AYURVEDIC DIETARY RULES FOR POST – COVID CARE

Those who contracted COVID are slowly coming out of their quarantine period and are eager to go back to their normal diet and routine. Hold on!!! Not yet!!!

The most important phase is the recovery period post COVID.

This period is extremely important for future health and a preparatory phase for building up your immunity; hence one must follow and give paramount importance to self care at home. The body needs time to recover further and normalize all its functions- Digestion being the most important. The Agni or Digestion may still not be at its usual optimum level of functioning and hence one must take care not to burden the Agni and be conscious about what one eats. In order to recover fully and effectively, one has to be mindful of what one eats so as to support and nourish the Agni or digestive fire.

Here are the do’s and don’ts during the recovery phase.

1. Eat light meals. The Agni is usually depleted during this period and takes time to get back to its normal functioning hence easy to digest and light meals are apt.
2. Freshly cooked & warm food is your best friend. Avoid refrigerated, processed, canned or tinned, out of the packet foods, and food cooked on the previous day as that can derange vata and further affect digestion.
3. Include Warm Vegetable soups, moong dal soup or chicken soup spiced with pepper powder, salt, ginger powder and a dash of ghee.
4. Vegetables like bottle gourd, ridge gourd, ladies finger, green leafy vegetables can be consumed.
5. Khichadi or rice cooked with moong dal.
6. Drink warm water throughout the day (best to sip during meals). Avoid cold or refrigerated water.
7. Eat fruits like Raisins, pomegranate, oranges etc. Fruits should be consumed 1-2 hours after meals and never along with meals.
8. Avoid cheese, curd / Yoghurt, Paneer, Ice cream, Maida, fried food, junk food, spicy foods & Restaurant foods.
9. Eat dinner latest by 8pm. Eat your last meal at least 2 hours before bedtime.
10. Drink a small glass of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric at bedtime.
11. Herbal teas with cumin, ginger, fennel etc can be had once a day.
12. Do not over eat. Eat to your stomach’s half capacity.
13. Chew your food properly, and avoid distractions like mobile, TV, Talking etc while eating food.
14. You can drizzle a pinch of ghee on your food while eating.
15. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
16. Once your digestion starts getting better you can take one teaspoon of Chyawanprash with warm milk or warm water on an empty stomach in the morning which will help builds up your immunity.
17. Once your digestion starts getting better you can take one teaspoon of Chyawanprash with warm milk or warm water on an empty stomach in the morning which will help builds up your immunity. Those suffering from diabetes should avoid consuming chyawanprash

Here are some simple preparations that you can prepare at home-

Kharjuradi Mantha:

Ingredients-
Seedless dry grapes 30 gms, soft dates – 20 gm, roasted puffed rice (laja)-15 gms, jaggery – 10
gm, cold water 300 ml.

Method-
Blend all the ingredients in a mixer grinder. Add cold water and stir it well. You can drink this once a day.

For better effect, take the required quantity of water and soak the ingredients for about an hour before blending. This energy drink is excellent for digestion, dehydration or fatigue. This is not to be consumed by those suffering from diabetes.

Lemon Sherbet-
In a glass of water, add the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cumin seed powder and a teaspoon of honey, mix well, and drink in between meal times preferably between 11 am to 5 pm. This helps in relieving fatigue. Honey can be skipped in case of those suffering from diabetes.

Mudga Yusha-
Take half a cup of green gram and dry roast it for 2-3 minutes, spread on a plate and let it cool for some time, soak overnight or for 7-8 hrs.

After soaking, take the green gram in a cooking vessel and add 3-4 cups of water to it, boil it on medium flame till the green gram is fully cooked (soft & mashable). Once cooked, strain the soup, add salt, pepper to taste. It can be taken as a replacement for a meal. This helps in strengthening, light on the stomach and nourishing.

Warm, fresh, light home-cooked food which is well balanced will help you recover faster and get your Agni back to normal and nourish your Dhatus, which you can resume your normal diet and eat according to your appetite.

So don’t be complacent, the actual process begins after you have come out of Covid. And continue to wear a Mask, sanitize and maintain distance.

And remember- the secret to Good health, Immunity and long life lies in the Agni !!