Nutrition after covid, practical tips and quicker recovery

 Recovering after covid is often a slow process so here some practical tips from a nutritional point of view on how to recover faster and useful advice on how to deal with common side effects after the infection

Once again is not about the quantity but the quality of food used, so when thinking about increasing your energetic intake through food is important to prefer good quality protein without increasing eccessevily the carbohydrates and fats that can be contained in the product

Some examples of nourishing meals are:

- Cottage cheese

- Low fat and low sugar nordic style yogurt (high in protein) 

- No added sugar baked beans 

- Lentil soups/ Dhal 

- Stew made with meat or Tofu/quorn as a alternative 

- Handful of nuts 

- Some other high quality protein includes: lean meat, non-fatty fish and pulses 

- Green leafy vegetables 

Another side effect is getting tired easily so how to deal with fatigue:

- Considering to introduce Vitamin and supplements if you are not taking them already could be a good idea to reach your daily dosage of essential nutrients 

- Liquid nutriticious intake could be a good compromise to stay hydrated and introducing more energy when didn't get enough through food (loss of appetite could be one reason) so milkshakes or smoothies with added vitamins and minerals are quite handy in this case, you will find a link below with more info on how to make this at home in case you are interested 

Practical advice on the most common long term side effects:

If you are taste or smell is still different some ideas to deal with this are:

- Trying to eat little and often, because small portions can help to not trigger nausea or feel forced to eat which a psychological trigger, but at the same time is essential to have an intake of nutrients and continue the recovery process

- Separate the drinks and trying to keep them far from the meal again avoid nausea as a side effect 

- The texture of the food can help too, soft/semi-liquid food can be easier to mange in these circumstances 

- On the other side "training" your smell for the next few months will help to recover faster and the process is about choosing a few ingredients and smelling the same every day by focusing on this until the smell improves or returns to normal, this is a sort of "physiotherapy for your nose"

Now let's mention some of the food to avoid or reduce in this case:

- Refined grains because of the lack of nutrients and high carbohydrates and glycemic index value

- Sweetened products including beverages and ready made food

- High content of fat will make the amount of oxygen even lower and will not help with common side effects like fatigue and shortness of breath 

Here are some more links related to the above content:

https://www.safdietitian.com/2020/03/covid-19-recipes-dietetic-advice-and.html

https://www.safdietitian.com/2021/08/home-made-meal-replacement.html