Balanced diet must for immunity
The rising cases of black fungus and Covid-19 seem to have triggered panic buying as dry fruits, immunity boosting powders, juices and protein packs are going off the shelves within no time during the lockdown relaxation period in the city.
Consuming these foods in moderation is important, otherwise it can lead to weight gain in terms of abdominal obesity due to less energy used in lockdown times. Healthy individuals have a strong immunity from different food groups of green leafy vegetables, adequate protein, fruits and nuts in their daily diet. For them, extra consumption without proper utilisation of energy would mean adding more calories which is not required, warn experts.
Black fungus reduces immunity of the cell and the category of immune compromised are transplant patients, uncontrolled diabetics, cancer patients, Covid-19 recovered patients and those who are suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
For healthy individuals, consumption of these foods has to be in moderation
as it must not overlap with their daily food intakes. Dr P Janaki Srinath, national executive member of Nutritional Society of India, says, "In both Telugu states, nuts are a part of our diet as groundnut and oil seeds are used in daily foods. Additional use of these must be in moderation and according to the recent guidelines of National Institute of
Nutrition, 20 grams of nuts and oilseeds per day is recommended. Supplementation is required for those who have developed deficiency. Those who are recovering from the disease have to ensure that their food groups must be balanced. Like, vegetarians require additional good quality proteins. Non-vegetarians require an adequate input of fruits in their diet for the supplementation
of minerals. Goal must be for a balanced diet.”
It is very important to understand the labels of supplement packs as they must not have hidden sugars which will lead to adding more sugar to the body. With a large number of Covid-19 recovered patients having fluctuating sugar levels, they must not consume junk and ready to eat foods as they contain sugars and preservatives which will not help.
Building cell immunity in different groups of people can take from two months to eight weeks. Nutritionist Fathima Taher Ali, senior dietitian at Care Hospitals, says, “Rebuilding cell immunity in Covid-19 recovered patients can take one to two months depending on their other comorbid conditions. In a patient who has controlled diabetes and hypertension cell immunity can bounce back in more than two weeks. In those who have uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, unrecognised diabetic condition, it would take more than four weeks. For rebuilding cell immunity, a balanced diet, good sleep, proper hydration and stress management are very important. All these factors work together”
Children are found to take four to six weeks for immunity building, depending on their nutritional status.
The underlying problem of malnutrition and undernourishment is also coming to the fore with emerging disease patterns as they are also playing a major role in compromised immune systems.