Reviewed by medical experts • For informational purposes only
During COVID, food is simple medicine: warm, light, nourishing. Khichdi, soups, dals and plenty of fluids through the feverish days; protein and vegetables to rebuild strength after. What to eat during each phase, what to skip, and why no food - however healthy - prevents or cures the virus itself.
No food prevents or cures COVID - but eating well through the illness is real supportive care, and eating well before it builds the baseline health that severe outcomes feed on. The practical guide, both directions.
Elderly patients and diabetics need watching: intake can quietly collapse. Track fluids and roughly how much is eaten; a day of barely eating or drinking in an elderly patient is a doctor call, not a wait.
Severe COVID outcomes cluster around diabetes, obesity, and heart and lung disease - all diet-influenced. The protective plate is the familiar one: vegetables and fruits half the plate, whole grains, dals and legumes daily, nuts, limited fried-sugar-salt, weight in range. This is COVID protection more real than any immunity product.
No juice, kadha, supplement or superfood has evidence of preventing COVID or treating it. A balanced plate, adequate protein, vitamin D sufficiency (worth checking in the deficient - genuinely common in India), good sleep and vaccination are the actual immune strategy.
Through COVID: light warm food, constant fluids, protein at every meal, small frequent portions. Long term: the balanced plate that keeps diabetes and weight in check - real protection, no products required.
Written By
Dr. Daksh
BDS
Reviewed By
Dr. Varun Gupta
MD Pharmacology, MBBS
Last updated on
27 Sep 2022 • 06:23 PM (IST)
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