By Gabe Sanders, Ph.D., NSCA-CSCS
Eating a balanced diet is a vital health behavior when trying to optimize your health. This is a well-known fact that is not new to society and is repeatedly expressed in health media today. Additionally, eating a balanced diet is key to boosting your immune system because it ensures your body is supercharged with all the essential nutrients it needs.
However, if you are wondering how you can supercharge your body with essential nutrients, maybe you should look into nutraceuticals.
What are nutraceuticals?
By definition, nutraceuticals are food containing healthy additives that can have medicinal benefits. The word “nutraceutical” is derived from two words, “nutrient” meaning food nourishment, and “pharmaceutical” meaning medicinal drug.
Nutraceuticals can be natural foods that are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, or foods that are fortified or enriched such as dairy products, cereals, and other plant-based whole foods. Nutraceuticals are also called functional foods because they can be used to prevent or treat disease. Given the current state of the COVID pandemic, it is advisable for everyone to “load up” on health foods and nutraceuticals.
Load up on protein and other
A daily must-have for everyone should be a fortified protein drink that includes about 20 grams of protein per drink. Protein drinks help boost your daily protein intake and protein is important for optimizing the daily functions of our cells. Other nutraceuticals such as ubiquinone (also known as Coenzyme Q10), fish oils, and glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health can improve the way your body functions.
During this pandemic, it may be even more advisable to supplement on several nutraceuticals to give your body and your immune system the best chance to fight off a virus, if you have been exposed.
Lastly, while I only provided three examples of nutraceuticals there are thousands of different nutraceuticals on the market. I recommend that do your own research and check with your physician about which nutraceuticals are right for you.
*Before starting or changing to any vitamin or dietary regimen, consult with a medical healthcare provider and/or registered licensed dietitian
Article’s Resources
Jayawardena, Ranil, et al. “Enhancing immunity in viral infections, with special emphasis on COVID-19: A review.” Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews (2020).
Calder, Philip C., et al. “Optimal nutritional status for a well-functioning immune system is an important factor to protect against viral infections.” Nutrients 12.4 (2020): 1181.
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