Strengthen your immune system with these 10 things(Co-Vid19)

A few easy and natural things you can do to help your body be prepared to fight off Co-Vid19.

6 min readMar 18, 2020

The immune system is precisely that — a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony. The base of this system is our nutrition and lifestyle.

Your nutrition should be whole and nutritious including fats, whole grains, and vegetables.

Optimal Levels of Vitamin A, B, E, D, C, Zinc and Selenium — Important to find those Vitamins and Minerals in their natural form, not pills. Our body can absorb them better in their natural form. List of foods below
Strengthen your gut bacteria — Take saccharomyces boulardii in pill form or activated and eat yogurt and fermented food.
Eat antioxidant rich foods such as berries, acai, spices (gloves, cinnamon, cacao, cumin), etc..
Chaga, Reishi, Maitake — studies have shown that these mushrooms can affect the genes in white blood cells, which are critical parts of your immune system. while the mushrooms themselves can be eaten fresh, it is also common to use powdered forms of the mushroom or extracts.
Honey, Turmeric, Ginger, Lemon daily on empty stomach (prepared like tea)
Tulsi (Royal Basil) helps your body adapt to stress and promotes mental balance.
Nilavembu Kudineer is a herbal mix of 10 spices and herbs including ginger and pepper and is said to produce incredible results in mitigating the symptoms of viral infections of dengue and chikungunya and India. Hard to get outside of India but you are lucky if you are in the US.
Drinking Echinacea root tea has been found to be effective in shortening the duration of flu symptoms. Studies have shown that Echinacea can reduce the odds of developing a cold by 58 percent and reducing its duration by 1–4 days. Taking Echinacea regularly may also influence the flu vaccine to be more effective at staving off the disease, according to one study.

Your lifestyle should be active and without any stress.

Go outside in the forest, touch some soil and get dirty
Exercise or move at least 30min-1h a day
Let the sun hit as much of your whole body for at least 20min a day
Fasting — 2 meals a day around 11:00 and 19:00. By giving your body a break from digesting food it will have more ressources to fight potential viruses and other attackers on your system.
Adequate sleep
Practice meditation or yoga to calm your mind in stressful times
Advanced hygiene at home and in public:

Cultivate awareness when you touch your face
Practice frequent hand washing and clothes after going through any gathering of people
Learn how to wash your hands like a medical worker

What to avoid:

smoking, excessive alcohol, raw or undercooked meat, stress (mental or physical), sedentary lifestyle

VITAMIN A

Sweet Potato — 204% DV per serving

1 cup: 1,836 mcg (204% DV) 100 grams: 1,043 mcg (116% DV)

Winter Squash — 127% DV per serving

1 cup: 1,144 mcg (127% DV) 100 grams: 558 mcg (62% DV)

Kale — 98% DV per serving

1 cup: 885 mcg (98% DV) 100 grams: 681 mcg (76% DV)

Collards — 80% DV per serving

1 cup: 722 mcg (80% DV) 100 grams: 380 mcg (42% DV)

Turnip Greens — 61% DV per serving

1 cup: 549 mcg (61% DV) 100 grams: 381 mcg (42% DV)

Carrot — 44% DV per serving

1 medium carrot: 392 mcg (44% DV) 100 grams: 852 mcg (95% DV)

Mango — 20% DV per serving

1 medium mango: 181 mcg (20% DV) 100 grams: 54 mcg (6% DV)

Cantaloupe — 19% DV per serving

1 large wedge: 172 mcg (19% DV) 100 grams: 169 mcg (19% DV)

Pink or Red Grapefruit — 16% DV per serving

1 medium grapefruit: 143 mcg (16% DV) 100 grams: 58 mcg (6% DV)

Watermelon — 9% DV per serving

1 wedge: 80 mcg (9% DV) 100 grams: 28 mcg (3% DV)

Papaya — 8% DV per serving

VITAMIN E

Vitamin E is a common nutrient found in most foods. A few foods, including oils, seeds and nuts, are exceptionally rich sources.

