During this COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, we’re reminded by the government that the actions we’re taking are to slow the spread of the virus, which in turn helps the NHS by not overwhelming them with a huge influx of critically ill people. The message is simple, ‘stay indoors’, well, as much as possible at least – the rules are vague in my opinion.

The thing is, we’re told this is only to slow the spread or put another way, there’s a good chance that you and I will come in contact and contract the virus at some point, just later rather than sooner, if possible, please. Many don’t realise this and think it’s to stop the virus completely and stop as many people from getting it at all.

They also fear that if they get the virus, they’re certain to get severely ill and possibly die. That is despite a large percentage of people surviving and some breezing through this bearly suffering a symptom. I see this fear first hand with my wife Dana…

…As she browses the articles on the Daily Mail app, she’ll shriek something like “oh look, another young person died today, and they’ve no underlying conditions!” like its only a matter of time before we all suffer the same fate.

And, my in-laws – bless them – are so worried about Dana going to work, leaving the house and interacting with others, they’ve urged her not to go, begging “we don’t want to lose you, we’ll pay your wages”. If some of the closest people in my life are living in such fear, I assume many others are too.

I feel for those that are living in fear, scared of any contact with others outside of their home, worried their life is on the line. Is living with constant fear healthy? The answer is obvious; of course not, which is ironic; they fear getting ill, which has the potential to make them ill.

Help The NHS Workers

That aside, I can’t help but think that if the government wants to further ease the strain on the NHS, they’re missing a trick. We know for a fact that those most likely to become seriously ill and hospitalized are those with pre-existing underlying conditions and a weakened immune system. I would bet my last pound that anyone that’s died without any known underlying conditions – if further investigated – had a compromised immune system, albeit undiagnosed.

This leads me to ask, why aren’t the government giving dietary advice for boosting our immune systems? We have to admit, as a nation, we’re living in a time of ultra-processed foods and huge amounts of sugar consumption compared any other time in our existence on this planet. This is a perfect opportunity to get back to good old home cooking. Cooking whole foods, natural foods, foods that our bodies are designed to eat and in return will repay us with a robust immune system so that when we do get exposed to the virus, we give it half a chance to fight it off.

The result – a healthier nation and less strain on the NHS.

Listen To Your Cardiologist

Although the government are slow on giving this advice, there are others that are doing all they can to get this message out. Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist, is doing just that with an article in the European Scientist titled ‘Covid-19 and the elephant in the room‘. His opening line says it all…

“Obesity and chronic metabolic disease is killing COVID-19 patients: now is the time to eat real food, protect the NHS and save lives.”

He then goes onto say…

“…the elephant in the room is that the baseline general health in many western populations were already in a horrendous state to begin with. In the UK and USA more than 60% of adults are overweight or obese. “

The message which has worked well so far is ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’, but, in Aseem’s opinion, this should now be “eat real food, protect the NHS and save lives” – I agree.

We’ve evolved with viruses for millions of years. Mother Nature has blessed us with an immune system that when working efficiently can obliterate most viruses and Covid-19 is no exception. We know that those who have a compromised immune system suffer and die but those who don’t can fend the virus off.

What We Can Do?

We should give our bodies what they need to run efficiently. Things that we’ve done for millennia. Unfortunately, the way we live now, although normal to you and me, is very different from that of our ancestors. We didn’t have all this technology until recently. We didn’t have convenience stores and 24 hours Tesco’s and MacDonald’s and Just Eat delivering any fast food your heart desires. As fortunate as we are to have these luxuries, it is also our downfall having dramatic effects on our health.

This puts us at a disadvantage in that we need to fight our urges even when others around us don’t or can’t. Temptation is everywhere, but you can do it! And, when you do, your body and brain will thank you. I mean it, you will feel fantastic. You won’t know you could feel this good.

Eat Mother Nature’s Food

It’s simple… Eat whole foods, unprocessed foods, foods that we’d of eaten thousands of years ago, that Mother Nature intended for us to eat. That’s meat, and of course, that means nose to tail including offal and organ meats. Compliment your meats with vegetables, make them seasonal if you can; that’s how we’d of eaten them. Dodge the processed foods, foods that are unrecognisable from their original form. Avoid foods that contain ingredients you can’t pronounce, those full of E-numbers and preservatives.

One final rant… I seriously question the advice that we’re given to eat man-made vegetable and seed oils and spreads for improved health over animal fats like butter and lard. This makes no sense to me. We’re supposed to eat highly processed substances that our bodies have never consumed before, ever in history, over an animal product that we’ve been eating since the dawn of time? Make your own conclusions here, but I know what I choose. And, let’s be honest, things taste so much better when cooked in butter or ghee or lard or dripping.

So, if you want to help the NHS, help yourself – eat real food. Oh, and stay at home damn it!

Have a nutritious day!

There you have it! Just a reminder that I’m no doctor, dietitian or any other profession for that matter. I’m simply a bearer of information for you to do what you want with; question it, research it, erase it from your mind, you are in charge of you.