How much do we love ourselves?
By Pooja Mewani
“2020” is the year that attracted us with its number. We welcomed a year with zeal, thinking it will be a year of great achievements and accolades. People dedicatedly made new resolutions and prepped themselves up to materialise them to be implemented. And to everyone's disappointment, just as when we all had been trying to adapt to it, aspiring for more, and little did we know as to what was waiting for us, there was a sudden rift in the lifestyle. The carcinogenic virus "Orthocoronavirinae" (COVID-19) took the whole world by storm.
Were we prepared for all this? Were the warriors of our bodies ready to face this war with the virus? The virus got the human race under its power. We were acquiescent to it. The virus didn't have its discrimination nor recipes. It conquered every human life that walked the earth. Our bodily warriors succumbed to this malignant and toxic microorganism leaving us frail and fatalistic to this microbe.
Immunity is our asset and resistance is a wealth to us in such maladies. Both the outbreak and our eating habits can be controlled if we have the strong determination to fight against it.
80% of our immunity lies in our innards, that is in our GI tract. It safeguards our bodies from inside and out. These functions are healthily carried out if our insides are nurtured and fathomed with healthy food. Our gut is like a huge forest, with flora and fauna of millions of microbes residing within it. The good bacteria in our viscera (gut) provides fuel to our immune system to work at its optimal. IgA antibody, which is largely responsible to fight and locate viruses, resides in the mucosal membranes of our digestive tract. The more healthy bacteria in our gut, the higher the IgA we have. This means more troops to fight and vice - versa. The food that we eat either makes or breaks our immune system. It's our first line of defence, so it is rightly said: “FOOD BE THY MEDICINE”.
It's time to understand, stay alert, and revisit our roots.
To analyse mindfully what's on our plate, what we are feeding on, as we are just not feeding ourselves but the whole population of microbes that reside inside us. It may sound very freaky and complex at the same time but it is absolutely not. On the contrary, it is quite simple, doable and sustainable. To kickstart, the first rule is to eat what nature has given us and not what commercial advertisements offer us. Eat real foods, more plant-based foods. One should be eating at least 40 different plant foods in a week. The more diverse the foods, the more diverse your microbiome is. So fill yourselves with different colours from nature by feeding on a wider variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, herbs, spices and you will be your own healer.
What should you eat to prevent viruses and stay healthy?
1. Start your day with fruits and not caffeine. In the mornings our bodies are filled with acid and toxins. If we put more acid in our body in the form of caffeine it will wreak havoc on our gut health. Being abundant in fibre fruits are the best food to feed our gut bacteria and increase their diversity.
2. Your plate should be 50% veggies, 25% protein from plant sources, organic eggs and fish, 20% whole grains incorporated with healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, A2 desi ghee to reduce inflammation. Not all fats make you fat.
3. Nuts and seeds are great snacks to munch on. They provide nourishment, vital minerals and vitamins like magnesium, zinc, B-complex vitamins that are essential to boost up your immunity.
4. When you feel like sipping hot or taking a chill pill with a chilled drink, brew yourself a herbal tea or a healthy Kada, whip homemade buttermilk, lemon juice, and healthy smoothies made with real fruits. Spike it with some greens and herbs for added flavour and to boost your immunity.
5. Ditch processed sugar completely. Packaged foods and aerated drinks are laden with sugar and artificial sweeteners which can wipe your good gut bacteria in a snip. Eat more garlic, onions, Indian spices, curcumin, tulsi, prebiotic foods, etc.
Food is real medicine, therefore in the true sense, it is conferred upon as “ANNAPURNA‟ that gives us complete nourishment. Along with food, one should also practise yoga, meditation, gratitude, self-nurturing to lead a meaningful and holistic disease-free life. Food made with love, accepted with gratitude and prayer, relished with all senses becomes “PRASADAM‟ that heals us completely.
Don't let the virus win, let God residing within you win with mindful choices. Our Body is our Temple. Respect your body and it will love you back.
Pooja Mewani is a certified nutrition and holistic health coach, specialised in the reversal of diseases, weight management, and lifestyle modification. Out of her passion to cook healthy, she started her brand Healthywale, where she caters to healthy versions of food. She has also done her teacher training course in Yoga RYT 200 hrs.
She is a spiritual healer and believes health is real wealth that can be achieved with the right lifestyle and holistic approach. She can be reached at poomewani@gmail.com for personalised health consultations and if you want to treat your taste buds with something yummy and nutritious you can follow their handle on Facebook and Instagram.