Hi everyone!
Welcome to Healthhacks #11
Every Tuesday I bring ideas to become more productive at work and everyday life by using simple #HealthHacks. Today’s post is about most talked #Coronavirus #COV-19. You will know how to hack your immunity before the corona hack on.
Coronaviruses (COVID-19) belong to the family of virus that causes respiratory illness. With the symptoms of the cough and common cold and seasonal flu, it calls for serious illnesses like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Transmission through a virus in food is unlikely an there is no scientific evidence present till date for this pandemic. However, sanitising yourself before or during the food preparation is a must-do to avoid getting affected by the virus.
Apart from sanitising and social distancing measures, what the best you can do to ignore the pandemic of coronavirus?
Check on cross-contamination
Good hygiene and hand cleaning are an important aspect to avoid cross-contamination between undercooked and cooked foods or between the raw and ready- to- eat foods in your own kitchen or office cafeteria kitchen.
Management should ensure employees that along with chefs and team personal hygiene, the cutting-chopping area in workplace cafeteria is also thoroughly cleaned. You must peep into chopping board of your kitchen at home too. Washing repeatedly is a good practice to stay away from harmful bacterias.
Keep your phone clean along with your hands
As per the recent research, we touch and hold our phones for two hours in a day. We harbour lots of bacteria through it. Experts warn us that our smartphones carry more germs than the toilet seat. Shouldn’t you keep clean your phone? A minute of cleaning will help keep your phone germs free. Try using earphones to avoid touching your phones.
Moist your mouth
Water is essential for every physiological process that takes place in our body. Keep your mouth moist by drinking water frequently. Staying hydrated will help to stay away from infection.
Sip on matcha and green tea to beat 3CL
Coronavirus after entering the cells releases an enzyme called 3CL (3 chymotrypsin-like protease) that attacks our defence system. The presence of flavonoids quercetin and epigallocatechin (EGCG) present in Green tea and little more in matcha have caught the enormous attention as a helpful agent to beat 3CL.
Boost your immune with Vitamin C
This immune-boosting supernutrient is grabbed by the majority of masses typically on every outset of flu.
Stock up your fruit tray with oranges, lemons, kiwi and berries. Kiwi though high on budget fully matches the requirement. A cup of kiwi will fill 273% of the daily vitamin C requirement.
Remember that Vitamin C has no role in controlling the spread of coronavirus, but definitely it can strengthen your immunity and curtail the chances of getting flu easily.
Vitamin E
Like Vitamin C, vitamin E is also a powerful antioxidant that helps strengthen immunity. It rescues the immune cells from oxidative stress, especially in the aging population.
Vitamin E sources include hazelnut, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, broccoli, spinach etc.
Selenium
Adequate selenium in diet is the first advice by health professionals given in any viral infection or flu.
Foods sources of selenium like garlic, broccoli brazil nuts, barley have already seized the attention of people across the globe. What are you waiting for?
The power of blue in flu: Blueberries
The flavonoids, a class of antioxidants present in blueberries reduce the chances of catching a seasonal cold by 33% (University of Auckland research study). It contains the highest level of antioxidant among all commonly consumed fruit.
Broccoli
Cruciferous veggies can be a great addition to your routine diet if you are struggling to get off cold symptoms. Sulforaphane present in broccoli activates genes and enzymes in specific immune cells that keep a check on the sickness symptoms.
Dark chocolates
Well, who does not like to munch on chocolates? Eating it makes us happier and the study says that a happy person is less vulnerable to illness.
The presence of theobromine in dark chocolates, another antioxidant has been proven to alleviate cold and cough. It may not a mandatory prescription but definitely one of a preventive nutrient for the seasons picking flu.
Mushrooms
Recognised for antiviral properties, Mushroom can be a perfect preparation when you sit to dine in this unpleasant climate. Shrooms carry potent immune-boosting properties and are available in different forms.
Zinc
Zinc is another element crowned to strengthen our immunity system. Supplementing zinc is a popular treatment in cold and flu from the time initial.
Where meat-eaters get it adequately through non-vegetarian food, Vegetarians can have the options of sunflower seeds, beans, whole grains, fortified cereals and dairy food.
Does your workplace engage you in any wellness promotion activity?
Are you looking for any Healthhacks in particular? Do write back in the comments section, and I will hack it.