It is very easy to understand this diet, it is not a big secret but a balanced diet.
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- Wake up to a warm drink of jeera, ajwain, mint and fennel seeds. Not only will this help remove the mucus, but also help in aiding digestive health, which is often hit not only due to the virus itself but also due to the large number of medications that often don’t discriminate between good and bad stomach bacteria and cause gut dysbiosis.
- Have a fruit or 7 soaked almonds or 2 whole walnuts or 2 cashews and in 30 minutes of this procedure to have a nice freshly cooked breakfast, be it poha, idli,dosa,uttapam, omlette, sabudana khichdi, any kind of stuffed light roti or thepla with a warm cup of fresh curd.
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- Mid-morning have some light, warm water or herbal concoction with a shot of Haldi, pepper and 1-star anise or simply sip on warm water with a dash of ginger. If you are hungry choose fresh fruit or a fresh steamed salad or a handful of chaana or homemade flat poha chivda or khakra or makhana. A handful of nuts or seeds would also make a great snack, as also a couple of dates or a few raisins.
- Lunch should be a typical light home lunch of roti dal/pulse sabzi or dal chawal sabzi or khichdi with vegetables.
- If you are eating non-veg make sure you stick to lean meat like chicken and fish which are well cleaned and totally cooked in non-oily preparations.
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- Evening snacks can be fruit or chaana – kurmura or a bhakri topped with vegetables, moong cheelas or egg whites. If you are not very hungry simply sip on thick soup and a few vegetable tikkis.
Dinner
Should be the lightest meal with dal, sabzi, roti or khichdi or soup with chicken kebabs or grilled fish with lightly stir-fried vegetables. An egg bhurji with the soup can be a protein-rich option if you are not too hungry.
- Make sure you drink enough liquids and are well hydrated.
- Have smaller meals if loss of appetite persists and include eating a tablespoon of saunf after lunch and dinner to aid digestion.
- Add colour to your plate, through fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dry fruit and flour.
- Remember to include garlic in your meals – chop it, let it rest on the plate for 2 to 5 minutes and then use it for cooking. This activates the immune-boosting enzymes.
- White foods like onions and garlic imply a reset in our bodies so include them in cooking.
- Ginger is responsible for our digestive fire so include it if you have a loss of appetite or improper digestion.
- Papaya and Pineapples have digestive enzymes that will put your digestion back on track.
- Coloured fruits and vegetables have powerful antioxidants that will help you bounce back and reduce oxidative stress.
- Don’t forget to eat locally available fruits which are in the black, purple and blue family-like Jamun, grapes, prunes, raisins, brinjal, blackberries that will help your mood as well as cognition to function normally.
- Red foods will reduce inflammation so don’t forget to include pomegranate, tomato, kidney beans in your meals.
- Whenever you use red, orange, yellow fruits and vegetables add a couple of drops of oil or ghee so they get a chance to convert to the active form of Vitamin A.
- Making small power ladoos of any flour with some ghee, jaggery, nuts and seeds would be a concentrated source of good fat, protein and calories. Eat as a snack and not after a meal.
- Ask your treating doctor for prescribed supplements of vitamins and minerals. Only your doctor can decide what supplements you need and for how long.
- This generic plan is a generalised guideline. Kindly seek personalised advice keeping in mind your existing lipid levels, blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, vitamin levels and any other health conditions you may have.
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Wishing you all a quick recovery,
Sonam Anwerali Rayani,
Nutrition, Diet and Nutrigenetic Consultant.
