Eat like this to build immunity against epidemics! Nutritionists share 3 tips: enough protein, less refined sugar

Epidemic prevention depends on internal and external protection. In addition to measures such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distance, it is especially important to enhance the body's protection. Only by consuming balanced nutrition can it help increase resistance, serve as a protective shield for the body, and avoid invasion of bacteria and viruses. Nutritionists remind us that there are three key points in adopting an "epidemic prevention diet". In addition to having enough protein, it is also necessary to reduce the intake of refined sugars.

Director Li Peirong of the Nutritional Therapy Department of Tong Hospital said that the basic principle of improving immunity is to take in balanced nutrition. In addition to maintaining a balanced and diversified daily diet, you should also pay attention to or strengthen certain nutrients in order to have complete immunity.

【Three key points of epidemic prevention diet】:

1. Sufficient protein

The basic raw material for building the immune system is protein. Both the immune defense in the lungs and the immune cells throughout the body are built with protein. For protein sources, refer to the "beans, fish, eggs, and meat" foods in the daily dietary guidelines recommended by the National Health and Family Planning Administration, such as soy products such as tofu, soy milk, and dried tofu. For fish, preferably fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, eggs, and low-fat meat.

2. Eat a "rich" amount of fruits and vegetables:

“Richness” does not refer simply to quantity but to variety. Because there are many important nutrients in food, such as nutrients with antioxidant capacity (including vitamin C, E, magnesium, zinc, selenium, β-carotene, phytochemicals, etc.), and B vitamins required for various metabolisms of the body. These nutrients need to work together to play the best role.

As for, how can we get all these nutrients? The simplest way is to eat a balanced diet and "enrich" fruits and vegetables. To "enrich" fruits and vegetables, you can follow the principle of consuming five fruits and vegetables every day. The most convenient way is to eat fruits of all colors every day, including: dark green broccoli, blue-purple grapes and eggplants, white onions and mushrooms, yellow carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, red tomatoes, red onions...etc.

3. Less refined sugars:

Because refined sugars promote inflammation in the body, weaken the function of white blood cells, and do not help immunity, people should reduce or avoid consuming such foods.

Director Li Peirong pointed out that in addition to diet, lifestyle habits are also closely related to immunity. Among them, the lifestyle habits that have the greatest impact must pay attention to the following key points:

【3 tips for good living habits for epidemic prevention】:

1. Get enough sleep: Studies show that if you only sleep 4 hours a day, the flu antibodies in your body will be reduced by half. So you need to get 7 hours of sleep every day.

2. Regular exercise: If people are unable to exercise continuously for 30 minutes every day, they can divide the exercise time. For example, exercise for 10 minutes when they have free time, 3 times a day, accumulating 30 minutes, which is also effective in maintaining the body's protective ability.

3. Stress adjustment: Life stress will promote the increase of glucocorticoid concentration in the body, causing immune system disorders. Therefore, moderate stress reduction helps maintain a normal immune system.

Finally, Director Li Peirong called on the public to maintain good living habits, eat a balanced and diverse diet, and stay optimistic as the epidemic spreads across the world. They should also cooperate with the government’s epidemic prevention policies and take care of the health of themselves and their families in order to truly achieve all-round epidemic prevention.