COVID-19 Guidelines for a Prepared Immune System

As there is so much nonsense out there, regarding the coronavirus, we have decided to set up a quick and easy guide on how to stay strong and healthy during this epidemic.

By Henriette Saevil, Clinical Nutritionist at Nutrition A-Z

People who are at risk are the older population or humans with
an impaired immune system as well as pregnant women. The symptoms are varying, but a typical cold and/ or fever symptoms and heavy breathing are common, some people might even not notice anything at all. However, if you experience any of these symptoms you should contact your doctor or a health care professional as soon as possible. Th incubation time for the COVID-19 ranges from 1 – 14 days, most commonly 5 days.

How to take care of your immune system:

• The most important thing to remember is to wash your hands, and wash them properly with soap for 30 seconds under water!
• Keep a 1 meter distance from people who are sneezing/coughing to avoid being contaminated.
• If you sneeze or cough, make sure to use a tissue and immediately through it away afterwards, and thereafter wash your hands. If you have no tissue available, use your flexed elbow, NOT hands.
• Avoiding touching mouth, nose and eyes with your hands, as our hands are touching all kinds of surfaces all day. 80% of the COVID-19 cases got infected because they touched their eyes, mouth or nose with their hands.
• There is unfortunately no food that can help us avoid catching the virus, but as 80% of our immune system is in our gut, make sure to take care of it. Eat loads of coloured vegetables and fruits. Aim for 5-6 servings per day (3-4 vegetables and 2 fruits). Go for fruits and vegetables with high content of vitamin C, such as sweet peppers, citrus fruits, kiwi, kale and spinach.
• Fermented foods can also help the gut bacteria thrive and cause a good gut balance, such as yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir.
• Stimulate the immune system by resting and sleeping enough. 6-8 hours of good quality sleep is what we recommend per night.
• Try to limit the intake of alcohol, as alcohol breaks down our body and can make us more prone for infections.
• Avoid stress and worrying. Talk to health professionals, thus you know that the information you are given is correct.

At Nutrition A-Z we have decided to launch our COVID-19 ‘HOTLINE’ where you can book a 30 minute call with Henriette or Sandra to discuss your concerns or questions around nutrition and immunity. How it works:

• You will complete a brief assessment form, which includes questions you want to address
• We will then schedule a 30 minute call (via Skype or our client system’s conference room) to discuss your diet in relation to immunity
• We will provide you with fad-free tips on how to modify your diet to support your immune system and even provide you with a list of ‘essentials’ to stock up on in case you need to stay home for 14 days

You can book an appointment here or via email – info@nutrition-az.com