Do's and dont's for faster COVID recovery
If you have beaten COVID-19 or know someone who has, the most important thing now is to recover quickly. It is common for people recovering from this infection to experience:
Fatigue
Breathlessness
Sleeplessness
Loss of taste and smell
Changes in appetite
Depression
Despite this, the road to recovery can be fast-tracked with a few changes in your lifestyle. In fact, these habits can and should become a part of everyone's lives to improve immunity. Here are some DO's and DONT's.
Have regular, routine meals at the same time everyday.
Try to have breakfast before 8AM, lunch by 1PM, and dinner by 8PM. This aids digestion and prevents bloating and other digestive disturbances.
Loss of taste and smell might put you off food, so try to make the food tasty by adding sharp-tasting spices and herbs, like ginger, lemon, cinnamon, and bitter tasting foods. The food should not be oily, greasy, or spicy.
Don't skip meals or eat less in a day than you used to when you were well.
If full meals are difficult to eat (because of fever or change of taste), eat small meals frequently. Also, in case of reduced appetite, finish the proteins on your plate first.
Eat anti-inflammatory foods and herbs (bitter, astringent, and pungent tastes).
Like gourd vegetables (karela, lauki), methi, neem, haldi, amla, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, drumstick, and black pepper.
Avoid eating fried and refined foods.
Refined flour, refined oil, and refined sugar (white sugar) should ideally be cut off from your diets.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink 1 ltr between 2 meals.
Drink at least 3-4 litres of water in a day. This should include 1 glass of coconut water and 4 glasses of ORS (dissolve 1 packet ORS in 1 litre water and drink it in 24hrs). Tea and coffee do not count as fluids and should be avoided.
Sleep and wake up on time (10PM to 6AM is ideal). Sleep at least 7-8 hours at night.
This is one of the most neglected, yet one of the most important habits you should inculcate. Sleep plays a most important part in developing our immunity.
Do yoga, meditation, and walk for at least 10 minute everyday.
But remember not to overexert yourself. If you feel breathless or tired, take a break. If your Doctor has given specific advice regarding exercise, follow that.
Avoid stress. Don't watch news or scroll through social media.
Your mental health is perhaps the most important aspect in your recovery. Avoid any COVID-related news for at least 2 hours after waking up and 2 hours before sleeping. Instead, dedicate that time to energize your mind and body by doing yoga, meditation, listening to positive talks, spending quality time with your family, and doing things that relax you and make you happy.
If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at drparulagrawal09@gmail.com.
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