COVID-19 Nutrition Awareness: Mumbai Matters

Post recovery, take multivitamins enriched foods(grains, pulses, fruits, green leafy vegetables) and if you have deficiency of any particular nutrient, take supplement under doctor’s supervision. Protein is crucial too. If you are vegetarian, take beans, sprouts, low fat curd, milk, buttermilk to supplement your protein need. If you are a non-vegetarian, take lean chicken, egg white for faster recovery and support overall health.

There is no single immunity boosting food. A wholesome balanced diet is recommended. Although, include the following – nuts, yogurt, ginger, garlic, green tea, lemon, vitamin C sources like orange, lemon, pine apple, papaya. Vitamin D & calcium sources like low fat dairy. For B vitamins take pulses, beans, millets like jawar, bajra, ragi.

There’s multiple immunity boosting foods. But, a balanced whole diet with enough fruits and vegetables, yogurt, buttermilk, water, legumes is good for all age group. Take special care to the elderly and those who are living w/ diabetes, hypertension etc.

Midnight cravings can be tackle if you are not awake for very long at night. If you have too much craving, take a fistful of nuts, baked crackers, oats cookies in less quantity. Remember, sometimes these are emotional hunger and not physical hunger.

During lockdown, we don’t have much physical activity and consume more calories unknowingly. Sometimes, oily snacks too. This could be the reason for acidity. Suggestion: eat less oily foods, take buttermilk and curd everyday. Include Fruits and vegetables in daily diet.

Kid’s immunity is crucial during COVID 19 as they are refrained from outdoor physical activity. focus on healthy snacking like fruit and vegetable salad, low sugar yogurt, easily digestible food like plain khichdi. Engage them into cooking by explaining why a food is good.

Meat is completely safe if we cook it properly. There will not be an issue.

• Milk and sour products might stimulate mucus growth, but not in everyone’s case. Warm milk is good to compensate protein, calcium and some iron.
• Inflammatory foods are antioxidant enriched foods like fruits, beetroot, green leafy vegetables.

For vegetarians, nutritious diet would be ample of fruits and vegetables (both raw salad and cooked) along with Legumes, low fat dairy, specially curd and butter milk. Include oats, dalia, multigrain bread as healthy food choice. Chose healthy fats like almond and walnut.

• Read nutrition label of any food when you are buying it. Look for sugar, fat, cholesterol in particular.
• To eat a balanced diet, eat 2-4 servings of fruits & vegetables everyday. Low sugar, salt. 8-10 glasses.