5 Foods You Must Have During the Covid-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it becomes necessary to incorporate certain lifestyle and dietary changes - to ensure steady and good health. But if we don’t eat the right foods, how are we gonna ensure that? Here is a list of foods that you must have during this pandemic and lockdown. Let’s check it out below.

Foods To Have During COVID-19 Pandemic

First and foremost, it should be established that this article, by no means, promotes any trips to your local markets - or hoarding of stocks when it is not required. This, however, would require careful planning with a list of foods that you may need while you are in a lockdown. The criteria to follow when you’re creating this list includes the addition of foods with a high nutritional value, dietary fiber, and making sure that you also have non-perishable foods in your list that last you 2-3 weeks. Having said that, now let’s move onto the list of foods to have during a pandemic.

 

Fresh Foods

It is very important to consume fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts, as well as foods from animal sources like meat, fish, eggs and more. A two-cup serving of fruits and vegetables each and 150-200 grams of grains, meats, and beans is recommended by the WHO as part of a sustainable diet. It is also recommended to consume fresh snacks, which can include fruit and vegetables salads or eggs, among other various options. You can also add Wellbeing Nutrition’s Daily Greens to your routine, as it provides you with the nutrition of all your essential greens in one effervescent nutrition tablet per day.

Whole Grains, Pulses & Legumes

It is recommended to have grains such as wheat, millets, rice, barley, buckwheat, pearl sago, and other such staples in your diet, as they hold plenty of benefits. Rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, these grains help in providing you energy and regulate blood sugar levels. On the other hand, pulses and legumes such as toor, masoor, peas, chickpea, and more are low in fat and high in proteins, helping you repair muscle damage and keep you in good shape.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats are an important part of any diet - however, not all fats are either good or bad for our health. Having unsaturated fats is known to lower your LDL cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart diseases. For this, we need to reduce consumption of fatty meats, tropical oils like coconut oil, high-fat dairy, and more. Foods that contain unsaturated fats include olive oil, rapeseed oil, ghee, butter, soy, canola, oily fish, nuts and more. Ghee is also rich in vitamin K and A, which further helps in improving immunity.

Herbs

Herbs in ayurveda are known for their amazing health properties - however, there are certain herbs that are great for our immunity and may therefore be a particularly good addition to your diet during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These herbs for immunity would include moringa, neem, tulsi, ashwagandha, triphala, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and more. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and A, and various antibacterial properties, thereby proving to be a great enhancer of immunity in our body. You can also try Wellbeing Nutrition’s Grandma’s Kadha for immunity and nutrition tablet, as it contains a beautiful combination of these herbs and spices that have been used by our grandma’s since time immemorial - this special kadha comes in the form of an effervescent tablet that will help fight cold, cough, and flu symptoms for you, apart from boosting your immunity.

Proteins

Both animal and plant-based proteins are essential for the healthy functioning of your body and the immune system. Beans, pulses, fish, dairy products, eggs, meats, and beans are great examples of what can be eaten in order to cover your protein requirements. Our daily protein requirement varies depending on our age and body weight.

One can also go for canned or frozen products for their daily protein requirement - however, the concern for sugar and salt may arise and so it is necessary to check the nutrition label on these products.

Other important factors to be considered in a COVID-19 pandemic diet is that hydration, vitamin C and D, and dietary fiber are of utmost importance to keep you safe and healthy.

References

1.    Sultan MT, Butt MS, Qayyum MM, Suleria HA. Immunity: plants as effective mediators. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(10):1298-308. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.633249. PMID: 24564587. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24564587/)
2.    Weighing in on Dietary Fats: Some Fats Are Healthier Than Others (https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2011/12/weighing-dietary-fats)
3.    Wu G. Dietary protein intake and human health. Food Funct. 2016 Mar;7(3):1251-65. doi: 10.1039/c5fo01530h. PMID: 26797090. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26797090/)
4.    Slavin JL, Lloyd B. Health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Adv Nutr. 2012;3(4):506-516. Published 2012 Jul 1. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/)
5.    Aman F, Masood S. How Nutrition can help to fight against COVID-19 Pandemic. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):S121-S123. doi:10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2776 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7306972/)
6.    NIH's COVID-19 Response (https://covid19.nih.gov/)
7.    Nutrition advice for adults during the COVID-19 outbreak (http://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/news/nutrition-advice-for-adults-during-the-covid-19-outbreak.html)