World Patient Safety Day- Effective Diet Strategies for COVID-19 Patients

The latest report by WHO states that 134 million adverse events occur each year in Delhi contributing to 2.6 million deaths of patients admitted in hospitals per year due to unsafe care.

All these reports are significant of how vulnerable patients are! The increasing death rates in the hospital premises due to unsafe care, calls for patient safety. This is why World Patient Safety day is celebrated every year on 9th of December in order to sensitize the issue of patient safety and spread awareness about the safety of patients worldwide.
In the year 2020, the world experienced a global pandemic that is COVID-19. No country in the world is left untouched from the impact of this pandemic which have posed major threats to the entire humanity. The people with comorbidities like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases are at greater risk of suffering from Covid-19 and its complications. It also impacts people of older age as the immunity reduces with age. However, the younger generation is catching the infection easily since the immunity is compromised in the younger adults as well. While the entire world is still grappling with eminent dangers that this virus is causing, it is quite important to practice hygiene standards like washing hands frequently especially if you travel by public transport and wearing a mask by not touching your hands or mouth. Apart from these hygiene measures, following are the effective diet strategies to boost immunity and combat Covid-19 –

• A clean & a healthy diet- You are what you eat as the food you eat determine your overall health and immunity. Eating a balanced diet comprising of all the nutrients will help to boost immunity by filling you up with varied nutrients. Consume more of fruits and vegetables as they provide you with fibre, Beta carotene and Vitamin C. Apart from this, certain vegetables like mushrooms, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, spinach are also good options to build resilience in the body against infections.
• Include more of omega 3 rich foods- Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids play a vital role in improving cognitive health, heart health and building immunity. Include foods like nuts and oil seeds like almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and fish liver oils.
• Include probiotics & fermented foods- You can incorporate probiotics like yoghurt, yakult and fermented food like idli, dosa which are excellent sources to rejuvenate the composition of gut bacteria and are important for nutrient absorption by the body. These are good options for the older people too.
• Stay hydrated- Hydration plays a very important role in flushing out the toxins from the body thereby reducing the chances of infections. Make a target to drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day. Apart from plain water you can also have buttermilk, lemon water, vegetable soups and coconut water.
• Get a dose of Vitamin C and D – Vitamin C plays a vital role in building immunity. It is a crucial participant in the army of immunity. It acts as a powerful antioxidant and protects against damage induced by oxidative stress and infections like common cold & flu. Include fruits like oranges, sweet lemon, pomegranate & green leafy vegetables. Vitamin D also have a mild protective effect against respiratory tract infections. Include foods like eggs, seafoods and fish liver oils.
• Count on immunity boosting superfoods- The nature offers tremendous immunity building superfoods including ginger, indian gooseberries (amla), cumin seeds and turmeric. Most of these superfoods are common ingredients in Indian dishes and snacks and curried vegetables. Apart from this there are several herbs that help in boosting immunity like garlic, basil leaves and black pepper. Turmeric, contains a special compound called curcumin, which boosts the immune function. Garlic on the other hand has powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties which enhances body immunity.

Apart from maintaining a healthy lifestyle by following effective diet and hygiene strategies, the Indian health ministry has also suggested few natural ways to practise as preventive measures to fight COVID-19.

Following are the preventive measures by The Ministry of AYUSH:

• Drink warm or luke-warm water throughout the day.
• Practice Meditation and do various yoga asanas.
• Increase the intake of Indian superfoods & herbs like turmeric, cumin, coriander and garlic.
• Drink herbal tea or concoctions made using Holy basil, cinnamon, black pepper, dry ginger and raisin.
• Apply ghee or sesame oil, or Coconut oil in both the nostrils in order to keep them clean.
• Inhale steam using mint leaves and caraway seeds & clove.

Over to you:
While the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic is primarily fought by our health care workers, but we can surely do our bit by limiting our exposure to the virus by staying indoors going out only when necessary, social distancing, eating healthy and following basic hygiene protocol.