Corona Care

Corona virus doesn't really care about you, but you should! This is now the time to review our eating and living habits, even though half the world is in confinement, or maybe because of it! So let's review in this article the basics of immunotherapy with food, in order to boost our morale and immune system.

Why Focus on the Immune System?

Our "friend" Covid the Virus is a pathological agent aggressing our body and the one responsible to defend it is called the Immune System. We're not here to delve into it much (our courses do it beautifully) but let's just say that without a good functioning immune system, you're pretty much in trouble. The inflammation caused by Covid in our bodies stimulates oxidative stress to kill the pathogen. Free radicals also play a major role in fighting the inflammation. If you can't control it, that's when you can die. Doctors call it a cytokinic storm. Today's way of life creates a permanent state of silent inflammation at the heart of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, chronic inflammation... the very diseases that can put someone infected by the corona virus in mortal danger.

What's the Connection with Food?

The goal of the game here is to strenghten the antioxydant control system found naturally in the body. So medications involving anti-inflammation won't work because the body itself needs to react to the inflammation... naturally so to speak. If you take anti-inflammatory meds to shut off the inflammation, you're short-circuiting in a way the good reaction that was supposed to take place.

Now, if you want your body to work as it should and beat the Covid Corona, you need to fuel it with some good gas. Fried foods, artificial coloring and other modern discoveries are just not gonna do it. So Corona time is also an excuse to get back to basics and rediscover a way of life that's efficient in the purest sense.

Food Basics

eat food that wasn't transformed, or as little as possible; this includes white bread, pasta and rice.
take time to masticate, especially meat.
choose prebiotic plants: fruits, vegetables and grains with complete fibers to facilitate fermentation. The richest are bananas, artichokes, garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, pumpkin, leeks, asparagus, salsifis, chicory leaves, whole rye.
Go for penyphenol-high food: again garlic, onions, leeks. Also, spinach, apples, green tea, cacao rich chocolate (got your interest here, right?), coffee (no more than 2-3 per day), ginger and curcuma with oil. Small colorful berries and citrus are also part of this immunity-boost category.
Of course, you want the freshest possible, cooked with vapour if you can't digest raw. Frozen food is better than canned.
there's such a thing as lactofermented foods and they go by funny names such as kefir and kombucha.
Don't forget legumes, and don't forget to put them in water about 12h before cooking them nicely.
If you suffer from chronic inflammation or auto-immune diseases, or even digestive troubles, you want to stay away from the following: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, peanuts and cashew nuts. Consider also removing gluten and dairy from your food.
Choose olive oil, nuts, almonds, small oily fishes (even in cans) and eggs.
Limit meat and replace with fish, chicken and eggs.

So we're talking pretty much about the basics in terms of nutritional care. This is the only way we have to control our immune system and make sure it's as efficient as possible. Let's go into more details.

The Link Between Gut Microbiota and Immunity

Indeed, the microbiota in o ur gut is likened to a second brain. It can protect the body again pathological agents and act as a first line of defence. With all kinds of different cells at its service, the microbiota can create a harmonious ecosystem with communication lines between cells and bacteria. It is said that 70% of our immunity system is linked to the intestinal sphere.

It is believed by many that the Mediterranean diet is the best in order to diversify the microbiota and have beneficial bacterias. It offers a lot of variety and anti-oxydants, both factors in a good microbiota. The bottom line: mommy was right - Eat Your Vegetables!

Excessive amounts of alcool and meat impact negatively the immune system. No surprises here. Alcool reduces the number of lymphocytes B and T, our immunity soldiers. It also improves the chances of getting a viral infection and complications (such as pneumonia). If you're already drinking a glass of alcohol (such as wine or beer) a day, and you're less than 60 years-old and in good shape, the effect might be positive. Or, in medical terms: "epigenetic effects causing a reduction in pro-in ammatory cytokines and an increase in the level of adiponectin with anti-in ammatory action after 4 weeks."

The Anti-Corona Compound

Quercetin is a powerful anti-oxydant and therefore very useful in combatting the Covid-19 virus. It is found naturally in red onions, unpeeled apples, tea or brocolis. You can find it also in honey. It's a very well studied compound in its relation to anti-viral properties, including in the Corona context. The main problem is that it's not well-absorbed in the intestine. The solution is therefore to take it in conjunction with other anti-oxydants, and together the synergy creates a better absorption. For example, vitamin C and quercetin (both flavonoids). 1g per day as a supplement to your meal is recommended if you don't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. If you're infected, you can double the dose. Associate it with tea or flavonoids-rich food in order to maximise the effect. Again, flavonoids-rich foods include: tea, grapes, onions, apples, cacao, pomegranate, blackcurrant, strawberries...

To put it into a few words, the Corona pandemic is a reminder that we should take care of ourselves, our diet and our way of life. The tips included in this article are considered "basics" for one who's familiar with alternative medicines. But getting back to basics might just be what we need right now. Happy health!

The source of this article is from the French website Santé et Nutrition.