Illness is always stressful for the body. Therefore, it is important to help him fight the infection, including through a balanced diet. Let's figure out which foods support immunity, do not overload the digestive system and help to recover faster.
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Why Eating Is Important During COVID-19 correct
Coronavirus infection, even with a mild course, is accompanied by a deterioration in well-being: general weakness, diarrhea, nausea, changes in appetite, taste and smell1. However, patients who adhere to the principles of proper nutrition are known to have a stronger immune system and have a lower risk of infectious diseases2.
Patients should receive 4 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day as sources of vitamins, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, 2 to 4 servings of fish per week, and whole grains, dairy products, poultry, and beef. You also need to control water intake, especially if a person suffers from diarrhea, vomiting and hydroelectrolyte imbalance3.
Image: Olesyash/Freepik < p class="normal" style="background:white;">During an illness, especially at its initial stage, it is recommended to make up a daily diet4 mainly from fresh, unprocessed or minimally processed foods that:
- support immunity in the fight against coronavirus infection;
- will increase the body's resistance and help it remove the toxic waste products of the virus and drugs;< /li>
- easily digestible, do not overload the stomach and intestines, since the main forces of a person at this moment should go to recovery, and not to digest food.
There are a number of foods that are not recommended during illness, especially during acute intoxication. First of all, we are talking about alcohol, also smoked meats, spices, spicy and fried foods, as well as coarse fiber (bran, legumes, nuts) were also blacklisted. You should not eat foods that can cause fermentation in the intestines5.
However, during the acute phase of coronavirus infection, it is quite difficult to ensure a nutritious diet: the change in taste and smell that is characteristic of patients with COVID-19 can lead to a deterioration in the quality of life, which affects, among other things, psychological well-being and physical health. In particular, patients may have reduced desire and ability to eat and prepare food, may experience weight gain or loss, and malnutrition6.
Image: DCStudio/Freepik
Basic principles for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in patients with COVID-19
Scientists have concluded that malnutrition, that is, the inability to provide yourself with a complete diet, and therefore an optimal set of nutrients and healthy muscle mass, delays recovery time and increases hospitalization periods. Therefore, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition should be a regular practice for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 — this improves both short-term and long-term prognosis7.
Nutritive support is an important part of rehabilitation and treatment for COVID-19.
Recently, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism ( ESPEN has published a practical guide to nutrition for people with coronavirus infection. In this document, community experts have made some practical recommendations8:
1. Patients at risk or with COVID-19 should be screened for malnutrition through screening and evaluation.
2. Patients diagnosed with malnutrition should attempt to optimize their nutritional status, ideally with the advice of nutritionists.
3.Morned patients should get enough vitamins A, D and other micronutrients.
4.Morning patients should not forget regular physical activity — reduced physical activity and energy expenditure can lead to a potential worsening of chronic diseases through weight gain, loss of muscle mass and strength , as well as to the loss of immune competence, that is, the ability of the body to give an immune response.
5.Oral nutritional supplements should be used to meet patient needs when dietary counseling and food fortification is not sufficient to increase food intake. Such meals should provide at least 400 kcal/day, including 30 g of protein per day, and be given for at least a month.
Such a specialized nutrition, for example, is Nutridrink 200 ml. According to a study9, adding two bottles of Nutridrink 200 ml for 28 days to the hospital or home diet of COVID-19 patients helps to cope with the disease faster.
So, in patients who received special nutrition Nutridrink 200 ml (300 kcal, the optimal content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 in one bottle), the indicator of physical health improved according to the quality of life questionnaire, the duration of receiving oxygen support was reduced by 17.7% and hospital stay by 3.3 days.
This specialized food helps to replenish protein, maintains muscle mass and physical activity, promotes the absorption of drugs and vitamins, is necessary for the creation of antibodies, and provides energy to help support life processes in the body.
Nutridrink 200ml Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate or Banana Flavored Blend can be an extra support during the healing and recovery phase.
Information for patients with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) undergoing recovery or rehabilitation. It is not a dietary supplement and a drug. There are contraindications, you need to consult a specialist before use.
Age Restrictions: Nutridrink 200ml Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate, Banana is intended for adults over 18 years of age.
- CDC/Symptoms of COVID-19, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
- WHO/Nutrition advice for adults during the COVID-19 outbreak https://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/news/nutrition-advice-for-adults-during-the-covid-19-outbreak.html
- PubMed/Nutritional support protocol for patients with COVID-19 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8915452/
- Rospotrebnadzor/Nutrition during COVID-19 https://72.rospotrebnadzor.ru/upload/iblock/a30/a305ee66dff33533ba0d8a57b8b789a6.pdf
- Rospotrebnadzor/Nutrition during COVID-19 https://72.rospotrebnadzor.ru/upload/iblock/a30/a305ee66dff33533ba0d8a57b8b789a6.pdf
- PubMed/Altered smell and taste: Anosmia, parosmia and the impact of long Covid -19 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34559820/
- EJCN/Nutritional management of COVID-19 patients in a rehabilitation unit https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-020-0664-x
- PubMed/ESPEN expert statements and practical guidance for nutritional management of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7138149/
- Sviridov S.V., Krylov K.Yu., Vedenina I.V., Rubenas M. The impact of specialized therapeutic nutrition on improving the quality of life and recovery of patients with COVID-19: a prospective open multicenter comparative observational study in two groups. Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. 2020;1(4): 165–177. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=46548096
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