Sunflower Seeds — 66% DV per serving

1 ounce: 10 mg (66% DV)

100 grams: 35 mg (234% DV)

Almonds — 48% DV per serving

1 ounce: 7.3 mg (48% DV)

100 grams: 26 mg (171% DV)

Hazelnuts — 28% DV per serving

1 ounce: 4.3 mg (28% DV)

100 grams: 15 mg (100% DV)

Peanuts — 16% DV per serving

1 ounce: 2.4 mg (16% DV)

Avocado — 14% DV per serving

Half a fruit: 2.1 mg (14% DV)

100 grams: 2.1 mg (14% DV)

Red Sweet Pepper — 13% DV per serving

1 medium pepper: 1.9 mg (13% DV)

100 grams: 1.6 mg (11% DV)

Mango — 10% DV per serving

Half a fruit: 1.5 mg (10% DV)

100 grams: 0.9 mg (6% DV)

VITAMIN D

Sun

Spending time in the sun is a good way to get your daily dose of vitamin D. try to get as much body as possible exposed to the sun.

Mushrooms

Excluding fortified foods, mushrooms are the only good plant source of vitamin D.

Like humans, mushrooms can synthesize this vitamin when exposed to UV light (27Trusted Source).

However, mushrooms produce vitamin D2, whereas animals produce vitamin D3.

Though vitamin D2 helps raise blood levels of vitamin D, it may not be as effective as vitamin D3 (28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).

Nonetheless, wild mushrooms are excellent sources of vitamin D2. In fact, some varieties pack up to 2,300 IU per 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving — nearly three times the DV (30).

On the other hand, commercially grown mushrooms are often grown in the dark and contain very little D2.

However, certain brands are treated with ultraviolet (UV light). These mushrooms can provide 130–450 IU of vitamin D2 per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) (31).

SUMMARYMushrooms can synthesize vitamin D2 when exposed to UV light. Only wild mushrooms or mushrooms treated with UV light are good sources of vitamin D.

ZINC

Zinc is an essential mineral, and eating enough is important for maintaining good health.

The best way to ensure you are getting enough is to eat a varied diet with good sources of zinc, nuts, seeds, legumes and dairy.

Legumes

Legumes like chickpeas, lentils and beans all contain substantial amounts of zinc.

In fact, 100 grams of cooked lentils contain around 12% of the DV (10).

However, they also contain phytates. These antinutrients inhibit the absorption of zinc and other minerals, meaning zinc from legumes isn’t as well absorbed as the zinc from animal products (11Trusted Source).

Despite this, they can be an important source of zinc for people following vegan or vegetarian diets. They are also an excellent source of protein and fiber and can be easily added to soups, stews and salads.

Heating, sprouting, soaking or fermenting plant sources of zinc like legumes can increase this mineral’s bioavailability (12Trusted Source).

SUMMARY Legumes contain high amounts of zinc. However, they also contain phytates, which reduce its absorption. Processing methods like heating, sprouting, soaking or fermenting can help improve its bioavailability.

Selenium

Your body relies on selenium, an important mineral, for many of its basic functions, from reproduction to fighting infection. The amount of selenium in different foods depends on the amount of selenium in the soil where the food was grown. Rain, evaporation, pesticides, and pH levels can all affect selenium levels in soil. That makes selenium deficiency more common in certain parts of the world, though it’s relatively rare in the United States.

Men, Women need up to 55mcg of selenium per day.

Cottage cheese

One cup of cottage cheese provides about 20 mcg, or 30 percent of your daily recommended intake of selenium.

Eggs

One hard-boiled egg provides about 20 mcg of selenium. Don’t like hard-boiled? No worries, go for eggs cooked any way you like, and you’ll still get a dose of selenium.

Brown rice

One cup of cooked long-grain brown rice will provide you with 19 mcg of selenium, or 27 percent of the recommended daily amount. Enjoy this grain with your favorite 3 oz portion of chicken or turkey to get up to 50 mcg of selenium — almost the entire recommended daily amount for adults. You can also substitute rice for barley which provides 23mcg per 1/3 cup serving.

Sunflower seeds

A quarter cup of sunflower seeds provides almost 19 mcg of selenium, making them a great snack, especially if you don’t eat animal products, which tend to have higher levels of selenium.

Baked beans

Enjoy a cup of baked beans and you’ll get about 13 mcg of selenium along with some important fiber.

Mushroom

Mushrooms are fungi that contain many nutrients, including vitamin D, iron, and about 12 mcg of selenium in a 100-gram serving. Try these 16 vegetarian-friendly recipes with mushrooms.