Introduction
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, virus experts are warning that the most likely way to contract the virus is through contact with contaminated surfaces. This means that it is important to be mindful of what you touch and what you eat. Eating the wrong foods can put you at risk of contracting the virus, while eating the right foods can help protect you. In this article, we will discuss the foods that you should avoid and the foods that you should eat in order to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19.
Virus Experts Warn You’re Most Likely to Get COVID Like This — Eat This Not That
As the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts are warning that certain dietary habits may increase your risk of contracting the virus. According to a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, people who consume a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats are more likely to contract COVID-19 than those who eat a balanced diet.
The study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, looked at the dietary habits of more than 1,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19. The researchers found that those who ate a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats were more likely to test positive for the virus than those who ate a balanced diet.
The researchers also found that those who ate a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were less likely to test positive for the virus. They concluded that a healthy diet may help reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The findings of the study suggest that people should focus on eating a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eating a diet that is low in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats can help reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
It is important to note that the study did not prove that eating a healthy diet will prevent you from getting COVID-19. However, it does suggest that eating a balanced diet may help reduce your risk of contracting the virus.
If you are looking to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, experts recommend eating a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eating a diet that is low in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats can also help reduce your risk of contracting the virus.
The BA.5 subvariant is now responsible for over 88% of COVID-19 cases in the US, scientists warn, making it the most dominant strain. “While it is difficult to predict what variants will arrive next, we scientists cannot rule out the possibility that some of these variants could lead to increased disease severity and higher hospitalization rates,” says Suresh V. Kuchipudi, PhD, Professor and Chair of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Penn State. “As the virus continues to evolve, most people will get COVID-19 multiple times even if they are vaccinated and boosted.” Here are five ways you’re most likely to get COVID, according to experts. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Not wearing a mask in crowded areas (especially indoors) may raise your risk of getting COVID.
“If COVID-19 is spreading in your community, stay safe by taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue. Check local advice where you live and work,” advises the World Health Organization. “Do it all! Make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people. The appropriate use, storage and cleaning or disposal of masks are essential to make them as effective as possible.”
Although masks are still required in airports, people are not wearing them—making airports a high-risk area for getting COVID. Virologist Angela Rasmussen was alarmed to see so few people wearing masks at the airport during a recent trip to Southern California. “This is what happens when you don’t have politicians and leaders taking a strong stand on this,” she says.
Keeping track of COVID cases in your community is crucial for adapting behavior to the risk level, according to the CDC: “Many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people. At the same time, some people—such as those who are older, are immunocompromised, have certain disabilities, or have certain underlying health conditions—continue to be at higher risk for serious illness.”
“If there’s a lot of COVID in the environment – and there is in most parts of the United States right now – if you want to be protected against getting COVID, you have to wear a good mask in crowded indoor spaces,” says Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “Those are the places where you’re most likely to get it. You need to pay a little bit of attention to distancing. If you are going to be indoors, particularly if you’re maskless, you need to think about ventilation and making sure the space is well-ventilated. So none of these things are failsafe. But if you do all of them, then there’s a good chance you will remain COVID-free.”
Although reinfections can happen, being fully up to date on vaccines and boosters is still the most effective way to protect against serious complications from the virus. “This could be confusing and frustrating for some, and may contribute to vaccine hesitancy,” says Dr. Kuchipudi. “Therefore, it is essential to recognize that vaccines protect you from severe disease and death, not necessarily from getting infected.”
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted 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.
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