COVID-19 Tips: Take These Vitamins To Improve Your Immune System

You must have heard of old stories about citrus fruits could help in boosting your immune system. Before you begin guzzling down glasses of fresh orange juice, however, it might be wise to know first what drinks, foods, and supplements are considered beneficial. Dr. Michael Barnish MBChB, the head of Nutrition and Genetics at REVIV, gave his expert advice on what you need to do to help keep coronavirus at bay.

According to Dr. Barnish, there are several supplements, drinks, and food you can take or consume to help improve the immune system. By boosting your body’s defenses, you get a better chance when fighting off the coronavirus infection. He mentioned boosting vitamins D and C, as well as increasing intake of antioxidants electrolytes can go a long way.

Vitamin D

Deficiency in this vitamin has become a commonplace occurrence. This is caused by consuming a poor diet, avoiding the sun, having to use sunscreen when going out, and spending most of the daylight hours indoors.

Dr. Barnish said that vitamin D is very important for the normal immune function of the body. To have sufficient vitamin D, you need to expose yourself to the sun more often. If you are unable to do that, you can instead supplement the need by increasing your intake of oily fish, eggs, and mushrooms.

Vitamin C

Although it has not been proven yet that increasing vitamin C consumption will ease the symptoms or curb its spread, clinical trials are currently being done to assess its power. Dr. Barnish said that vitamin C is an important player in your body’s immune system and also a very powerful antioxidant.

You can increase your vitamin C intake by consuming fresh organic fruits, as well as vegetables are known to contain vitamin C. Potatoes have been identified as among the vegetables that contain vitamin C. Taking vitamin C supplements could also help. Some clinics offer patients intravenous vitamin C for the body to gain higher concentrations.

Antioxidants

According to Dr. Barnish, Antioxidants are required by your body to neutralize toxins or free radicals and to keep your body in a fighting fit. He said that in today’s modern world, everyone is exposed to a lot of toxins compared to in the past. Your body needs more antioxidants than what is being given by your modern and over-farmed diets.

To get your body’s full requirement, Dr. Barnish recommended taking an anti-oxidant supplement like Coenzyme Q10 or Alpha Lipoic acid, though you need to get it from a reputable retailer. You could also consume foods that are rich in antioxidants such as tomatoes, apricots, carrots, spinach, lean meat, watermelon, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and broccoli.

Electrolytes

These are tiny, charged particles that play a vital role in the functioning of the immune system. Dr. Barnish revealed you could take a magnesium supplement or restorative salt solution if you have been ill recently. Bananas are also good sources of electrolytes.