Home Healthy Diet for COVID Survivors: What Foods Boost your Immunity?

What we drink and eat play a pivotal role in helping the body to fight and recover from diseases. Eating a nutritious diet is essential to support the immune system and reduce the risk of complications like obesity, diabetes and heart ailments. Consuming a healthy and well-balanced diet is essential during the COVID-19 infection phase and recovery stage.

Remember, it is important to practice good hygiene while handling food to ensure you don’t get affected by any foodborne illnesses during a COVID-19 infection and post your recovery from it. Post-COVID, your energy and stamina decrease, making you feel exhausted all the time. Many COVID-19 survivors also experience weakness in muscles, mental fogginess and shortness of breath. On the road to COVID-19 recovery, nutrition plays a key role. Keeping yourself hydrated and consuming a high-protein diet are the prerequisites for boosting your immunity. Having foods rich in vitamins also helps reduce the incidence of respiratory tract infections.

However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for COVID prevention and recovery through diet. Following a simple home healthy diet for COVID survivors that include the basic building blocks of proteins, vitamins and minerals can help you sail through the recovery phase with ease. Here are insights on what constitutes a healthy diet for COVID survivors along with some tips for a healthy lifestyle for COVID survivors to follow.

Boost your immune system with a protein-rich diet 

Proteins are the building blocks of your life and there can’t be a better way to recover from illness than to include protein-rich food in home healthy diet for COVID survivors. Proteins help prevent muscle loss and maintain normal metabolism. Post COVID, feeling weak and tired is normal. You may also feel lethargic. So, it is important to include an adequate amount of proteins in each meal. Some protein-rich options for vegetarians include nuts, seeds, dairy products, lentils and pulses. Try snacking on peanuts and don’t forget to include curd in your meal. Curd is rich in lactic acid bacteria and is known to improve immunity and digestion. For non-vegetarians, include eggs, chicken and fish that are packed with the goodness of proteins.

Include complex carbohydrates in your COVID-19 recovery diet 

During the COVID recovery phase, it is essential to regain lost weight. Consuming calorie-dense foods can help in increasing your energy levels too. Include rice, cereals, whole grains and high-carb vegetables like potato, yam and sweet potato. Eat khichdi with loads of vegetables, poha, upma, and parathas as these foods can improve your energy and make you more active.

Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables in your diet 

It is very important to include fruits and vegetables in a diet plan for COVID patients. Whether you have contracted the disease or recovered from it, it is necessary to consume a bowl of fruits and vegetables each meal as these are packed with vitamins and minerals. They are rich sources of dietary fiber, folate and antioxidants as well. Make it a point to have 5 servings of veggies and fruits in all colors on a daily basis. Since they have immune-boosting qualities, consuming them can help you fight against the infection and even make your recovery smoother.

Keep yourself hydrated by consuming 8-10 glasses of water every day 

Infections can cause dehydration in the body. So, it becomes important to drink lots of fluids during the recovery phase. Apart from consuming water, try having vegetable soups, juices and chicken broth to recover fast. Some of the other options for fluid intake include buttermilk, and tender coconut water. Have immunity-boosting drinks like kadha, turmeric milk and herbal tea to improve the hemoglobin levels in your blood.

Snack on healthy fats to improve your energy levels 

Choose cooking methods like sautéing, grilling or steaming to avoid unnecessary fat accumulation in your body during recovery. Consume dry fruits like almonds and pistachios and seeds like sunflower and pumpkin as these are rich in essential fatty acids and promote healthy cholesterol levels in the body. Add ghee in your diet as the butyric acid present in ghee helps in strengthening your immune system.

Healthy lifestyle for COVID survivors 

Apart from following a healthy diet during the recovery phase, it is equally important to lead a healthy lifestyle.  

• Avoid consuming junk or processed foods as these have zero nutritional value.  
• Restrict your oil consumption to 3tsp a day as it helps in easy and faster recovery.
• Eat your meals at least 2 hours before bedtime for proper digestion.
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day to keep your body active and energized.
• Start your day by consuming soaked almonds and raisins as almond is a rich source of protein and raisin is rich in iron.

It is essential to follow a home healthy diet for COVID survivors so that your road to recovery is faster and easier. Not only do these foods eliminate sluggishness, but also strengthen your immunity by providing the body with necessary nutrients. For any assistance on how to plan a COVID-19 recovery diet, you can reach out to top nutrition experts on Bajaj Finserv Health. Book an online doctor appointment within minutes with a specialist near you and start following your healthy diet chart right away for a speedy recovery!

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