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Nutrition is the most important element of our well-being: everything we bring to the table contributes to health, so it is good to make correct choices when it comes to diet. During this period it is more important than ever, as food also provides energy and nourishment to the immune system.
In recent months we have had to learn to face an invisible but dangerous enemy, the COVID-19. A healthy diet can, as we have seen, strengthen our immune defenses. Furthermore, eliminating some particular nutrients from the diet helps to remove food from the virus as well, decreasing the risk of developing the most severe symptoms of the disease. This strategy has been studied since Dr. Samir Giuseppe Sukkar, director of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, and from Dr. Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic, both operating at the San Martino Polyclinic Hospital in Genoa.
The two doctors conducted research published on Nutrition, in which they highlighted how the adoption of a ketogenic diet – that is low in carbohydrates and high in lipids – reduces the risk of developing the so-called “cytokine storm”. This phenomenon increases inflammation in the body, increasing health problems in those who have contracted the Coronavirus. In particular, the study showed that, in patients subjected to this diet, there was a reduced mortality rate and the need for hospitalization in intensive care.
Among the foods that cannot be missing in the case of a ketogenic diet there is extra virgin olive oil. Main condiment for those who follow aMediterranean-type food, is the perfect complement to many dishes. It is in fact a product rich in nutrients essential for our well-being, including monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants – especially polyphenols and vitamins A and E.
Extra virgin olive oil, as explained to us by the Dr. Laura Giori, a nutritionist biologist, helps protect our body from numerous diseases such as metabolic disorders, chronic inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Of course, don’t overdo the quantities: EVO oil is still a fat, and for this reason it should be used sparingly by those on a diet and want to lose weight.
EVO oil also plays an important role in the vegan diet, especially if those who adopt it usually play sports – even if only at an amateur level. The Dr. Denise Filippin, biologist nutritionist expert in 100% vegetable nutrition, in the brochure Vegan nutrition for sport created for the Scientific Society of Vegetarian Nutrition (SSNV). This type of diet contributes in fact to reduce oxidative stress related to physical activity and increases the efficiency of the immune system.
It is important, of course, to pay attention to the right amount of nutrients that we make with a vegan diet. In addition to protein, it is good to consume foods that contain omega-3 acids (just like extra virgin olive oil), iron, calcium, iodine and zinc. Furthermore we recommend theuse of vitamin B12 supplements, a substance that contributes not only to the proper functioning of the nervous system, but also to the formation of red blood cells and processes inherent in energy metabolism.
