With the global pandemic that has affected all of us, it is important that we stay safe indoors and encourage everyone around us to stay indoors and maintain social distancing.
It is also very important to build our immune system as it works as our defence mechanism against disease-causing microorganisms and protects us from all viruses and microbes that our body is exposed to daily.
While you are confined to the house, it is important to follow your regular routine, stay active, exercise daily, eat a wholesome balanced diet, get adequate sleep and manage stress levels.
A nutritious and a well-balanced diet with all the essential macro and micronutrients is very important for an optimally functioning immune system.
We suggest you follow these steps to build a strong immune system.
Get your dose of Vitamin D
Ensure you get your dose of Vitamin D which helps to boost immunity by getting a little sun exposure during the day. If your levels of Vitamin D are very low, consult a doctor and he or she may suggest a Vitamin D supplement.
Wash fruits and vegetables
Ensure that you wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, particularly leafy vegetables, cauliflower and broccoli as a precautionary measure before using them.
Ensureyour plate has lots of vibrant Colours
Coloured fruits and vegetables are a rich source of antioxidants which help to boost immunity so make sure you include colourful fruit and vegetables like pumpkins, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, papaya in your diet.
Build up your ProteinPower
For the immune system to function at its best, it is important to consume a good quantity and good quality of protein in the diet. A quarter of your plate at every meal must be protein.
Incorporate protein rich foods such as eggs, curd, buttermilk, paneer, sprouts, dal, soybean, soy chunks, soy granules, lean meat, fish, chicken etc in the meals.
Foods rich in Vitamin C
Include foods rich in Vitamin C like gooseberry (amla), orange, sweet lime, lemon, bell peppers, berries, tomato, dark leafy vegetables, cashew fruit, kiwi, strawberry, etc. Vitamin C helps you build a strong immune system.
Add Zinc rich foods to your diet
Foods rich in zinc such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, soybean, eggs, black sesame seeds also help boost immune function and need to be incorporated in the diet.
Foods rich in Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant which helps boost immunity hence foods rich in Vitamin E such as almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, garden cress seeds must be included in the diet.
Foods rich in Magnesium
Include millets like ragi, jowar, almonds, cashewnuts, pulses, green leafy vegetables and seeds like garden cress seeds and black sesame seeds to boost immunity.
Kill the virus with these anti-viral foods
Garlic, fennel, ginger, cloves, tulsi, turmeric and coconut oil have anti-viral properties that help you maintain and boost your immune system so you can stay prepared to fight the viral infections and flus.
Sip on Green Tea/Moringa Tea
Green tea catechins enhance immunity against viral infection by inhibiting viral activity. You can also add a bit of lemon juice to your green tea to increase the vitamin C that will increase the amount of catechins available to the body.
We can boost our immune systems by adding the above-mentioned foods easily available in our kitchen to build a strongimmune system without letting us compromise on our taste buds.
Stay safe and healthy!
