How should you “eat” after becoming “yang”?

There are two points worth noting about how to eat after becoming "yang". I will mention them first:

1. Don’t eat fish with small bones!

2. Don’t take supplements blindly and in large quantities!

Recently, many people in Beijing, Guangzhou and some places in Hebei have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the test results are positive, commonly known as "positive". It is conceivable that similar situations will occur across the country in the next period of time.

After being infected with the new coronavirus, a "war" actually breaks out in our bodies. The two sides of the war are the virus and our immune system. In this war, logistics support is very important. After being infected with the new coronavirus, if you can eat and drink well and provide ammunition for the immune system, it is very important for recovery .

So, the question is, if you are really infected with the new coronavirus, what should you eat and how should you eat during home isolation? This matter needs to be discussed according to different situations.

01

Good appetite

Many people are now dieting to lose weight. However, once you are infected with the new coronavirus, you should put this demand aside for the time being. Adjust your diet plan appropriately to keep your body "full" so that the immune system can play its best role in fighting the virus. If the symptoms caused by the new coronavirus are not serious and your appetite is generally good, then you can eat according to the "Balanced Diet Pagoda" provided in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents".

Among them, vegetables (300-500 grams per day), fruits (200-350 grams per day), various nuts, and whole grains should be consumed as much as possible. Protein-rich beans (25-35 grams per day of soybeans and nuts), fish and shrimp, lean meat, eggs (120-200 grams per day of animal food, including one egg), and dairy products (300-500 grams per day) must be consumed.

In addition, you should control the intake of oil and salt and drink more water .

There are several key points here:

1. Ensure high-quality protein intake

If the immune function wants to work effectively, it must be inseparable from protein. After we are infected with the new coronavirus, the immune system begins to work efficiently to fight the virus in the body. At this time, it will also accelerate the consumption of protein.

Therefore, we must pay attention to supplementing protein through diet . Every meal should consume 15-30 grams of protein. It is worth mentioning that if you can consume enough protein every day, it can not only better play the role of fighting viruses , but also prevent the occurrence of cell autophagy to a certain extent, which is conducive to recovery.

Some elderly people may already be facing the problem of muscle failure, which makes it even more important to ensure the intake of at least 0.83 grams of high-quality protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

The following table shows the "Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score" (PDCAAS) of some common foods and ingredients. The highest value of this score is 1. It means that it can provide 100% of the essential amino acids needed by the human body.

Pay attention:

Although fish is a very good source of protein, it is important to remind you to try not to eat fish with small bones during the epidemic !

The recent epidemic situation has led to a shortage of emergency resources in major hospitals. If you get a fish bone stuck in your mouth, you may not be able to get timely help. To avoid risks, don't eat fish with small bones. You can also consider buying fish fillets that are completely boneless.

In addition, some people often worry that eggs are "irritating" and should not be eaten too much. In fact, this is a rumor and cannot be trusted !

2. It’s best to eat some whole grains

In addition to high-quality protein, carbohydrate intake must also be guaranteed. They mainly provide energy for our body's daily activities. Among energy-supplying substances, it is easier to digest and absorb.

Here, I would like to say in particular that it is recommended to choose foods with a low glycemic index , such as whole grains such as oats, millet, and unprocessed corn . In addition to providing you with energy, they will also add some dietary fiber.

02

Severe symptoms and loss of appetite

If your symptoms after infection are relatively severe and you have almost no appetite, you will need to make more adjustments to your diet.

1. Fever and loss of appetite

In this case, you can try to eat some food that is high in nutritional density but appetizing and easy to digest: milk (if you are not lactose intolerant), egg custard/steamed egg with minced meat, vegetable and minced meat/shrimp porridge, wontons, tomato soup with fish/shrimp, tomato egg drop soup, vegetable and minced meat noodles/rice, vegetable and egg noodles/rice... and so on.

But be careful to avoid greasy and difficult to digest foods , such as roast chicken, roast duck, fatty meat...

The reason why we recommend eating foods with high nutrient density is that when a person has a fever, the body's basal metabolism increases. Generally speaking, for every 1°C increase in body temperature, the basal metabolism increases by 10%-12.5%[2], and nutrient catabolism also increases. In other words, when a person has a fever, the body's consumption increases.

However, at this time, the activity of digestive enzymes in our body will decrease and the secretion of digestive juices will decrease. This is why when we have a fever, we will feel that we have no appetite and don’t want to eat.

On the one hand, body consumption increases, and on the other hand, appetite and digestive function decrease. If you do not actively supplement nutrition , it will easily lead to insufficient nutrition intake and affect recovery.

