No fear—We Got Your Back! Ways to Battle COVID-19 and Boost Your Immune System

The inevitable has happened: COVID-19 is here, right here in our community.

This global pandemic poses a lot of questions, but the one thing you may ask that’s common among so many other people right now is, “What can you do about it?”

While there are a lot of things that you cannot control at this moment, there is one that you can definitely do to protect yourself: Strengthen your immune system!

Eat right

Our immune systems can fight off the majority of sickness like this one. We need to provide it with the nutrients it needs to thrive and keep our stress levels low. Now more than ever, we need to make sure we are eating foods that are:

1. Body-nourishing (e.g., avocado, eggs)
2. Nutrient-dense (e.g., garlic, potatoes)
3. Toxic-combating (e.g., lemon, brown rice)

In your goal to eat right, it’s essential to understand that there is no single food or diet that has been proven to cure or prevent diseases. However, when you are malnourished—or lacking vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients—you are reducing your body’s ability to fight off illness and infection.

Eating a wide variety of foods each day ensures that we receive the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (supercharged antioxidants) we need to prevent diseases.

In addition to staying HYDRATED, here are some foods that you can benefit from, especially amid the coronavirus disease. This list includes affordable items that you can easily get from your local market and online shops.

What foods to stock up on:

Having known the essential foods to choose, it’s now easier to think about how to prepare for the coming weeks. With much-needed vitamins and nutrients in mind, here are some tips on what food to stock up on. Remember to think about the shelf-life and the storability of the items.

• Dry goods like rice, pasta, beans, oats. Keep grains in an airtight container in a cool, dry place to maintain the taste and quality.
• Low-sodium versions of canned goods.
• Foods with a high amount of liquids to maximize your liquid intake.
• Frozen food includes frozen fruits and vegetables as they have a longer shelf life than perishable versions.
• High-energy items like nuts and jerky, but also low-sodium dried fruit and protein bars.

Take care of your well-being

Other than consuming nutrient-dense foods, it’s essential to keep your stress level low to promote holistic health. You can achieve this through the following:

1. Have a good night's sleep. Commit to at least 7 hours of sleep.
2. Take time to meditate. It will help a lot to keep you calm.
3. Limit watching the news, no more than once a day is enough.
4. Get up, move or, do some activities, when possible, to keep yourself feeling well.
5. Do some breathing drills.

Update on COVID-19

As of March 24th:414,661 cases out of 7.8 billion people in the world 108,293 recovered. Around 95% are mild cases

"Mortality rates are very difficult to determine during disease epidemics because of challenges and delays in reporting, differences in healthcare quality in countries and communities, and a host of other factors.

What we can say at this stage is that based on current evidence the illness is mild for 80-95% of people – similar to a cold or flu.

We can also see that there are some higher-risk groups who might develop more severe symptoms including older adults and people with heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. We must also be concerned with people who are immunocompromised due to long-term illness or medications.

Currently, we are following information and guidelines from the CDC. We encourage you to do the same if you live in the USA: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html. If you live overseas, please make sure to check your country's health organization sites.

Finally, if you like statistics, charts and summaries check out: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/"-Dr. Cobb, Z-Health Performance Solutions