COVID-19: Food and Supplements that will keep your immune system happy
Even if you live under a rock, you know about COVID-19 and the accompanying global chaos. As someone dealing with chronic illness, I’m constantly thinking about how to keep my immune system from being compromised. While that sounds morbid, in times like this I am thankful for my chronic illness, because I can be a beacon of hope for others. As fear around COVID-19 has intensified this past week in the US, friends and family have reached out asking me what natural remedies I support. So, I’ve put together a list of what to avoid, what to eat, and what supplements to take. These are my opinions, but I hope they help.
Everything I am about to share is learned from health care professionals and from my personal experience. I am not a licensed practitioner, so don’t take my word as canon, but rather take this as insight into how I stay healthy in a hectic world.
Food:
In addition to consuming more leafy greens and citrus, here are a few EASY recommendations on how to nourish your body.
Lemon Water: I’m often asked why I put lemon in my water., and other than Besides wanting a spa-like experience, there are studies that show benefits to adding lemon to your water. “Water coming straight from the tap or a bottle has lost its vitality and its innate living legitimate structure. By adding fresh squeezed lemon juice, you “wake up” the water and bring it back to life. This allows it to travel more deeply into your tissues and cells and carry the essential nutrients and compounds you need in order to thrive.”
Honey: Thank God. Not that we need scientific evidence to entice us to consume thiss weet nectar, it’s just reassuring to remember these facts when I’ am on my third spoonful of the day. This review compared the beneficial effects of honey with common over-the-counter children’s cough remedies, a placebo, and no treatment. The authors found that honey appeared to be more effective than diphenhydramine and salbutamol, drugs commonly used in cough medicines. If you are going to consume honey I highly recommend local raw honey., If you’re not sure where to find local honey, go to your resident farmers’ market or this local honey finder — a tool that literally tells you where to find local honey in your area.You’re welcome.
Celery Juice: I know — it’s popular and it’s everywhere, but this stuff works. I was a skeptic and doubter myself until I added this magic into my morning routine. Among a host of incredible benefits, celery juice kills off pathogens, including flu viruses. It’s unique form of vitamin- C doesn’t need to be converted by the liver, which means it instantly strengthens the immune system. Read more from the source: Medical Medium
Cucumber Juice: This has anti-fever compounds and agents that help calm a fever like water on a fire. It’s also deeply rejuvenating and hydrating.
Ginger: This has its own signature variety of vitamin-C and helps bring the body out of a reactive state when you’re sick. Fresh ginger has anti-viral activity that supports to defeat human respiratory syncytial virus , check out this 2012 study if you don’t believe me.
Turmeric Ginger Shots: I like to blend or juice 1-2 inches of ginger with fresh turmeric and two oranges. This shot boosts the immune system and can be sipped on all day for relief when you have a sore throat or other cold symptoms.
Herbal Teas: If you know anything about me, you know how much I consume tea. Tea, specifically herbal tea, can heal anything. I swear by this statements. Tea leaves are abundant in natural plant compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins. These stimulate the immune system. Catechins, in particular, may protect against certain strands of influenza
Vegetable Healing Broth: This stuff is healing, cleansing, and nourishing all in one. It’s rich in minerals your body craves when you have a cold or the flu. Healing Broth is a powerful mineral-rich liquid that carries the essence of vitally nutritious vegetables, herbs, and spices in a way that is easy for the body to digest, assimilate, and utilize.
Raw Garlic: It sounds intense, but a clove of this is antiviral and antibacterial, killing off only unproductive bacteria. It’s also immune strengthening.
Beans: The best way to get out those toxins is through your bile, so fiber, fiber, fiber baby. Cute, I know. But, beans truly are the best form of soluble fiber, which plays an important roles in digestion and toxin elimination. If we don’t eat enough soluble fiber, our bile will be repeatedly recirculated in our immune system,, instead of being ushered out of the body and then replaced with fresh bile produced by the liver.If your bile is repeatedly recirculated, it becomes more concentrated with toxins. So, go eat some beans.
Supplements:
Supplements can be a touchy and controversial subject, and I’ve been on all sides of the arguments. From taking ten10 supplements three3 times a day to cutting them out cold turkey, I have developed my thoughts about them.
But, for this particular season in my health, this is what I’ve found to be helpful.
First things first: What are they?
Essentially, supplements are a way to provide nutrients that you may not be consuming in sufficient quantities through food. They can be vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and other substances delivered in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, liquid, etc. I would check out the European commission statement on supplements for the best up-to-date information.
Zinc: Maintaining healthy zinc levels can help shield you from pathogens and decrease your chances ofminimize contracting future common illnesses. However, ourthe bodiesy uses up reserves of zinc at a rapid rate. It’s common to become zinc-deficient when you’re sick. It’s important to take zinc as soon asyour first sign of a sickness develops. Having a bottle of high-quality liquid zinc sulfate on hand at all times is important. Squirt two dropperfuls of the zinc into your throat, let it sit there for a minute, and then swallow the zinc. Three hours later, squirt another two dropperfuls into your throat and let it sit there again for a minute before swallowing. Repeat every three waking hours for two days. Here are a few powerful articles on Zinc: Article 1 and: Article 2.:
Cat’s Claw: This stuff is STRONG and powerful. I don’t take it daily, but when I am starting to feel anything coming on I take this. Cat’s claw is a miracle worker, a special herb that supports a healthy immune system. It aids in alleviating almost any symptom, from neurological to digestive. Cat’s claw is unique,because bacteria cannot become resistant to it, like sometimes when taking antibioticsThe herb eliminates these and other bugs without the “Herxheimer die-off reaction,” that’sso common with antibiotics., The bioactive pharma-compounds in the herb regulate the destruction of pathogens at a level person can tolerate.
Lemon Balm: My daily love. I either have it in tea form, or tincture, depending on the time. Lemon balm is a heal-all, with a positive contribution factor to almost every part of the body. Extremely high in trace minerals such as boron, manganese, copper, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, and iron, lemon balm also has large amounts of the macromineral silica. Plus, it’s a B12-conserving herb—which means it monitors your stores of this vitamin and keeps your body from using it all up.
B-12: This vitamin is praised by every doctor I have seen, both Wwestern and Eeastern, and it makes sense why —- it’s incredible and I lack it naturally. This article goes into depth about the continual benefits researchers discover about the supplement. An ideal B-12 supplement includes both methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin. B-12 can help with neurological disorders and diseases, anxiety and panic, and the immune system.
Elderberry Syrup: Yum, syrup that heals you!. Elderberries contain special proteins and bioflavonoids that have the ability to destroy viruses on contact.. Elderberries are also known to significantly enhance immune function by boosting the production of cytokines in the body. This syrup is super easy to make, just follow this recipe from my all time favorite health guru, Rachel Pelisson.
I hope these suggestions have helped and possibly eased a bit of panic. Keep washing your hands and be smart. Sending love to you all!