2. Sore throat

You can eat anything you can eat. However, some foods can help relieve the symptoms of throat discomfort: ice cream, refrigerated/frozen yogurt, refrigerated milk, jelly, canned peaches and other canned fruits, oral rehydration salts, sports drinks...

Some people who have been infected with the new coronavirus reported that the most painful thing after infection is the sore throat, "like swallowing a razor blade." A sore throat to this extent will definitely affect eating.

At this time, eating food that is slightly cooler can help relieve the pain in the throat . But it is best to eat and drink in small sips. At the same time, sugar can also make you feel better. However, if you need to control your blood sugar, you need to choose sugar-free products.

3. Loss of taste

After the sense of taste is lost, you should pay special attention to oral hygiene . You can smell slightly stimulating smells , such as lemon, rose, etc., for 20 seconds each time, and twice a day is enough.

You can also consider adding sour and spicy seasonings or side dishes to your meals according to your personal taste, such as vinegar, lemon juice, tomato juice, kimchi, pickled radish, spicy cabbage, etc. (If your throat is uncomfortable, forget it)

In addition, canned fruits with sweet and sour taste, such as canned hawthorn and canned orange, are also good choices.

4. Heavy sweating and persistent diarrhea

In this case, you should pay attention to the body's electrolyte balance. If you don't have rehydration salt or sports drinks, you can drink some light salt sugar water. However, when you sweat a lot or have persistent diarrhea, it is best not to drink a lot of boiled water alone, as drinking a lot of boiled water will further aggravate the electrolyte imbalance. You should also eat less food that easily produces gas in the intestines, such as lactose-containing milk, raw white radish, a lot of potatoes, beans, etc.

You can also consider freezing rehydration salts or sports drinks into smoothies and taking small sips to relieve sore throat while replenishing fluids and electrolytes.

5. Problems with chewing and digestion, vomiting

If you have problems with digestion and chewing, consider eating some liquid food!

If adjusting your diet does not work well, or even causes anorexia and other problems, you can use enteral nutrition preparations under the guidance of a doctor or clinical nutritionist. If the situation is particularly serious, you will need to receive parenteral nutrition treatment.

If vomiting continues, it is best to separate wet and dry food when eating. Eat drier meals and then take time to drink water after eating.

6. Malnourished people

If the infected person suffers from anorexia, or is very thin and malnourished, it is even more necessary to ensure calorie intake.

It is generally recommended to "eat small and frequent meals" . You can eat 6 meals a day and add some snacks. Of course, the time for snacks should be slightly apart from the time for meals.

In this case, you should not consume too much fat , but you can supplement omega-3 fatty acids appropriately. It may inhibit the replication of some viruses and may even have some anti-inflammatory effects.

In addition to reducing fat appropriately, you should also avoid excessive salt in your diet, including drinks. Of course, you can still supplement your nutrition with some electrolyte drinks or directly take some enteral nutrition preparations.

03

Dietary Supplements

"Immunity" is closely related to seven nutrients: protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, iron and zinc . These nutrients can help maintain normal immune function. On the one hand, if these nutrients are lacking, normal immune function will be damaged; on the other hand, the consumption of these nutrients will increase in the process of the immune system clearing viruses.

However, it is important to note that, except for vitamin D, the other six nutrients can be fully obtained from daily diet. Therefore, it is recommended that you should still take them through a balanced diet. As for vitamin D, you can consider taking additional supplements, generally 400 IU per day, and no more than 2000 IU.

Of course, during the COVID-19 infection, some people have no appetite at all and cannot eat. It is indeed difficult to get enough nutrients through a balanced diet. In this case, you can also choose multivitamin supplements to supplement, just follow the instructions when taking.

Knock on the blackboard again:

Although nutrients are good, improper intake can also lead to excessive intake . Excessive intake of some nutrients can increase the body's burden, suppress immune function, and may even cause poisoning. Therefore, never take a large amount of a specific nutrient supplement without authorization!

It is particularly worth mentioning that during the epidemic, many people are very concerned about the supplementation of vitamin C, and may even take large amounts of water-soluble vitamin C for a long time. This practice may also cause serious side effects, such as acidifying urine and increasing the risk of kidney stones. This practice will also interfere with the absorption and utilization of other nutrients; discontinuation of use may cause rebound scurvy.

To sum up, generally speaking, it is recommended that everyone eat a balanced diet according to the dietary guidelines .

Finally, knock on the blackboard:

Don't eat fish with bones!

Don’t take supplements blindly!

Author: Gu Zhongyi

Review | Ruan Guangfeng Director of Science and Technology Department of Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center