by
Janea Ifill, Registered
Nutritionist
To survive COVID-19 you have to build a strong defense. This defense is our body’s immune system.
A strong immune system is what helps us to fight off a common cold, a mosquito bite and help our cuts and bruises heal. Do you find you often have colds, or you are tired all the time?
It may mean it is time to pay attention to your defense system.
With the COVID-19 virus it is especially important to have a strong defense system. A healthy diet can ensure your body is in a position to defeat the virus. There are some factors that increase your risk for complications like your age, your lifestyle (are you a smoker or drinker?) and health status (do you have any non-communicable diseases?).
Having a strong immune system helps you fight back!
Key nutrients that should be focused on are iron, zinc and vitamin B1, B12, B6, C, D and E.
Use this information to get back on track with your health goals, or take this time to start. Having a healthy body is the only true preventative way to combat COVID-19.
Here are five simple things you can do every day to build your immune 1. Eat fruits everyday
Fruits give our body vitamins and minerals that our defense systems need to work. You should choose real fruits where possible. Real food will always be the healthier choice (over supplements). They feed the body a range of nutrients including fibre and water. They give the body antioxidants, which protect the body from diseases.
When choosing your fruits, try to choose as fresh as possible. Have a nearby fruit tree? Pick them as your daily snacks. Some local fruits to choose from during March are sour orange, tamarinds, gooseberries, pomegranates, bananas and mamey apple.
2. Do not overcook vegetables
Like fruits, you should include vegetables in your diet every day.
Actually, try to include at least one at every mealtime. When preparing vegetables, try not to overcook them as it leads to the loss of important nutrients that can build your defense system.
Especially during this time, you should maximise your food quality.
Once cooking foods, nutrients will naturally be lost. For example, steaming or building loses about 25% of vitamin C. Vitamin C and Vitamin B (water soluble vitamins) are the most vulnerable to nutrient loss during cooking and are essential in building your strong immune system.
At the same time, it should be noted that some foods are more nourishing when they are cooked. For example, lycopene, an antioxidant, is higher when tomatoes have been cooked.
This is because cooking breaks down some of the plant walls, releasing these nutrients.
The takeaway – eat your vegetables in a variety of ways: raw, baked, grilled, sauteed, boiled or steamed every day.
3. Go outside for 10-20 minutes each day
We are so lucky to be living in this beautiful sunshine island. Sunshine rays provide our body with vitamin D, or what I like to call the ‘free vitamin’.
In colder territories they may have to supplement with store-bought vitamins, but we can simple head out to our patio for a couple minutes or do some gardening for our daily dose.
Build a strong immune and respiratory system by going outside for 15-20 minutes daily. The sun’s rays give your body Vitamin D, which can help with fighting COVID-19.
4. Drink water every day
Aim to have 8-10 cups of water every day, especially if over 65 years old.
Encourage children to drink water over sugar sweetened beverages, and lead by example.
Water helps your nutrients to be transported to different parts of your body. It helps get rid of waste as well. Try adding lime or sour orange juice to room temperature water to both hydrate and adds some vitamin C to your diet.
5. Sleep
Sleep helps reboot your defense system. We often overlook the importance of sleep especially when it comes to our immune system. Sleep helps to reduce stress hormones, which in turn can affect your quality of life. Stress can have a huge impact on our immune system, especially chronic stress. You might find that periods where you lack sleep (having less than six hours of sleep a day) you feel less productive, and more likely to catch a cold.
You should know that there is no quick fix to building a strong immune system. You must practise these things daily to reach optimum health and maintain it.
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