Reading Time: 4 minutesCoronavirus, or COVID-19, has put the world into a frenzy. Many fear for their health and of those around them. While no known cure has been discovered for this virus, we can still do some things to keep ourselves healthy through this. Other than constantly practicing social distancing, we can work towards improving our health and immune system. Enter Ayurveda! That’s right. The age-old knowledge of Ayurveda that India has is going to provide immense help in immunity building.
WARNING: These won’t guarantee complete protection from the virus. These are just some tips to improve your immunity! Keeping yourself healthy is important no matter what the situation and this is just an effort towards that.
Choose good fresh ingredients
Fresh food like fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are an important part of our diets. If you choose fresh products that haven’t been tampered with through processing, then your meal will retain its wholesomeness. Organically grown food is the best to help in immunity building.
Fresh and sustainable meat in controlled quantity is recommended.
Immunity boosting food and spices:
Remember the time your mother or grandmother had to force Tumeric milk down your throat? Yes, you hated it. But that turmeric will be a lifesaver right now. Tumeric has detoxifying agents and it helps build immunity. So drink up that haldi doodh you hate so much. Incorporate mild spices into your food. Cumin, cardamom, and black pepper are good additions to build immunity.
There are many immunity-boosting foods that you can gorge on. Garlic is such a thing. Apples also help maintain to immunity system as it has plenty of antioxidants to help. It also acts as a source of fibre to help with digestion. Eat papaya after lunch to improve digestion and immunity. Have a lot of leafy greens and whole grains. Also, another recommended product is Chawanprash. It is the perfect blend of all the immunity-boosting herbs there are!
Last but not the least, our favorite ghee. Ghee is a loved ingredient in Indian kitchens and rightfully so. Ghee is easily digested and helps build up your immunity.
Tea that heals
There are many herbs and spices used in Ayurvedic healing to boost immunity and keep us healthy. Tulsi is Ayurveda’s favorite. Incorporate Tulsi into your tea every morning. Speaking of tea, ginger and honey tea is also very beneficial in keeping cold and soars at bay. Adding cinnamon and cardamom into your tea will be very helpful in boosting immunity. Green tea has many antioxidants that will build up your health tremendously. It helps in improving digestion and immunity both! TIP: add honey, mama mia!
Chamomile tea and lavender tea are soothing on the soul and immunity is an added benefit.
Regular exercise
All of us were suddenly thrown into our houses and all our physical activities put on hold. But that doesn’t mean you cannot move about your own house. Regular exercise is an integral part of staying healthy. Make more time, fewer excuses! Crunch in some crunches or pushups. Or do some skipping and jogging. Or yoga is a good way to go for the lazy bums who don’t feel like doing strenuous exercise. Exercise also improves mood and energy levels. Put on your exercise shoes or take out your yoga mats and get to work.
Sleep proper, sleep plenty
This is my favorite part (yes I should take my own advice and exercise. Shoo!). proper sleep in important. When you sleep, your body gets to work. It heals you internally for the next day. Your body distributes the immunity cells like cytokines throughout you. At least 7-8 hours of sleep is recommended. To ensure you get quality sleep, follow good sleep hygiene. It is recommended that you turn off the electronics at least two to three hours before bed, and avoid violent or stressful books or conversations.
Keep healthy, stay hydrated and stay safe!
