Change food Habits to fight COVID-19, Suggestions from two Indian scientists of DST Ministry

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, foods you eat plays a great role in improving immunity. Choosing the right food is a must especially when you are fighting a disease that hardly has any prescribed treatment, vaccine and therapeutic recommendations.

See what two senior scientists from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has to say on eating habits during COVID-19. Their recommendations and guidelines are based on the ancient healing system of India—Ayurveda.

(A) Maximum use of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, wholegrain foods, unsaturated oils;; and stop eating junk and sugary food. Apart from food, guidelines also recommend physical exercises, meditation and adequate sleep, and good exposure to sunlight.

(B) Limits the intake of soda, salt, sugar and trans fats (take rock salts, jaggery or honey and unsaturated fats instead), & Stop Eating junk and sugary food.

(C) Apart from food, guidelines also recommend physical exercises, meditation and adequate sleep, and good exposure to sunlight.

In fact even governments of most countries and several authorised international health agencies like the World Health Organisation, the British Dietetic Association and the UD Food and Administration has stressed on these guidelines though without referring Indian healing system—Ayurveda (आयुर्वेदा ).

According to the two Indian scientists, Jyoti Sharma  S.K. Varshney, senior scientists from the Department of Science and Technology of India, who have done an in-depth study of Ayurveda for curing people,  Indian ancient healing system stands on four pillars

 1) Aahar (diet)

2) Vihar (lifestyle)

3) Achar (conduct of individual with the external world)

4) Vichar (mental health).

In ancient healing system of India, food is like a medicine that can recuperate an individual by establishing the connection between elements of life, food, and body. Individuals’ temperament, physical and emotional states can be determined and regulated by their food choices, quantities, and lifestyle.

It is well known that there is a close relationship among genes, environment, food, and emotional factors that lead to a bidirectional vicious cycle of mood, food, and lifestyle diseases.

Ayurveda recommends the intervention of healthy lifestyles, meditation, pranayama, adequate sleep, and Satvik food to live a healthy, peaceful life and fight against various diseases including COVID-19.

The scientists claimed that proper food selection and dietary schedule help to maintain holistic health with a calm mind. Bhagwad Gita and Yoga Shastras divided food into three types based on their qualities (termed as gunas).

They are 

(A) Sathva (satoguna), Good to take. A Satvik diet is meant to include foods and eating habits that are natural, vital and energy-containing and provides calmness, purity and promote longevity, intelligence, strength, health and delight. Examples of Satvik food items are fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, cereals, nuts and seeds, low-fat milk and milk products, pure fruit juices, and cooked food that is consumed within 3-4 hours of cooking,

 (B) Rajasa (rajoguna): Avoidable. A Rajasic diet, the mode of passion, is one that is overly spicy, hot, or fried with pungent, sour, and salty taste. Rajasic food possesses attributes of negativity, passion, and restlessness. Examples of Rajasic food is caffeinated drinks (like coffee, fizzy soft drinks, tea), sugary foods (chocolate, cake, biscuits, chips, etc), or spicy food.  As these foods are rich in glucose, they may provide immediate energy but eventually destroys the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind.

(C) Thamasa (tamoguna) (Should not take): A Tamsik diet, the mode of ignorance, is one that consists of overcooked, stale, fast, reheated, microwaved, or frozen food; dead food such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs; alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs of addiction. Tamsik foods are hard to digest and gift inertia, dullness, and induce sleep. All these are an important cause of obesity, diabetes, heart, and liver disease.

Rajasic and Tamsik foods, available as processed and junk foods, are full of carbohydrates, sugar, and trans-fat in high proportions. The combination of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar has become a primary choice of food industries as a sweetener due to its better shelf-life, more palatability and competitive price. This resulted in an additional 30% increase in overall sweetener intake and inability to regulate the hormones insulin and leptin and to inhibit the production of ghrelin, all factors that are known to affect the satiety centre in our brain, regulate blood glucose levels and appetite. Fast foods and fried foods like French fries, doughnuts, cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, and stick margarines are made up by using hydrogenated or artificial trans-fats (or trans-fatty acids) which meets their food processing needs, easy to use, inexpensive and can be used many times in the commercial fryers. High sugar, high-fat and animal protein diets lead to disruption in the regulation of blood glucose levels, fat build-up in the liver, high uric acid concentrations reduced kidney function and increase in arteriolar thickening, and fat deposition.

