The link between dietary patterns and healthy, disease-free life is no more a myth and there are hundreds of studies to prove it. but ever since this pandemic is here, it is high time to acknowledge the healthy diet and how it lowers the chance of getting COVID-19 and other diseases.
One of the many recommendations for controlling the spread of coronavirus was to follow isolation. Not meeting friends, no social gatherings, no hangouts, and visits to restaurants, all these things can make anyone stressed. And there is already a handful of research on how the coronavirus pandemic has increased the stress levels of people from all parts of the world.
For some people, food was the only relief which made them feel happy and relaxed during this stressful period. But many of them didn’t know that this unhealthy and overeating is actually increasing their stress. Many ‘comfort foods’ that include junk and processed foods are not even healthy for a normal person so eating them repeatedly during the home isolation is not a wise idea. yet people ordered foods from their fav restaurants many of which were open and delivering food at home. As a result of that, most people have gained weight during this lockdown period.
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Obesity itself it’s a risk factor for many diseases and with a pandemic around, who knows what would it invite. On the other side, ‘nutrition’ gives an impression of eating raw veggies, bland and untasteful food that no one likes. But the actual definition of a healthy diet is not as tasteless as it may look.
When health experts talk about a healthy diet and how it may play a role in preventing COVID-19 and many other diseases, they mean something that is good for health, not necessarily what is low calorie and tasteless. Using the same ingredients, one can prepare a homemade meal which tastes good and they are healthy too. According to CDC, one out of five Americans takes no vegetable sin their diet which explains why they lack basic nutrients.
In addition to this, nearly half of the population lives on the restaurant take away and junk food which is literally causing another business to bloom which is the weight loss industry. More than 45 million people from the US spend US$33 billion per year on these self-proclaimed weight loss products.
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When health experts warn about improving dietary habits, many people assume they are asking people to start eating raw veggies. But what they actually mean is to change what people eat, prefer homemade meals, and use fresh ingredients instead of processed and frozen foods. It is not as hard as it may sound.
Changing the dietary patterns and incorporating a healthy diet helps to lose weight, maintain weight, boost immunity, and save from many diseases including the COVID-19.
While social distancing, face masks, and avoiding unnecessary public tours are emphasized to control viral spread, simple things like taking care of your diet can also play a huge part in controlling the new cases.