Joaquim Chaves Saúde | Teresa Manafaia – The right diet to fight COVID-19

Did you know that, according to the British Medical Journal (2 April 2020), 50 to 80% of those infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms? However, we also know that even people without symptoms can infect others, and those who have a compromised immune system may succumb to this illness. Therefore, great care must be taken to protect the elderly and people with prior health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, coronary disease, etc.

The state of our immune system plays a fundamental role in the severity of symptoms from an infection, and may determine how the illness progresses.

How can we give our defence system weapons to ensure that a possible contact with this virus (and others!) is benign?

First of all, our diet! This is one of the cornerstones to build a good defence system. Throughout the entire year, and particularly in the current phase, it is important to eat (and supplement) using some rules:

Choose food/supplements that are rich in vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as omega-3 (cod liver oil,fatty fish,such as sardines, free range eggs), vitamin C (lemon and other citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers and all green leaves), zinc, selenium, copper, magnesium (algae,seeds, like pumpkin seeds, and oilseeds such as Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc), iron (beetroot, dark green leaves and meat from pasture-grazed animals, cooked in the hearty Portuguese tradition, i.e. in a pot with a water base and without burning),collagen (broth made from bones or poultry innards...), and the list goes on with other delicacies, such as ginger, berries (it will soon be blueberry season, with plenty of precious phytochemicals to fight infection), cocoa, etc!

In addition, we highlight that the simplest preparation is the best way to preserve nutrients in food, since some are thermosensitive, in other words, they are destroyed by high temperatures. Steaming or sautéing, using the wonderful spices at our disposal (ex: curcuma blended with black pepper), are the best options.

Stay well and see you soon!

Teresa Manafaia –Head of Physiology & Metabolic Optimisation consultation

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