You can add herbs, spices and other natural spices when cooking, such as tomatoes, peppers, lemon juice, vinegar, fresh herbs and so on. However, don't eat spicy food when you have a sore throat, try to reduce irritation and avoid "sprinkling salt on the wound".
How to make our bodies store enough nutrition to be a powerful logistics soldier in this "war" with the virus?
How to achieve a "balanced diet" when you are sick
When the sick body lacks energy and nutrition, its immunity will decline, and it is impossible to "destroy" the virus in time and effectively, and the course of disease will be lengthened and aggravated.
Therefore, if we can ensure "eat and drink well" after being infected with COVID-19, it will be of great help to the self-healing of the disease.
As usual, the key to "having enough to eat and eat well" lies in reasonable nutrition and balanced diet-try to meet the requirements in the Dietary Guide for China Residents and diversify the food: eat more fruits and vegetables, milk, whole grains and soybeans; Eat fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat in moderation; Less oil and less salt.
Of course, this is not difficult for patients, because the symptoms after infection (fever, fatigue, cough, sore throat and so on. ) will make many people unable to cook. Although it is said on the Internet that COVID-19 is "generous" and a family always keeps a cook (of course, there is no scientific basis), it is necessary to ensure the intake of high-quality carbohydrates and high-quality protein anyway.
1, high quality carbohydrate
As the most important energy source of our body, carbohydrates are self-evident. Especially for people with high fever (above 38.5 degrees), digestible high-quality carbohydrates should be the main energy source.
Intake of enough high-quality carbohydrates will help to reduce the burden on liver and kidney, save protein and rarely increase body heat dissipation. During COVID-19's infection, the gastrointestinal tract is already very fragile, so choosing digestible carbohydrates is the most needed "energy" for the body at this time.
The 2022 edition of Dietary Guidelines for China Residents recommends that the daily intake of cereals is 200~300g, including 50- 150g whole grains and miscellaneous beans. Potato 50~ 100g.
Some patients may be unable to eat solid foods such as rice and miscellaneous grains rice because of dysphagia or high fever. At this time, they can choose to drink liquid food such as porridge. Millet porridge, oatmeal porridge, miscellaneous grains porridge, lotus root starch, etc. Are all good choices. You can also make potato foods into paste or mud, such as mashed potatoes and sweet potato paste, and eat them together.
2. High quality protein
Fever after infection will increase basal metabolism, which is high consumption for the body, and protein in the body will also be consumed. Protein is the key to the operation and maintenance of the immune system. Therefore, it is helpful to relieve the symptoms of the disease by properly supplementing high-quality protein.
The guide suggests eating fish, poultry, eggs and lean meat in moderation, with an average of 120~200g per day (soy products can also be used to replace some foods); Eat all kinds of dairy products, such as drinking more than 300mL of milk every day. Eat less processed meat products, such as bacon and bacon.
Generally speaking, you need to eat 1 egg, a palm-sized lean meat, a palm-sized fish or shrimp and drink 1 ~ 2 cups of milk or yogurt every day.
It is worth noting that protein is more difficult to digest than carbohydrates, so you should not eat too much high-protein food when you are sick, and there is no need to deliberately supplement too much protein powder.
We can use some cooking skills to make high-protein foods better absorbed, thus reducing the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. For example, sick people are more likely to swallow and digest dishes such as custard and egg drop soup than boiled eggs.
We can also try to cut poultry, fish and shrimp into pieces, such as porridge, fish balls, vegetable soup, etc., so that patients can eat it conveniently and digest it better.
3. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible.
In a state of fever, vitamins and minerals in the human body are also easily lost, and vegetables and fruits are rich in these nutrients. In addition, fruits and vegetables do not need complicated cooking, and you can try to eat different fruits and vegetables during illness.
The guide recommends eating 300~500g fresh vegetables, dark vegetables 1/2 and 200~350g fresh fruits every day. When there is a real shortage of vegetables and fruits at home, you can also add some vitamin C preparations appropriately.
This is about the daily diet: more than "three handfuls" of green leafy vegetables, an apple and an orange.
If these symptoms appear, you should pay attention to these in your diet:
1, "swallowing blade"
When you have a sore throat when drinking water, it seems that eating anything is a kind of pain. At this time, try ice cream, frozen drinks and yogurt. Low temperature can make the throat "numb" for a while and temporarily relieve the pain caused by swallowing.
For people with fragile gastrointestinal tract, try something "sweeter", such as honey or canned peaches. High-concentration syrup like honey can wrap the mucous membrane in the throat and relieve the frequency of cough.
When you really don't want to swallow solid food, you can also take it with warm boiled water or soybean milk, milk and vegetable soup to supplement your physical strength.
2. Voice problem [2] (Bao Juan, my voice ...)
First of all, you need to replenish enough water and inject water several times a day. The recommended daily drinking water is 1500~ 1700mL. In case of fever, you can drink more water.
Stomach reflux (acid reflux or heartburn) may also cause hoarseness, so try to avoid eating late at night or eating indigestible food.
In addition, try inhaling steam (cover a cup full of boiling water with a towel to inhale steam). In general, 10~ 15 minutes can relieve dryness and moisten vocal cords.
In addition, you can also put 1 teaspoon of sesame oil or olive oil in your mouth and swallow it slowly after one or two minutes to moisten your throat and relieve pain.
3. Diarrhea and sweating (dehydration risk)
Diarrhea is also one of the symptoms after infection in COVID-19. During diarrhea, water and electrolytes (sodium, chlorine, potassium and carbonate, etc. ) will be lost through loose stool, which is easy to cause dehydration.
When diarrhea is not serious, you can drink some electrolyte water or sports drinks in moderation. If dehydration symptoms (decreased urination, chapped lips and weakness) occur, oral rehydration salts (ORS) should be used.
If you can't buy oral rehydration salt for a while, you can drink salty liquid and sugary liquid alternately or together. You can also add 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 4 tablespoons of sugar to1liter of water to make a solution to supplement the electrolyte. If you still feel unwell after drinking, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
4. The sense of smell or taste drops.
You can add herbs, spices and other natural spices when cooking, such as tomatoes, peppers, lemon juice, vinegar, fresh herbs and so on. However, don't eat spicy food when you have a sore throat, try to reduce irritation and avoid "sprinkling salt on the wound".
In addition, you can also carry out olfactory training, such as smelling lemons, roses or other flowers twice a day for 20 seconds each time. In addition, remember to brush your teeth twice a day to ensure oral hygiene.
Generally speaking, COVID-19's diet after infection is not much different from usual, so we should "eat everything". Try to ensure the intake of high-quality carbohydrates and high-quality protein, eat more fruits and vegetables, and pay attention to the selection of chewy and digestible ingredients and cooking methods.
When you have a high fever, fatigue and loss of appetite, you can't just live in rice porridge. Try to eat more nutritious food and things that can make you comfortable and happy. Only with adequate nutrition can the body's immune system win this tough battle!
I wish you all a smooth course of disease, get rid of "swallowing blades" and "Bao Juan's voice" as soon as possible, regain your physical strength and energy, and embrace the outside world!