We have learned a lot about our personal health during the COVID-19 pandemic. One question I am asked frequently “Are there healthy foods I can eat that can either prevent or reduce my chances of getting COVID?” While there is no guarantee that eating the proper foods will prevent you from getting COVID, you can give your body a fighting chance to ward off COVID, flu, or the common cold.
The way that food keeps us healthy is quite simple, really. Healthy foods contain nutrients that our bodies need to run efficiently so a diet that is made up predominantly of healthy, nutrient-rich foods will help your body do what it’s supposed to, like grow, repair and renew, and fight off disease.
Here are my suggestions:
You should eat a variety of fresh and unprocessed foods every day to get the vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, protein, and antioxidants your body needs.
Think fresh or frozen vegetables, broccoli, spinach, carrots, kale for example. Whole grains such as quinoa, barley, brown rice, farro, bulgar, and oats. Legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas. I have plenty of recipes in my posts if you need culinary inspiration!
For fruits such as berries, apples, oranges, eat 3 servings of fruits a day.
Nuts like macadamia, cashews, walnuts. Meat such as lean beef, chicken, turkey. Seafood like Alaskan salmon, herring, rainbow trout, and perch. Herbs and spices can help you fight off illness, such as cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and cayenne.
Make these real, whole foods the basis of your diet. For snacks, choose raw vegetables and fresh fruit rather than foods that are high in sugar, fat, or salt.
Drink enough water.
I recommend that water be your number one choice of beverage! How much water you need depends on a lot of things and varies from person to person.
- How active are you?
- Do you sweat during the day?
- If you live in a warmer climate you will need to drink more water.
For adults, the general recommendation from The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is about:
11.5 cups (2.7 liters) a day for women
15.5 cups (3.7 liters) a day for men
This includes fluids from water, beverages like teas and juice, and food. You get an average of 20 percent of your water from the foods you eat.
Eating healthy is always food for your body!
