Make sure to include meat, eggs, dried legumes, fish, and leafy green vegetables in your diet
Experts, who highlight the importance of a balanced and proper diet in addition to the precautions to be taken in the fight against the coronavirus, offer recommendations for strengthening the immune system. Experts emphasize that the consumption of iron, zinc, Omega-3, B12, probiotics, and vinegar should not be neglected to strengthen the immune system. According to experts, red meat, eggs, dried fruits, and dried legumes—which contain iron—as well as mackerel, salmon, and sardines—which contain omega-3—along with walnuts, almonds, and leafy green vegetables all help strengthen the immune system.
Özden Örkçü, a Nutrition and Diet Specialist at Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Brain Hospital, stated that strengthening the immune system is crucial in the fight against the coronavirus.
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü provided the following information about vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements that strengthen the immune system:
Iron: A deficiency weakens the immune system and increases susceptibility to infections. Red meat, eggs, dried fruits, dried legumes, and green vegetables should be consumed alongside vitamin C. Vitamin C helps increase iron absorption in the body.
Zinc: It plays an important role in immunity. Meat, liver, eggs, and seafood are the best sources of zinc.
Omega-3: It strengthens the immune system and helps protect against diseases. It is found in fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines), walnuts, almonds, soy sprouts, dark and green leafy vegetables, flaxseed, and purslane. You should consume about 150 grams 2–3 times a week.
Vitamin B12: It plays a role in the production of blood cells in the immune system, nervous system, and bone marrow. Vitamin B12 is found exclusively in animal-based foods such as meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and fish.
Probiotics: Dairy products with high nutritional value—such as those containing probiotics and prebiotics—aid digestion and strengthen the immune system. The beneficial bacteria that strengthen the immune system are called probiotics. Kefir is a probiotic food that also enhances the absorption of B vitamins.
Make Your Own Pickles
Homemade pickles possess probiotic properties and play a vital role in strengthening our immune system. Store-bought pickles may have high salt content, which can pose a risk—especially for people with high blood pressure or kidney disease—so making your own pickles is a good way to eliminate this risk.
Another plant I’d recommend is ginseng. Since it’s not very easy to find ginseng as a fresh plant, we can use it as a dietary supplement in the form of preparations enriched with multivitamins. Scientific studies show that ginseng has positive effects on both physical and cognitive health. It boosts immunity and improves concentration.
Vitamin C: It helps prevent illness by keeping your immune system strong. Rose hips, citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, onions, berries, squash, broccoli, and green salads are all foods that provide vitamin C.
Don’t forget to drink 8 glasses of water
In addition to making sure to drink 8 glasses of water daily to speed up toxin elimination and revitalize your body, it’s also a great idea to increase your intake of freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.
Vinegar: The positive health effects observed from its consumption date back approximately 10,000 years. It was first noted by Hippocrates—often referred to as the father of medicine—that vinegar could be beneficial to health. Since ancient times, vinegar has been used as an antiseptic to heal wounds and fight infections. It can also be used as a vegetable and fruit disinfectant; you can even add a few drops of vinegar to your water and drink it.
Tarhana: We know that tarhana is an indispensable soup in Turkish culture; when we say we’re sick, the first thing we hear is, “Let me make you some hot tarhana—you’ll feel better in no time.” In addition to its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant content, it is also highly nutritious.
Sleep / Melatonin: Its production and release begin with darkness and end with light. An extended period of light or sudden exposure to light halts melatonin production. For this reason, melatonin has also been symbolically dubbed the “biochemical marker of darkness.” In humans, melatonin secretion begins immediately after darkness falls (8:00 PM–11:00 PM), peaks in the middle of the night (2:00 AM–4:00 AM), and ends in the morning hours (7:00 AM–9:00 AM).
Black Cumin: There is evidence suggesting that its extract does not have a toxic effect on healthy cells but, on the contrary, has a beneficial effect. The seed juice and seed oil have been reported to have antiviral and antimicrobial effects. Studies indicate that daily oral intake of 30 mg/kg of black cumin seeds has immune-boosting effects.
Natural Antibiotics: Garlic, kefir, broccoli, ginger, thyme, red pepper, apple cider vinegar, and honey.
Garlic: In addition to being used as a flavor enhancer in meals, it is also used to treat many illnesses.
Kefir: When consumed regularly, it plays a crucial role in boosting the body’s resistance.
Zencefil: The health benefits of ginger, a plant native to Asia, have been known since ancient times; it is a rich source of vitamins and nutrients.
Thyme: It is used as an antispasmodic, antiseptic, and expectorant. The lungs and bronchi are among its primary areas of use.
Honey: It has been used in medical treatments for years and serves as a natural remedy due to its vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It strengthens the immune system by exhibiting antimicrobial properties not only against bacteria but also against viruses, fungi, and parasites. It promotes rapid wound healing. Honey taken orally strengthens the immune system.
Vitamin C: In addition to its antiviral and antibacterial effects, it boosts and strengthens immunity. Citrus fruits, green peppers, parsley, cherries, and cantaloupe are important sources.
An irregular and unhealthy diet leads to free radicals
Nutrition and diet expert Özden Örkçü emphasized that when free radicals multiply in cells and tissues, they cause damage to the DNA structure, stating:
“Free radicals also increase due to factors such as smoking, air pollution, and radiation. When their levels rise, health issues such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and arthritis can develop. The antioxidants we obtain from food fight against free radicals in the body. To prevent the negative effects caused by free radicals and minimize their impact, sufficient amounts of antioxidants must be consumed. Another factor that can contribute to the formation of free radicals is an irregular and unhealthy diet. In particular, it is important to avoid products whose ingredients are unknown, ready-made soups, and refined foods—such as industrially produced cakes, pastries, cookies, and products that appear burnt or have a sooty appearance due to insufficient cooking.”