Covid-19 Update: Food as Medicine is Fundamental
Hello again one and all:
In case you are not eating as good as you might be, or should be, here is some information from Harvard University on how food can impact our immune system:
“We have known for a long time that nutrition is intricately linked to immunity and to the risk and severity of infections. Poorly nourished individuals are at a greater risk of various bacterial, viral, and other infections. Conversely, chronic or severe infections lead to nutritional disorders or worsen the nutritional status of affected people. Therefore, it is imperative for all of us to pay attention to our diet and nutritional status during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the clinical course of COVID-19 disease tends to be more severe among older individuals and among people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer that are partly related to nutrition.”
These authors offer very conservative advice, and they get it right when it comes to Vit. C, Zinc and Vit. D: for example:
“Evidence from several clinical trials and pooled studies show that vitamin D supplementation lowers the odds of developing acute respiratory tract infections (most of which are assumed to be due to viruses) by 12% to 75%. [9-12] These studies included both the seasonal and pandemic flu caused by H1N1 virus in 2009. The beneficial effect of supplementation was seen in patients across all ages, and individuals with pre-existing chronic illnesses. [13] Among those who were infected, flu symptoms were fewer and recovery was earlier if they had received doses of vitamin D greater than 1000 IU. [14] The benefits were relatively greater in individuals with vitamin D deficiency than in those who had adequate levels of vitamin D.”
Bottom Line:
Eating a clean, nutrient dense, unprocessed, whole foods, organically sourced diet is one of your best investments in your long-term health. Not only will it support a balanced immune system, it can help reduce the risk and/or severity of many chronic conditions. As I have said before, we need to use ALL of the tools in the tool kit, and food happens to be a fundamental component of optimal function/health. During this pandemic, immune competency is absolutely critically essential and what we eat can either make or break our health.
These authors do not address the fact that nutritional needs go up under many common conditions, such as: when we are under greater stress, not getting enough sleep, not getting enough sunshine, if we are taking medications, if we have digestive issues, not exercising as we used to, and not eating as well as we should, being older, or have a history of not eating well (such as the S tandard A merican D iet, which is just SAD )…we simply need extra nutritional support and this is where basic supplements can be super handy. As you have probably already read above and from an earlier blog, Vitamin D is especially important.
It is really critical to understand that taking vitamins will not adequately overcome a poor diet. It is now very important the we all eat right, take those supplements that you need, and use this pandemic as an opportunity to upgrade our lifestyle and health. Check out this link for some helpful steps to get you going:
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