Month: May 2020

 

Here is some great nutrition information for everyone from Jennnifer Broxterman.  Jennifer is a Registered Dietitian from London Ontario.

Here she offers healthy eating and lifestyle advice to strengthen your immune system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whole food ideas, supplement guidelines, and evidenced-based nutrition and self-care advice to help you stay healthy.

Click Here to watch and listen to her nutritional advice for everyone:

 

Here are the links to the free PDF’s that she discusses in the video above:

Eat a Rainbow of Colours (PDF Download)

Whole Food Nutrition Guide (PDF Download)

SELF-CARE LIST SUMMARIZED

1. Shift your mindset to actions that you have TOTAL CONTROL over (vs. some or no control)
2. Whole foods = preventative medicine
3. Plan ahead (batch cook, but don’t panic buy or hoard food)
4. Nutrients of focus: protein, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc
5. Stay hydrated (hot liquids help break up the mucus in the lungs)
6. Hand hygiene & frequently clean high touch surfaces
7. Parasympathetic recovery (support your rest, digest, and recovery pathways)
8. Sunlight & fresh air are natural germicidal agents
9. Practice gratitude & stoicism
10. Take action NOW and be proactive on what you have direct control over. Don’t panic, but be prepared.

 

Source:
Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD
Registered Dietitian, NutritionRx
www.nutritionrx.ca

 

International-Society-for-Immunonutrition-Position-Statement-Regarding-COVID-19-March-2020

ISIN Position Statement on Nutrition, Immunity and COVID-19

There is lack of acquired immunity in populations across the world to COVID-19, no vaccine, uncertainty about the true infection rate within countries and, the elderly are a vulnerable group (particularly those in care homes and similar institutions).

Nutritional advice is therefore, considered appropriate at this time. There is much evidence from animal and human studies that antioxidant nutrition and related nutrients support the immune system to function properly.

The general advice is to eat a diverse and well-balanced diet rich in coloured fruit and vegetables (to increase the intake of antioxidant and associated nutrients) to support immune function.

Specific advice in relation to the elderly is to increase the intake of Vitamin E (134 mg – 800 mg/day), Zinc (30 mg – 220 mg/day), Vitamin C (200 mg – 2 g/day) and particularly for those people with low serum vitamin D status, Vitamin D (10 μg – 100 μg/day). These nutrients have been shown to enhance T cell and B cell (antibody) immunity in human studies including in the elderly.

There is no specific evidence these nutritional measures can help protect against, or even lessen the effects, of, COVID-19 infection. However, it does make pragmatic sense to support nutritionally both normal health and the immune system (with doses unlikely to be harmful) before, during and after COVID-19 infection.

 

International Society for Immunonutrition (ISIN), Board members (March 2020). Laurence Harbige, Philip Calder, Ascensión Marcos, Mireille Dardenne, Gabriela Perdigón, Francisco Perez-Cano, Wilson Savino, Nora Slobodianik, Liseti Solano, Roxana Valdes.

As our scientists and researchers learn more about Covid-19, they’re discovering that poor metabolic health has made far too many people vulnerable to the disease.

“Clearly, when this pandemic subsides, a lot more attention to the American diet will be needed to ward off future medical, economic and social calamities from whatever pathogen next comes down the pike,” Jane E. Brody wrote in The New York Times.

Could this be the wakeup call people need to improve their health?  This article takes a brief look at the diet issues that contribute to Metabolic Syndrome, and beyond age, this is the biggest risk factor for illness and death from Covid-19.

 

“Stay at home, stay fit. We Cannot control the virus but we can control our fitness.” 
                                                  – A. Schwarzenegger

So far we have been physically distant and socially isolating ourselves for close to 6o days.  Our focus and goal has been to “Flatten the Curve” so that our medical system does not get overwhelmed.  We seem to be progressing well and our daily infections rates of Corona virus seem to be coming down ever so slightly.

At first we watched the news and the numbers in shock and disbelief that this was happening – we were locked down, everything was closed and we have been told to STAY HOME.

As the weeks passed, we have adjusted and found new routines for our new “normal.”

Last week we saw the provincial government start to loosen up some of its restrictions and allow some business to start opening back up with some very strict guidelines.  We are all hopeful that in the coming weeks and months we will see this increase and we can see our friends and families again.

Before we get too excited, we still have work to do of our own.  Now is the time for all of us to do our part to take care of ourselves beyond just physically distancing ourselves, wearing a mask and gloves and washing our hands.

In the coming days and weeks I plan to share with you the best advice, information and research that I have curated on how to take control and action of our own health as we consider moving back out into the world to live with the Corona virus.

Exercise and nutrition are medicine and they offer some of the best prevention and protective tools that we have available to us.

So if you aren’t walking 30 minutes/day – start today!!!  I know many of you are already walking close to an hour/day – keep it up!!   Walk EVERY day – your life depends on it.

Many of you are following the workout videos I have been putting together for you – keep it up!!  We need those muscles now more than ever!

Here is the link again to my YouTube channel where you can access all the workouts:

Click here to subscribe.

Here is some inspiration from Arnold Schwarzenegger – I think you all know who he is.  His recent video  inspiring people trying to stay strong and sane during this pandemic: “Just as long as you do something every day, that is the important thing.”

 

 

 

Hoping each and everyone of the Mothers out there have had a wonderful Mother’s Day!