calorie intake of people who increased their daily water consumption up to 600 ml decreased by 70-200 calories, however, they consumed less sodium, cholesterol and simple sugar.

 

EMOTIONAL NUTRITION:

Being in quarantine at home can lead to food anxiety and emotional eating. First of all, you are not alone and it is normal to feel these feelings. When a stressful situation arises in the size of the coronavirus, people often experience significant changes in their eating behavior.

 

In response to the coronavirus, suggested actions to deal with emotional eating are listed below:

 

Ask yourself if you are really hungry and wait for a while to see if your cravings will pass.

Keep a nutrition diary of what you ate at what time. It provides assessment of the current situation regarding diet and habits.

 

Do not skip meals. Eat often in small portions. In this way, it will be easier for you to prevent eating attacks.

 

Snacks:

 

During this period of our stay at home, you may find yourself constantly in front of the refrigerator or looking for more snacks than usual. You should take care to make snacks, snacks, foods with high nutritional value that support your body's immune system.

 

Quick and easy snack examples can be listed as follows:

 

·       Popcorn

·       Fresh fruit sliced 

·       Yoghurt

·       Hummus with cucumber and carrot slices

·       Fresh fruits

·       Cheese and whole wheat bread or breadcrumbs

·       Raw nuts

·       Dried fruits such as dates

If you enjoy spending time in the kitchen, how about making a healthy cake as an alternative?

 

Health Cake Recipe:

 

Materials:

 

3 tablespoons of palm puree

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of tahini or coconut oil

1 teaspoon of granulated coffee (dissolved in 1/2 tea glass of hot water)

1 tea glass of milk

1 tea glass of olive oil

2 soup spoons of cocoa

8 whole walnuts

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 packet of baking powder

1 packet of vanilla

Preparation of:

 

Beat the date mash and eggs with a mixer for 15 minutes.

Continue whisking, adding other ingredients respectively.

Finally, add the walnuts in pieces and bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 degrees. (It may vary from oven to oven, you can check whether it is cooked with a toothpick)

Thanks to the palm puree and coffee it will be like a wet cake.