We are all dealing with COVID-19 pandemic, which till date has no defined cure or vaccine. According to experts, wearing a mask, frequent sanitization, social distancing and boosting your immunity are the only ways to deal with COVID-19. The terrible pandemic awakened the fact that our food systems are vulnerable, we have all heard the saying that ‘food is medicine’ due to their inherent medicinal and healing properties.

The Indian kitchen is a hub of ingredients like cereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs & spices, edible oils, etc. which are a source of vital nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. This has been established by studies conducted over a period of time. When these ingredients are used effectively in small quantities in a dish, they help improve the health and well-being besides strengthening the immune system. When we cook the food ourselves, we can be sure of the ingredients being used in the dishes, how they are cooked and what can be the possible outcome on our health and immunity.

Nutritionists and Wellness experts highlight the importance of strengthening immunity to live a healthy life. As the coronavirus spreads across the country and the world, you might be wondering how to stop the virus. While there aren’t foods that can prevent you from contracting the coronavirus, there are ways to make viral symptoms less painful. You can also protect your body from coughing and sniffles by loading up on immune-boosting ingredients in food.

According Dr. Lahari Surapaneni PhD (USA) Nutritionist & Wellness consultant, Hyderabad, “Strong immune system is the key to a healthy life. For this strong immune system, we need nutrients like proteins, iron, zinc, Selenium, vitamins A, C, D & E. We can get most of the nutritious food from dairy products, fruits & vegetables, meats, leafy vegetables, pulses, grains. To ensure that our immune system is performing optimally we need to know the nutritious home-cooked meals & the right ingredients for the required vitamins.”

Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils, are doing an awareness through a campaign ‘#Immunity Begins in the Kitchen’ to identify the ingredients that help improve the immunity and encourage their use in daily food. To boost immune system, the best way is to manage a balanced lifestyle that involves nutritious eating habits, yoga and meditation, deep sleep and a positive outlook towards life. Eating the right food helps in healthy and disease-free body. To tide over the COVID-19 let’s all resolve to cook using these immuno-boosting ingredients as #Immunity begins in the Kitchen.

Adding to this Mr. P Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils said,”COVID-19 infection can be prevented by sanitizing your hands, using mask, maintaining social distancing, and eating healthy food to boost immunity. Kitchen is a hub for many ingredients that have a proven record for providing the required carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, etc to help us stay healthy and boost immunity. However, we strongly recommend people to use quality brands for all your ingredients to enjoy maximum nutritional benefits. These Brands ensure that the best quality product is packaged in a completely sanitized & hygienic environment – safe for your consumption. Often the products like Freedom Sunflower Oil are fortified with vitamins A,D &E to help build immunity. Please stay safe and use standard Brands for kitchen spices, pulses, Edible Oils, etc to get the best quality product for your consumption.”

How to Boost Immunity to save yourself from COVID-19:

1. Eat Healthy & Live Healthy – Eat balanced home cooked food as it is the best way to ensure your family stays healthy.

2. Boosting Immunity: Food needs to include the right balance of Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins etc.

3. Add more Veggies, fruits & whole grains to your diet. Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian – include high-protein food to your diet

4. Use Trusted Brands : Use Quality brands for all your ingredients & enjoy maximum nutritional and health benefits

Upgrade to healthier options:

Immunity boosters are available in every Indian Kitchen, all we need to do is to make sure, we use them in the food we cook & eat daily. 

1. Turmeric filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory where it can fight a range of diseases like cancer, diabetes & Illness.

2. Ginger &Tulsi are stapled with many nutritional benefits & helps to fight flu & infections.

3. Honey is the traditional medicine to soothe the symptoms of cough & cold and helps fighting infections.

4. Aloeverais very rich in antioxidants

5. Amla is a powerhouse of Vitamin C that helps you to fight coughs & cold.

Also Read: AMLA-THE SUPER FOOD, IMMUNITY BOOSTER

6. GarlicFull of essential nutrients and a super –food

7. Cumin Improves Immunity & Digestion

8. Cinnamon Powerful antioxidant

Also Read: IMMUNE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH SUPERFOODS

The post Immunity begins in the kitchen- save yourself from COVID-19 appeared first on Health Vision.

