Diabetes and Coronavirus: In an exclusive interview with
Pinkvilla, Dr. Deepti Bagree has shared some vital hacks to control diabetes
and boost immunity.
Diabetes and Coronavirus:
Check out a nutrition guide for a diabetic person to boost immunity
Coronavirus which has swept across the world has infected
lakhs and killed thousands. Fever, runny nose, shortness of breath and cough
are the common signs of the same. For the unversed, elderly people who have
compromised immunity, people with other lifestyle health issues like diabetes,
heart ailments and gut issues among others are at higher risk of contracting
coronavirus. If you are a
diabetic and want to know how can prevent COVID-19 by boosting immunity and
maintaining blood sugar levels down then read on. In an exclusive
interview with Pinkvilla, Dr. Deepti Bagree, Head of Department - Healthcare
Division, RESET - Holistic Living Concepts have a deep insight on the
importance of strong immunity amid pandemic and also provided a nutrition guide
for a diabetic person.
She
said, "There is less awareness about the most basic information about
health such as “immunity being the key to protecting from any infection”. While
we quarantine ourselves at home it’s important to not forget our health goals
or take this time for granted. This time can be utilized in the smartest way to
work on health and stay healthy to combat any infection. The most important
factor to strengthen immunity is to improve gut health. A bad lifestyle which
is not only the root cause of health issues is also an important cause of
weakening the gut. Hence, it’s absolutely essential to improve gut health to
boost immunity."
Diabetes and Coronavirus: Check out the hacks by Dr. Deepti
Bagree to control diabetes and boost immunity:
1.
Even when you are at home, keep your wake up and sleep cycle fixed. This will
help you to stay on track once you resume your daily activities. Sleep is
crucial in maintaining hunger and satiety hormones which play an important role
in managing diabetes and thus immunity.
2.
Try and avoid eating out instead cook food at home as per your taste. Outside
foods can be high on refined oils, sugar and flours that can shoot up blood
sugar levels and are detrimental for immunity as well.
3.
Use cold-pressed cooking oils over refined ones as they compromise your
immunity by being inflammatory. Inflammation is a root cause of many health
issues including diabetes. Hence controlling inflammation can help improve
immunity and diabetes too.
4.
Ensure that all foods are freshly made and thoroughly cooked as although the
virus is not getting transmitted through food, however, other bacteria and
viruses can enter the system and compromise the immunity.
5.
Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, Srilankan rolled cinnamon, black pepper to your
meals this helps to boosts metabolism and reduce chances of falling sick, these
also help in managing blood sugar surge.
6.
Drink boiled water and avoid cold beverages that increase the chance of cold
and flu. Also, commercially marketed beverages are full of sugar that can
further dip immunity and fluctuate blood sugar.
7.
Gargle your throat with warm water with salt, organic turmeric powder, a
teaspoon of cold-pressed coconut oil everyday post brushing.
8.
Avoid raw, fried, processed foods instead have cooked vegetables, pulses or
dals, high-quality proteins and good fats like avocado, almond or coconut milk,
nuts, and seeds.
9. Ensure you take vitamin C supplements or
have fruits and vegetables rich in this vitamin. Also, take vitamin D3 and b12
supplements on time as per the blood levels of these vitamins. Soak in the
morning sunlight to take natural vitamin D.
10.
Use essential oils like oregano, eucalyptus, etc as they are excellent for the
lungs.
11. Keep the body alkaline as too much acid in the body
breaks the mucous and can worsen the conditions. Add vegetables, spices, lemon
to the day.
12. Add probiotic foods like idlis, dosas, dollars,
sauerkraut, kimchi as they are excellent for gut where more than 70% of
immunity lies.
Other tips
1.
Keep yourself physically active by yoga asanas, deep breathing and
high-intensity interval training that can be done at home and doesn’t need
equipment.
2.
Avoid going to parks, crowded places unless absolutely necessary.
3.
Do not get panic just ensure to take care of simple steps towards personal
hygiene like washing hands, using sanitizer (with 60% alcohol content), etc
4.
Do not shake hands instead do namaste or verbal greetings