The Best Foods to Eat to Recover from Covid-19

Following a healthy diet consisting of certain foods can help you recover from COVID-19. Getting more energy and nutrients through food can speed up the recovery process and ensure your immune system is strong enough to prevent serious post-COVID conditions.

That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the foods and drinks you consume every day while recovering from this dangerous virus.

So, let’s see how to get the nutrition your body needs to aid in speedy recovery.

Foods to Eat for COVID-19 Recovery

Along with all the multivitamins and medicines you are probably taking, fueling your body with certain nutrients while recovering from this pandemic is just as important. Here are a few tips on how to achieve this.

Boost Your Calorie Intake

Your body uses its natural stores of energy, vitamins, minerals, and protein when fighting the virus, so you end up feeling tired and drained. To regain your strength and prevent weight loss during your recovery, make sure you eat calorie-dense foods on a regular basis.

Healthy foods that will help you boost your calorie intake include:

• Rice
• Oats
• Millets
• Sweet potato
• Potato
• Pasta
• Whole-meal bread

Add More Protein to Your Diet

This essential nutrient is crucial for cell regeneration and growth. It’s absolutely necessary for your body to heal faster from infections such as COVID-19. Eating high-protein foods on a daily basis will help you gain or maintain strength and energy.

High-protein food sources include:

• Soy
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Lentils
• Milk
• Meat
• Milk products
• Seeds
• Fish
• Beans
• Pulses

Other high-energy protein snacks include:

• Flapjacks or cereal bars
• Rice pudding or custard
• High-protein yogurt
• Cheese and crackers
• Seeds and nuts

Increase Your Vitamin and Mineral Intake

To get more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from food, make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies every day. Try to focus on getting the following vitamins and minerals through food:

Vitamin C – a crucial vitamin for your lung health. To increase your vitamin C intake, include the following fruits and vegetables in your daily diet:

• Spinach
• Citrus fruits
• Tomato
• Blackcurrants
• Berries
• Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Kiwi
• Green, yellow, and red capsicum

Zinc – an essential nutrient for the immune system. To get more zinc, add the following foods to your diet:

• Meat
• Legumes
• Blackberries
• Avocado
• Green peas
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Seeds and nuts
• Legumes
• Milk
• Cheese
• Whole grains
• Sweet potatoes
• Green beans
• Dark chocolate

Vitamin D – it’s more than a vitamin and it participates in the immune reactions in the body. Even though the best source of vitamin D is sun, you can find it in trace amounts in the following foods:

• Liver
• Oily fish like herring, sardines, salmon, and mackerel
• Egg yolks
• Red meat
• Fortified foods like breakfast cereals and fat spreads

Post-COVID-19 Diet Tips

Here are a few post-COVID-19 diet tips and suggestions to consider:

• Add extra tuna, chicken, or beef to stews, casseroles, soups, salads, spaghetti sauces, and vegetable dishes
• Eat higher fat cheeses
• Eat oats with milk, banana, and nut butter for breakfast
• Instead of regular yogurt, drink Icelandic or Greek yogurt
• Add cheese to sandwiches, casseroles, salads, and eggs
• Add protein powder or skim milk powder to smoothies
• Eat cottage cheese, sweet tofu, trail mix, nuts, or vegetables for a snack
• Add lentils, peas, or beans to soups, salads, casseroles, or stir-fries
• Eat boiled eggs for breakfast
• Add peanut butter to toast or crackers
• Add oils and fats to your meals, such as sour cream, cream cheese, margarine, whipping cream, butter, or vegetable oil

Other Tips for Mealtimes

Following these tips will help your body recover faster from coronavirus:

• Always sit in an upright position when eating
• Eat smaller amounts but more often instead of three larger meals, for example 3 smaller meals and 3 snacks
• Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly
• Eat comforting, nourishing foods
• Increase your appetite by taking a small walk or going outside for a while before eating

Drink Plenty of Fluids

Water is vital for your health for so many reasons, including carrying nutrients in your blood, removing toxins from your body, and regulating your body temperature. Staying hydrated while recovering from coronavirus will provide you with energy and strength. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Make sure you drink water throughout the day, even when you’re not thirsty
• Other fluids to drink besides water include fruit juice, milk, tea, sports drinks, broth, nutrition supplement drinks, etc.
• Drink 60ml to 125ml fluid every 15 minutes. That’s about ¼ to ½ cup. If you can’t drink the entire amount at once, take sips every 2 or 3 minutes.
• You can also drink water during the night. Just make sure you keep a glass of water at your bedside.

Article Posted In: Post-Covid Lunch

Tags: lunch ideas, best food for covid 19, healthy food for covid 19, recovery food for covid 19