It has been crazy with the Coronavirus worldwide, hasn’t it? I am very sorry if you have been affected by it. I would like to share with you how to deal with this pandemic in the next few posts because there are a lot of things you can do about it through Ikigai Diet.
There are two approaches to dealing with the Coronavirus.
1, Not getting infected,
2. Keeping your condition mild, even if you are infected.
I am sure you are already familiar with the measures not to get infected: Not gathering with a group of people, keeping 2 meters distance when you see people, not staying in a closed environment, washing your hands, and wearing masks: These have been repeatedly talked about in the news.
Today, I would like to talk about measures for the second element; to keep your condition mild even if you are infected. I don’t know how long the lockdowns will continue, but I don’t think we can live like this longer than a month. Therefore we will have to go back to our routine at some point regardless of the situation. That means we will have to expose ourselves to other people, and we can’t avoid the infection entirely. It isn’t a question of if, it is a question of when we are infected.
So far, only a few people develop severe conditions after getting infected, and most people have mild conditions, and the difference seems to be in our immune system. The stronger the immune system you have, the less chance you have of being severely affected by the virus. Mind you; there have been cases with younger people becoming weak with the virus recently, and having a healthy immune system doesn’t guarantee your wellbeing anymore. Yet, I still think you will lower the chance of severely affected by the disease by building up your immune system.
It is better to have a robust immune system than not having it.
So, what can you do to boost your immune system?
1. Sleep well
Sleeping is vital for your health. One of the secrets of my wellbeing is that I sleep a lot. I sleep 8 hours a day, and it has been a routine for me for my entire life. I just love sleeping, and I have been prioritizing it over other things.
2. Don’t smoke
If you are a smoker, use this opportunity to stop smoking. Think about it. Pneumonia you might get through COVID 19 is a lung disease. The last thing you want to do is to damage your lungs.
3. Don’t consume alcohol excessively.
Drinking a mild amount of alcohol is okay, and I even recommend it in Ikigai Diet since it adds enjoyment to eating. Nonetheless, during the Corona pandemic, I would cut down the frequency because it does weaken our immune system.
4. Eat fermented food.
Eating fermented food such as miso, natto, and pickles are good for you. You can buy miso at most natural food stores these days, so I recommend that you eat miso soup once a day. Miso soup also warms up your body, and warming up your body is crucial in building up your immune system.
5. Eat seaweeds.
During the Spanish Flu Pandemic, the number of death in Japan was lower than in other countries, and one of the reasons considered to be is in our diet that we eat seaweeds a lot.
6. Eat MA GO WA YA SA SHI I
Ma stands for Mame, which means beans, soybeans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and so on.
Go stands for Goma, which means Sasami seeds. Any kinds of nuts and seeds. Almond nuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and so on.
Wa stands for Wakame seaweeds. It can be any seaweeds. Nori, konbu, hijiki, and so on,
Ya stands for Yasai, which means vegetables. A plant-based diet is a key to improving your wellbeing.
Sa stands for Sakana, which means fish. A smaller fish such as sardine and mackerel is better.
Shi stands for Shitake mushrooms. Any kind of mushrooms are okay.
I stands for Imo, which means potatoes, including sweet potatoes and taros.
7. Chew a lot.
What you eat is critical for your health, but more importantly, you need to know how to eat. One thing you can do is to chew thoroughly. You want to chew many times to breakdown the food before sending it to your stomach.
Those are seven keys to building up your immune system during this hard period. If you want to know what to eat and how to eat, please read the kindle book IKIGAI DIET.