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Coronavirus: Anti-viral foods to build immunity and keep diseases away

The Indian Express 03-02-2020

With three confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (n-COV) in India, the focus remains on treatment as well as prevention of the deadly virus that is said to have its origin from a seafood market in China's Wuhan.

As an epidemic that has already claimed more than 300 lives in China, there is an immediate need to take precautions, where the key is to focus on building one's immunity as well as overall health.

Highlighting how it is important to not just follow basic hygiene guidelines, but also take steps to boost immunity, lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho took to Instagram to share what should be done to prevent diseases like n-COV.

Take a look at his post below.

View this post on Instagram

Watch this video and learn how you can use your body's natural defence mechanism 'immunity' to prevent the deadly coronavirus infection.
A post shared by Luke Coutinho - Lifestyle (@luke_coutinho) on Jan 30, 2020 at 9:18pm PST

Here's what he said.

"Learn how you can use your body's natural defence mechanism, 'immunity', to prevent the deadly coronavirus infection," he captioned the video post.

In the video, Coutinho said, "Since it is a virus which has never mutated in human beings before, there is no current solution to it. Prevention is the best way. How we keep our immune system strong will not just help us with Coronavirus but everyday bugs that exist all around us as well as pollution, contamination in food."

Also watch: What do we know about the new form of coronavirus? (Video by Irish Mirror)

What do we know about the new form of coronavirus?

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Symptoms of Coronavirus

A runny nose accompanied by fever, cough, headaches, sore throat, breathing issues, inflammation in the lungs, but not to be confused with pneumonia. This virus has an incubation period of 14 days. So if you have any of these symptoms persisting for more than six-seven days, consult a medical practitioner. The faster you boost your immunity, the better it is, mentioned Coutinho.

It is important that you inform the treating doctor about your travel history. (Source: File;designed by Gargi Singh)

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MORE ON THIS STORY:

How Coronavirus detection steps are carried out (Hindustan Times)

Coronavirus: Everything travellers need to know (Independent)

What is coronavirus? Symptoms, signs and causes of the virus – and how the China outbreak spreads (iNews)

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What can we do to boost our immunity?

While Coutinho suggested basic hygiene practices like washing hands as a necessity, he also said it's important to include anti-viral foods in one's diet.

*Washing hands: The good old soap and water is the best. If you are travelling, use an essential oil-based sanitiser that just takes away the dirt leaving the microbes in place.

*Keep your hands and fingers away from your mouth, eyes and nose.

In pics: Civet cats, bats, and other animals who spread deadly diseases (Sideshow by StarsInsider)

a dog sitting on a wire fence: The world is panicking over the new strain of the coronavirus. If you're unaware, its origins have been traced to the sale of live exotic animals, such as civet cats and bats, at a market in Wuhan, China. Indeed, a number of today's diseases have been passed on to humans by animals. Many of these diseases, called zoonoses, can be deadly and continue to claim lives every year. From HIV to Ebola, find out which other fatal diseases we've inherited from the animal kingdom in this gallery. Click on.

*Avoid crowded places.

*Avoid consumption of raw foods including raw meat, raw egg, raw vegetables.

*Wear a mask wherever you can.

a screenshot of a cell phone: coronavirus, coronavirus in india, coronavirus causes, coronavirus treatment, coronavirus symptoms, coronavirus causes in india, coronavirus infection, coronavirus infection causes, coronavirus infection treatment, coronavirus origin, coronavirus origin in india, coronavirus news

© Provided by The Indian Express coronavirus, coronavirus in india, coronavirus causes, coronavirus treatment, coronavirus symptoms, coronavirus causes in india, coronavirus infection, coronavirus infection causes, coronavirus infection treatment, coronavirus origin, coronavirus origin in india, coronavirus news

Coronavirus Infection Origin, Symptoms: Take precautions to safeguard yourself. (Photo: File/designed by Gargi Singh)

Anti-viral foods in your diet

Garlic

It is a powerful anti-viral. It can be eaten raw, mashed or can be added to soups. Mix chopped raw garlic with a tablespoon of unpasteurised, raw honey and consume a clove every day after two to three days. It's a fantastic way to boost your immune system, mentioned Coutinho.

Star anise

The flower-shaped spice contains shikimic acid that is used as a base material for the production of Tamiflu, which is used for influenza virus. It is super powerful as an anti-viral. Take star anise and boil it in water and add it to your teas like green tea or black tea.

Ginger

© Provided by The Indian Express coronavirus, coronavirus in india, coronavirus prevention, coronavirus immunity steps, steps to prevent coronavirus spread in India, what is coronavirus, coronavirus causes, coronavirus treatment, coronavirus symptoms, coronavirus causes in india, coronavirus infection, coronavirus infection causes, coronavirus infection treatment, coronavirus origin, coronavirus origin in india, coronavirus news, herbs against coronavirus, nani ma ke nuske against coronavirus, luke coutinho, Count on these foods to boost your immunity. (Source: File Photo)

Take mashed ginger and star anise, and make a concoction by adding little raw, unpasteurised honey.

Coconut oil

You can cook your food in pure cold-pressed coconut oil or even have it raw. Lauric acid and caprylic acid present in it are essential for boosting the immune system against virals.

Resveratrol

Foods rich in resveratrol such as peanuts, pistachios, grapes, red, white wine, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, and even cocoa and dark chocolate are helpful to fight fungal infection, ultraviolet radiation, stress, and injury.

Vitamin-C rich foods

Vitamin-C rich foods such as amla, red peppers, yellow peppers, Vitamin C supplements are a must-have.

An essential recipe for good immunity, according to him, is this immunity-boosting soup.

Ingredients

1 no - Sweet potato

1 no - Garlic

Some - Spring onions

Few - Parsley

Few - Rosemary

Method

*Mix all the ingredients together and make it into a soup.

He mentioned that the soup helps boost the immune system against cold, flu and virals.

Anti-viral herbs

© Provided by The Indian Express coronavirus, coronavirus in india, coronavirus prevention, coronavirus immunity steps, steps to prevent coronavirus spread in India, what is coronavirus, coronavirus causes, coronavirus treatment, coronavirus symptoms, coronavirus causes in india, coronavirus infection, coronavirus infection causes, coronavirus infection treatment, coronavirus origin, coronavirus origin in india, coronavirus news, herbs against coronavirus, nani ma ke nuske against coronavirus, luke coutinho, Herbs can help boost immunity. (Source: File Photo)

*Anti-viral herbs such as oregano, tulsi, dried thyme are great for immunity, and can be used in teas or curries for respiratory health including mucous problems which can become a "breeding ground for bacteria and pathogens".

*Mix ginger, garlic along with a tablespoon of thyme, oregano and make tea.

*Inhale essential oils like thyme, oregano, eucalyptus or star anise. One can also use a diffuser in the room.

a bowl of fruit: almonds, benefits of almonds, why you should consume almonds © Provided by The Indian Express almonds, benefits of almonds, why you should consume almonds Almonds are also a healthy way to keep hunger pangs away! (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Other essentials

*Maint

ecause low levels of Vitamin D3 means low immunity

*You need a good pre-biotic or pro-biotic to keep your gut healthy. The healthier your gut, the stronger is your immune system. One can also have rice or beetroot kanji.

*It's important to stay away from white sugar.

*Minerals like zinc and selenium should be included. They can be found in almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, unsalted cashew nuts and unsalted pistachios.

All these dietary changes should also be coupled with good exercise and proper sleep.

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