Food rich in Prana (Life-Force):

It is a combination of carbohydrates, fats, rich in dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants with a limited amount of sugar, salt and oil, and no animal fat. It can be digested easily and utilize the six tastes in Ayurveda (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent). Satvik food with recommended physical exercise, adequate rest, and a positive mindset is a source of energy and can reduce the risk of high body mass index, coronary artery disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Satvik food is pure, natural, strong, wise, and full of energy to provide calmness and peace to the mind, thereby resulting in longevity of life in an individual.

Rajasic and Tamsik food:

Some food articles like onion, garlic, asafoetida, caffeinated tea, and coffee; fried, spicy, high in sugar, and junk foods induce restlessness, lethargy, and sleep. Food like garlic and onion may be good as medicine but not for daily consumption. The daily consumption of food, which stimulates the nervous system, may lower the possibilities of experiencing life.

Self Care Guidelines for COVID-19: Self-care guidelines for preventive health measures and boosting immunity include herbal tea and decoction (Kadha) made from Tulsi, Dalchini, Kalimirch, Shunthi (Dry Ginger) and Munakka (Raisin) with jaggery and/or fresh lemon juice to enhance the taste as immunity promoting measures against COVID-19.

The Guidelines of AYUSH Ministry also asked to cold, frozen, and heavy foods, which is a clear indication to avoid Rajasic and Tamsik food. It asked people to take appropriate rest, timely sleep, exposure to sunlight, and practice of Yogasana and Pranayama so as to balance our body, mind, and lifestyle.

At a time when COVID 19 is spreading exponentially, the AYUSH Ministry has recommended that in this time of uncertainties and non-availability of treatment, it is important to remain healthy and peaceful. Good food with other recommendations, as explained in the above table, would help in building up our immunity as well as burst the stress while combating against COVID-19.

Recommended Food	Avoid (but could be taken rarely to satisfy taste buds)	Not Recommended
Fibrous food in the form of raw or freshly cooked colourful vegetables and fruits (good sources of vitamins A, C and E, as well as antioxidants, folate, and fibre (opt steaming, grilling or sautéing cooking methods)	Less spicy and oily food Garlic, onion, unseasonal veggies in a limited amount	Fried, over spicy and overcooked, or stale food
Pulses and wholegrain foods (oats, brown pasta, millet, and rice, quinoa and whole-wheat fresh chapatis and wraps)	Brown bread	Refined, processed grain foods (white pasta and rice, and white bread), deep-frozen foods
Low-fat or reduced-fat versions of milk and dairy products like curd, yoghurt (rich in probiotics that strengthen the digestive tract).	White meats like poultry and fish that are generally lower in fats than red meat; processed meat (though it is not a part of Satvik food)	Red meat
Unsalted nuts and seeds (like pumpkin, sunflower, and flax). They are great sources of vitamin E, niacin, riboflavin, protein, healthy fat, antioxidants, and fibre.	Homemade low fat/sugar snacks like idli, dosa, dhokla, upma, daliya, brown bread with pea-nut butter	Snacks that are high in salt and sugar (cookies, samosa, cakes, and chocolate); pickles, jams
Egg yolks, and fortified breakfast cereals	Canned food, used after washing it to remove extra salt or sugar
Unsaturated fats (e.g., found in fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils). The fat intake is recommended less than 30% of total energy intake, of which no more than 10% should come from saturated fat.	Saturated fats (e.g., found in fatty meat, butter, coconut oil, cream, cheese, and lard)	Trans-fats (processed food, fast and fried food, snacks, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarines, and spreads)
Fresh fruit juices, low-fat lassi, chaaz, lemon water, coconut water/ hot water, herbal tea (packs a big punch of polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants that destroy free radicals)	Soft drinks or sodas and other drinks that are high in sugar (e.g., packed fruit juices; fruit juice concentrates and syrups; flavoured milks and water; energy and sports drinks; and yogurt drinks, caffeinated tea, coffee, ready-to-drink tea, and coffee	Alcohol, tobacco, drugs
Honey and jaggery	Brown sugar	White sugar
Indian herbs: Coriander (Dhaniya), turmeric (contain Curcumin), fenugreek (methi), tulsi (Basil), cumin (jeera), fennel (sonph), cloves, black pepper (Kalimirch, contain Piperine), cinnamon (dalchini), ginger and curry leaves.   These spices have antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, act as an immune booster and may help to flush out any sinuses from the body. Rock salt (limit salt intake to 5 grams (equivalent to a teaspoon) a day.	Iodised salt	Non-iodised salt

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com