NUTRITION, IMMUNITY AND CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

NUTRITION, IMMUNITY AND CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
I hope you are keeping safe and well during these challenging times.  

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic where the whole world is affected, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. Due to the disruptions in the normal lifestyle of people, where most of the people spend most of the time in their homes, increasing the consumption of nutritious foods and doing physical activities to improve body immunity is very critical while we are fighting against this pandemic disease.  

There are many emerging myths and misconceptions about food and nutrition in Tanzania and other parts of the world during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It should be noted that, myth or misconception can be damaging especially during this critical time of coronavirus pandemic and therefore we should only focus on nutrition facts as recommended by health professionals. 

Some of the nutrition myths/misconceptions and facts are described as follows;
Alcohol consumption can not prevent you from COVID-19. Some people are claiming that, consumption of alcohol may lower the risks of getting coronavirus diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drinking alcohol DOES NOT prevent you against COVID-19 and can be dangerous to your health. Alcohol consumption damages vital organs (such as liver and kidney). Thus, instead of fighting against coronavirus disease, alcohol damage body cells and lower their ability to fight against Coronavirus disease.   

There is also the notion that the consumption of only a certain food can ensure good health and prevent you against COVID-19. There is a lot of information across different social media in Tanzania and other parts of the world claiming certain foods such as garlic, lemon, ginger, aloe vera, etc. can prevent us from Coronavirus disease. 
It is true that most of these foods contribute to our body immunity but to improve our body immunity, we should not only focus on particular foods but also the consumption of healthy diet which compose a variety of foods from different food groups (five food groups) which form balanced diet: Cereals, green bananas, roots and tubers which are the sources of carbohydrates for energy, Pulses, nuts and animal-source food source of protein for bodybuilding, Fruits (vitamins and minerals for protection), Vegetables (vitamins and minerals for protection) and Sugar, honey, fats and oils (extra energy), and requirements for health diet usually vary depending on the age of an individual, gender, environment and activity level.

Eat a well-balanced diet to get vitamins, dietary fiber, protein, minerals, and antioxidants to improve your body immunity to lower your risk of chronic illnesses and infectious diseases

In addition to the consumption of a balanced diet, while you are staying home during the COVID-19 outbreak, WHO recommends that all healthy adults do 30 minutes/day of physical activity, and children should be physically active for 1 hour/day. Physical activities do not necessarily require a large space/environment, just the environment around our homes is very enough for physical activities, for example; jumping rope, push-ups, or running around homes are more than enough when done for a recommended time.

“Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence. All parts are interconnected.” 
- T. Collin Campbell




Charles L. Msigwa 
Nutrition Officer
+255759948211
cmsigwa2@gmail.com

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