The COVID-19 pandemic means the majority of us are currently spending most of our days at home in self-isolation. With our daily routines undergoing substantial change, and household essentials harder to get hold of, you may be wondering how you can keep your body in top shape and nourished over the next few months, while avoiding becoming unwell.
Unfortunately, there’s no miracle cure, food or supplement that can prevent you from getting COVID-19 (which is why self-isolation is so important), but keeping your body nourished and boosting your immune system can help your ability to fight off illness.
The best way to protect yourself right now is by following healthy habits such as eating well, maintaining your vitamin intake, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.
Here are our top tips on how to keep you and your family nourished over the coming months.
Healthy eating
The advice from medical professionals is to ensure you eat healthy food over the coming months. Malnutrition can impair your ability to fight off illness and infection, so while it’s always important to eat a healthy and balanced diet, it’s especially vital now.
Ensuring you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and keeping your pantry stocked with high-protein foods would be the ideal start – however, with supermarket often emptier than usual, this may not be as straightforward as it sounds.
This means you may have to get creative with your meal plans over the next few weeks and stretch your ingredients further than usual.
It’s also crucial that you stay hydrated as even mild dehydration can be a massive stressor on your body – so make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day. Eight 8-oz glasses of water a day is the recommended amount you should aim for.
If you’re struggling to eat a healthy, balanced diet, our range of vegan protein powders could help you add extra filling power and nutrition to your meals, since they’re packed full of vitamins.
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Take some of the “sunshine vitamin”
One particularly important vitamin during a period of self-isolation will be vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 is sometimes called “the sunshine vitamin” because it’s produced naturally in your body when your skin is exposed to direct sunlight. Unfortunately, if we’re going to be indoors for extended periods of time, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to get all the vitamin D our bodies need, naturally.
Vitamin D is particularly important as it helps to facilitate the function of a normal immune system, as well as helping the body to absorb important minerals like calcium and phosphorus. A lack of vitamin D can also lead to nutrient deficiency.
Research also suggests that vitamin D may play an important role in helping the body to fight disease, and can also reduce your chances of getting the flu.
Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, such as salmon, and in milk or foods fortified with vitamin D. If you’re struggling to get hold of those foods or you follow a plant-based diet, a vitamin D supplement like our organics vitamin D3 spray could be a very useful product to have in your cupboard over the next few months.
Get plenty of vitamin C
Vitamin C is another essential vitamin you need to keep your body nourished. Your body doesn’t produce vitamin C naturally but it’s an important antioxidant that can help contribute to the normal function of your body’s immune system, and its ability to fight off illness.
Vitamin C is naturally found in a number of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, strawberries, peppers, broccoli, kale and tomatoes.
If you’re struggling to get your daily dose of vitamin C, our Organics vitamin C spray may be a good addition to your cupboards.
Consider minerals like Zinc
Another mineral which is important for the body is zinc.
Zinc keeps the immune system strong, helps heal wounds and supports normal growth. Meat is a great source of zinc, but if you follow a vegan or plant-based diet, foods such as nuts, seeds, chickpeas, lentils and whole grains all contain zinc too.
Keep kids nourished with vitamins
For parents, it’s not just keeping your own body nourished which is a concern right now.
Children are home from school and you might be more worried than usual about ensuring they get all the vitamins and minerals they need on a daily basis, especially if your food stock at home is running low.
Vitamins A, B12, C and D all play an essential role in keeping kids’ immune systems healthy – but if your children are fussy eaters it can be tricky to ensure that they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy and nourished.
Supplements can help with this and put your mind at ease that your kids are getting their daily dose of vitamins.
All our organic vitamin sprays are designed for children aged four and above which means your children can get their daily dose of vitamin B12, C or D in an easy, fun way.
Chewable multivitamins are another great alternative for children aged four and over – helping them to easily get their daily dose of vitamins A, C, D, E and K, boost their immune system and give them all the energy they need to keep going throughout the day.
Don’t forget to exercise
As well as ensuring you eat the right foods and get all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy, exercise can play an important factor in keeping your body and mind nourished during this period of social distancing.
There’s also the added bonus that endorphins from exercise can help reduce stress – something which we can all benefit from right now.
Although social-distancing is currently in place in the UK, you’re still allowed to go outdoors for exercise once a day – something you should try and take advantage of. Going for a run or a walk in the park will help boost your mood and also help you get some sunshine in your day.
If you don’t fancy getting out and about at the moment though, there are plenty of fun and creative workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Get plenty of sleep
One of the best – and easiest – ways to stay healthy is to get a good night’s sleep. That means getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night for most people.
Sleeping is an essential element in your body’s ability to recover and defend itself. While you’re asleep, your body uses the time to perform critical repair and recovery of essential functions, including your immune system.
It’s a stressful time for us all right now, but if you can, try and get your head down and get a good night’s sleep – your body will thank you.
