Six advice to increase your family’s resistance in COVID-19 pandemic

During the outbreak, improving physical health is considered especially to prevent the disease. The advice below will support you protect your family throughout the epidemic:

1. Food group's diet according to recommendations of Vietnam National Institution of Nutrition includes starchy carbs, fruit & veg, protein, milk and dairy product, fat.

• Provide physical self enough nutrients such as fat, protein, starchy carbs that one may ensure the body functions perform well and overcome sickness. 
• The body is full of necessary nutrients which means we have a strong immune system and strengthen resistance. 

2. Provide enough nutrients included vitamins and minerals to boost immunity. Not only vitamin C but also vitamin A, D, E, iron, zinc, selenium, and antioxidants like Flavonoid. 

• Vitamin C: support to produce interferon - important protein of the immune system, fight against new virus. Foods contain vitamins including guava, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, grapes, tomatoes, cauliflower, turnips, bell peppers. 
• Vitamin A and Beta-carotene: Vitamin A is found in animal liver, egg yolks. Beta-carotene (precursor of Vitamin A) is found in vegetable and yellow, orange and red fruit such as tomatoes, carrot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, papaya, etc.
• Vitamin D has various roles in the immune, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and nervous systems. Vitamin D is created underskin accounting 80-90% by solar ultraviolet radiation B (UV-B) and about 10-20% by diet. Therefore, we should sunbathe for 15-30 minutes every day or increase eating food full of vitamin D. 
• Minerals such as iron, zinc are also extremely important. Selen is a strong antioxidant that contains brown rice, fish, barley, shrimp, and seaweed. Zinc contains shellfish and seafood, for example, oyster, crabs. Iron has red meat, animal liver, broccoli, spinach, and nuts. 
• Can not prepare meals as recommended, be able to add multi-micronutrient preparations following medical staff’s instruction and shouldn’t buy and use arbitrarily.

3. Drink an adequate amount of water depending on the need of each person including filtered water, juice, milk, soup, etc.

• Children from 6 months to 3 years old: 1 liter per day 
• Children over 3 years old: 1,3 liter per day 
• Children over 10 years old and adult: 1,6-2,4 liter per day depending on the level of activity within a day.

Shouldn’t drink water because you’re thirsty. Within a day, divide several times for drinking with a suitable amount of water every time, not too much or not too little. Beverages such as carbonated soft drinks and caffeinated beverages cannot replace filtered water.

4. Living in moderation

• Regularly exercise: Although being recommended not to go outside, everyone still needs to maintain physical activities. Instead of going to gym or exercise in the park, you can do it at home for example skipping, running, aerobic, etc.
• Get enough sleep: sustain sleeping soon habit especially children. Getting enough sleep to help the body relax and recover.

5. Wash hand: wash hand regularly; avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth; cleaning house also keeps the environment airy.

6. Full injections to avoid getting sick that leads to reduced resistance. 

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Author MS. Dr. Le Thi Kim Dung 

• More than 10 years of experience working at Children 1 Hospital, Medical and Pharmacy Hospital, etc.
• Specializing in pediatric examination and consultation, digestive disease, pediatric respiratory disease, allergies, respiratory tract disease. 
• International Training in Nutrition Certification in Israel; Medical Training Certification respectively pediatric respiratory disease, digestive disease, immunizations, allergies, and breastfeeding. 

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