Since the WHO announced COVID19 as a public health emergency of international concern, the world has been up in arms. In two short months, this disease has circled the globe and has touched 199 countries. With the novel Corona virus threat intensifying, we, as a country, are trying our best to arrest the situation, even as the fear of community contagion still looms large over us. In a situation like this, a strong immunity could be our best weapon to fight this attack. Although there’s no magic food or pill to balance your immunity overnight, there are multiple ways to keep optimizing it.

As of March 28^th 2020, COVID19 has claimed over 29,900 deaths, slowly pushing panic levels upwards, mostly as there’s no cure or vaccine in hand as yet. While there is a government initiated focus on bolstering the preventive measures to fight this pandemic, including a complete lockdown and isolation, we need to ensure that we are doing our best at enhancing the one thing that is in our direct control – our health and immunity. Among the various inputs that regulate our immunity, such as food, exercise, sleep, and mental health, phyto-medicines and poly-herbal combinations are effective ways to augment the process of strengthening and balancingour immunity. Based on the science of Ayurveda, several medicines and supplements made from scientifically validated standardized natural extracts of herbs offer much potential.

Research shows that 70-80% of our body’s immune cells are found in our gut. Our immune system co-evolved with our microbiome and both work together to keep us healthy and protected from pathogens. The gut is house to billions of intricately balanced good and bad bacteria. A well-balanced gut microbiome means balanced immune function. Ayurveda gave us the science of Rasayana and the immense gift of herbs such as Guduchi, the starch of which plantsignificantly helpsenhance the count of good bacteria in the gut, thereby improving our body’s immunity and overall physiological functioning. The other organ we need to prime to maintain immunity, is the liver. It performs over 500 functions, including detoxification of the body and production of glutathione, a compound that maintains the body’s defense system. Hence, nourishing the gut and liver with prebiotics (to increase the good bacteria), antioxidants and Rasayana formulas in our diet and by supplementation, could be our best way to improve immunity in the short term. Consumption of Vitamins A, C, D, and Zinc preferably from natural sources should be thoughtfully enhanced.

Sulphate free, highly moisturizing, anti-bacterial hand washes are recommended in today’s situation, since constant scrubbing and cleaning makes you more susceptible to dryness, itchiness and possible skin infections. Herbal sugar free cough syrups working as demulcents and mucolytics could be considered at prophylactic support for throat and chest functions . People suffering from asthma and bronchitis should exercise extra caution during these times, especially considering the ARDS stage of COVID19 and the compromised immune function. Afterconsulting their doctors, they should consider addingnatural herbs that act as bronchodilators or anti-inflammatory lung detoxifiers.

We all know that a strong immunity is necessary to fight any kind of foreign body or pathogen. The enforced lockdown should not become an excuse for a sedentary lifestyle. Indoor workouts, practicing yoga and daily pranayama are not only ways to help keep you agile and active, but also play an important role in balancing immunity. Eating well cooked food, avoiding spitting in public and practicing social distancing need to vigilantly observed. While our physical health is important, so is our mental health. Sleeping adequately, practicing meditation and relaxing exercises would help in keeping a balanced and positive mind-set.

A scientifically validated treatment or vaccine for COVID19 is still some time away. While physical distancing is the best and only way that we can survive our current situation, we must make all efforts to strengthen ourselves internally as well. This would be a great way of cooperating with and helping our government and our health workers who are in the front line!

Mr. Chintan Gandhi, Director & CEO

Millennium Herbal Care,Mumbai

The post Fight the corona virus threat by strengthening your immunity. appeared first on Health Vision.