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NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR COVID19 PANDEMIC

NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR COVID19 PANDEMIC

Nutritional guidelines for Covid-19 pandemic are very essential in helping to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the global covid-19 pandemic that is bedeviling the existence of humanity.

Covid-19  is a communicable disease caused by a strain of corona virus that causes illness in human existence. The voracious learning of the disease has kept busy great number of scientist making them think that the virus emanated from animals. The disease spreads from person to person through infected air droplets that are gotten during coughing and sneezing and it can also be contacted when an individual had touched the surface that has been contaminated with the virus and then touch their eyes, nose and mouth with their contaminated hand. This is why it is expedient for an individual to always keep to washing of hands and also use of hand sanitizers.    

In as much as scientist have been innovative enough to create vaccines that will help manage covid 19 pandemic, the place of nutrition can’t be over emphasized. Proper nutrition is very vital in the management of an individual’s health during this period. People who go on a well balanced diet tend to be healthier with stronger immunity that lowers the risk of a chronic illness and infectious diseases. 

An individual should eat a variety of fresh and unprocessed foods to get the minerals, vitamins, protein, dietary fibre, and antioxidants your body needs to have a formidable immune system.  Drinking enough water will keep your body hydrated so you won’t have a dry throat. Avoid excessive sugar, fat and salt to significantly lower your risk of overweight, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Excessive consumption of canned food can be carcinogenic to an individual’s health, most canned foods contains free radicals which when consumed in excess can give rise to cancer. 

Some of the Nutritional Guidelines for Covid-19 Pandemic Includes;

Drink enough water every day

Water is very essential to an individual’s health. It transport nutrients and compounds in the blood, controls your body temperature, discards waste, lubricates and cushions joints. It is advisable to consume 8-10 cups of water daily, and drinking enough water is the best choice to make. Fruits and vegetables that contain water are also very good for consumption. 

Eat fresh and unprocessed foods everyday

Eating unprocessed foods everyday is very essential for an individual wellbeing. This includes;

  • Eat fruits, vegetables, legumes (lentils, beans), nuts and whole grains, unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice, potato, yam, cassava, meat, fish, eggs and milk.
  • Daily, eat 2 cups of fruits, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 180g of grains, and 160g of meat or red meat and beans and for poultry, 2-3 times per week.
  • Do not overcook vegetables and fruits as this can lead to loss of some essential nutrients.
  • For snacks, consume raw vegetables and fresh fruits rather than foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt.
  • When consuming canned or dried fruits and vegetables choose varieties with the addition of salts and sugar.

Consume moderate amounts of fat and oil

  • Eat unsaturated fats like nuts, olive oil, soy, avocado, and fish rather than saturated fat, to mention but a few, fatty meat, cream, coconut oil, butter and cheese.
  • Consume white meat like poultry meat, and fish which is generally low in fat rather than excessive consumption of red meat.
  • Do not consume industrially produced trans fats. Which are often found in processed foods, fast food, snack food and margarines.

Consume less sugar and salts

When cooking and preparing food, reduce the amount of salt and reduce your daily intake of salt to be less than 5g which is approximately 1 teaspoon. Food high in salt should be avoided as this might give rise to hypertension, while the intake of soft and carbonated drinks that are high in sugar should be avoided.  

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals regulates an individual body processes. Vitamins and minerals helps repair and heal cells that are damaged. Consume foods high in vitamins and minerals, which can help boost your immune system.

Food sources

  • Vitamin A (Retinol) and beta-carotene: carrot, orange, milk, red vegetables and fruits, liver, whole eggs.
  • Vitamin C: orange, orange juice, strawberries, potatoes, broccoli, African star apple (chrysophyllum albidum), guavas, papaya (pawpaw), tomato.
  • Vitamin E: green leafy vegetables, soybean oil, peanuts, peanut butter, spinach.
  • B vitamins: fish, meat, chicken, grains, nuts, white beans, avocados.
  • Zinc: milk and other dairy products, beans, fish, meat, peanuts.

Avoid eating out

Eating at home helps you reduce your contact rate with other people and reduces your chances of being exposed to covid-19. A distance of at least 1 meter between yourself and people who are coughing or sneezing should be considered which is not always possible in crowded social settings like cafes and restaurants. So it’s always expedient for an individual to avoid eating out always.  

Conclusion

Even though there are vaccines created by scientist to help mitigate the adverse effect of covid-19, we all still have the need to look into the nutritional guidelines for Covid-19 pandemic, the body needs proper nutrition and hydration to help improve one’s health and immunity, which is very vital. Individuals living with chronic illnesses or are suspected to have covid-19 may need to support their medication with proper dieting to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. On this note, covid-19 is real and ensure you abide by laid down principal from medical experts to avoid been infected. Avoid self medication and always contact your doctor should any sign being detected.

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