Introduction
Eating the wrong foods can have serious consequences for your health, especially during a pandemic. According to virus experts, the #1 worst thing you could do right now is to make unhealthy food choices. Eating unhealthy foods can weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to viruses and other illnesses. Fortunately, there is a way to make healthier food choices without sacrificing taste or convenience. The Eat This Not That guide provides helpful tips and advice on how to make healthier food choices and avoid the #1 worst thing you could do right now.
The #1 Worst Thing You Could Do Right Now, Say Virus Experts — Eat This Not That
As the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts are warning that one of the worst things you could do right now is to eat the wrong foods. According to virus experts, eating the wrong foods can increase your risk of contracting the virus and make it more difficult for your body to fight off the infection.
The foods that experts are warning against include processed foods, sugary snacks, and fast food. These foods are high in sugar, fat, and salt, which can weaken your immune system and make it harder for your body to fight off the virus. Additionally, these foods can also increase inflammation in the body, which can make it more difficult for your body to recover from the virus.
Instead, experts recommend eating a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. These foods are packed with essential vitamins and minerals that can help boost your immune system and give your body the nutrients it needs to fight off the virus. Additionally, these foods can also help reduce inflammation in the body, which can help your body recover more quickly.
So, if you want to stay healthy and protect yourself from the virus, make sure to eat the right foods. Eating a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help boost your immune system and give your body the nutrients it needs to fight off the virus.
The discovery of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has dominated headlines for more than a week. Its severity and potential impact are still unclear. But COVID cases are rising across the country, largely because of the same old story: the Delta variant spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. But experts warn that even if you’ve received a COVID vaccine, some common mistakes could put you in harm’s way in the coming weeks. These are the mistakes that doctors —from the front lines in hospitals across the country—say you should avoid right now. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
This week, some areas of the U.S. are reporting the highest number of hospitalizations they’ve seen in a year—and that’s due to the Delta variant, not Omicron, whose transmissibility and impact are yet to be determined. Doctors in some states say their hospital beds are full or nearly so. “We are really close to the maximum [number] and I don’t think we are at the peak yet. So I think this will be the highest we’ve ever seen with COVID,” Dr. Ragu Adiga, chief medical officer at Liberty Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said on Monday.
RELATED: CDC Now Says Do This Before Gathering Indoors
“If you were concerned about Delta—whatever you were concerned about last winter, is exactly how you should be now,” Dr. Mark Jaben, medical director of Haywood County, North Carolina, told WLOS yesterday, after COVID cases there doubled in one week. “It’s time to pivot and go back to being super careful, whether you’re vaccinated or not.” For example: The CDC advises wearing a face mask in public in areas where there is “substantial or high” community transmission of COVID-19—which as of today includes 90% of the U.S.
RELATED: The Most Common Age-Related Problems After 60, Say Doctors
“I want to draw attention to the dangers of the flu, which I think may cause more harm this winter than we are prepared for,” wrote Kent Sepkowitz, MD, a physician and infection control expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, on CNN.com yesterday. He fears a “twindemic” this winter in which the flu and COVID cases skyrocket, which both hospitals and individuals are ill-prepared to face: 15% of Americans have had COVID, which often causes lung damage and could make recovery from the flu more difficult.
“It’s possible that Americans who were infected with Covid-19 sometime in the last two years and who get the flu this season could develop more severe disease,” wrote Sepkowitz. “Taken cumulatively, this could lead to more hospitalizations and deaths, which could place a squeeze on medical professionals as well as available hospital beds and respirators and lead us back in the direction of the nightmare of the first months of Covid-19.”
Your move: Get the flu vaccine ASAP, if you haven’t already.
RELATED: The #1 Cause of Belly Fat, Says Science
On Tuesday, Dr. Thomas Rohs, chief medical officer of Borgess Ascension Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan, said that another wave of COVID-19 is building, and medical personnel there are exhausted. “The pandemic is seriously damaging our ability to take care of all of our dedicated, generous caregivers,” he said.
The single most effective thing you can do you can do is get vaccinated, he added. “And, know this, everyone in North America is either going to get vaccinated, or you’re going to get COVID,” said Rohs.
RELATED: 7 Signs Someone is Getting Dementia, According to Experts
The effect of vaccines and booster shots against the Omicron variant is still being studied. But according to current data, booster shots have been highly effective at reducing COVID risks so far. According to a Tuesday report in the Colorado Sun, between September and November, people in that state who got a COVID booster shot were:
- 2.4 times less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than people who had been fully vaccinated but had not gotten a booster shot
- 9.7 times less likely to test positive for COVID than unvaccinated people
- 3.3 times less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than people who had been fully vaccinated but had not received a booster
- 47.5 times less likely to be hospitalized after contracting the disease than unvaccinated people
RELATED: How to Reverse Diabetes, Say Experts
Follow the fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.