Nutrition management for Covid-19 patients

May 22, 2021Articles2

Good nutrition is crucial for health particularly in times when the immune system might need to fightback. As diet is the integral part of life for a person whether he is healthy or sick and the disease like COVID-19 that has already shook the world by its effects, has drastic impact over human body.Nutrition management for COVID-19 patients is as important as for other serious diseases.

Here dietary strength has utmost importance for a COVID-19 patient to recover from this life threatening disease.
Nutrition management for mild symptoms-
• Good nutrition helps the body fight infections, so provide adequate but not excessive nutrients (avoid overfeeding) and maintainence of healthy body weight is important.
• The food should include a variety of foods including energy-rich foods, meat, milk, legumes and pulses, fruits and vegetables.
• Consider supplementation with vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin A, B6, D,E, iron, folate and fiber if not getting from the diet.
• Coughs can be relieved by use of soothing foods such as warn liquids vegetable soup or chicken soup, warm water,some honey with ginger or saunth.
• Sore throat can be relieved by taking tea, honey, ginger, tumeric, sage.
• The use of following culinary herbs are beneficial –
• Kalonji –

• Turmeric –

• Ajwain –

• Cinnamon –

• Ginger –

• Sage –

• Oregano –

• Mulethi –

–
• Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is encouraged to improve antioxidant levels in the body.

• Ensure enough sleep, reduced stress, exercise, avoid intake of alcohal and tobacco products.
Nutrition management for mild symptoms with dyspnoea –
• Adequacy of macronutrients intake to be ensured.
• In case of dyspnoea (Shortness of breath), reduce carbohydrate quantity and stress on low glycemic index carbohydrates and meals to facilitate less generated.
• Fat is an important source of calories and the quantities can be Incre-
ased in dyspnoea, simultaneously keeping in mind any cardiovascular or dyslipidemic co- morbidities present.
• Fats to be used for cooking can be primarily groundunt, soya, til, rice bran oil and canola oils.
• Oils like coconut oil orghee can be used to increase caloric density.
• Micronutrient rich nuts and seeds should be included in forms that are easy to ingest.
• Sources of omega 3 fats like flax seeds, walnuts, fatty fish must be included to boost immunity and decrease inflammation.

• Eat proteins from a good source like eggs, dairy, legumes, pulses and lean meat in addition to a healthy diet.
Maintaining fluid status with mild symptoms –
Hydration and nutrition play an important role in the body’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 virus. Factors creating fluid deficits are as follows-
• Fever and sweating
• Coughing and breathing
• Vomitting or diarrhoea
• Fluid deficits due to less intake of fluids
To recover and to avoid fluid deficits these points should be followed –
• Drinking water and liquid beverages are important even if not thirsty.
• It is recommended to replace body’s fluid losses to thin respiratory secretions.
• Frequent small sips of liquids every few minutes would be helpful.
• for vomitting or diarrhoea, oral rehydration solution can be consumed in addition to water.
• One can use a variety of liquids to avoid taste fatigue.
• Including liquids such as butter milk, lime water, ice tea, unsweetened fruit juices, moong pani can be recommended to increase the fluid intake.

I hope this article on Nutrition management for COVID-19 patients gives more understanding about COVID patient care.

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