Coronavirus kills more the elderly, men and smokers (statistically men also tend to smoke more than women) because in the end, the greatest danger with COVID-19 is illness progression to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and pneumonia. The health of your lungs and the host (YOU!) is paramount to stand a better chance at resisting and overcoming the virus if contracted.

In this blog I want to share with you what foods to avoid and which ones to eat more of to prevent create excessive mucus, cause respiratory deficiency and damage your immune system. These guidelines are also effective to heal pneumonia, manage asthma, and overall heal many respiratory tract issues. Given allergy season is about to start, it’s good info regardless of the current Coronavirus scare.

So let’s take pneumonia for instance. It’s an infection of the lungs that can be caused by any number of reasons, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. The infection causes tiny air sacs in the lung area to become inflamed and filled with mucus and pus inhibiting oxygen from reaching the blood. So you need to prevent excess mucus creation and clear inflammation form the lungs.

Thus it comes to my dietary advice to you: You don’t have to change your whole diet but you have to cut 3 food groups momentarily that increase mucus production and/or depress your immune system and add a lot of chlorophyll dense veggies.

There are 3 food that increase mucus production and that you should avoid now during cold and flu season:

• DAIRY. Avoid dairy, as in cheese, yogurt, milk and whey. Stop consuming whey protein bars, and smoothies. Go vegan for your shakes, at least during flu season. Yes yogurt contains beneficial cultures but it still increases mucus and triggers the immune system. Choose to consume pickled veggies instead or take probiotics supplements.
  • Give vegan cheeses a try during the cold and flu season: there are creamy cheeses for spreads on multi grain toasts, mozzarella like vegan cheese you can melt and cheddar like cheeses. They’re made with soy, cashew or almond milk. Try different brands. Some may taste better than others for you. And nutritional yeast, is also a great alternative to cheese in dishes (and so good on home-made pop corn with coconut oil and black pepper!)
• SUGAR. It runs down immune system, leaches vitamins & minerals from your bones, promotes/ ”feeds” free radicals, reduces the ability of white blood cells to kill germs, creates an acidic state in the body, disease thrives, and it is addictive with no nutritional value.
  • Note that sugar has many names: brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, turbinado, HFCS, crystallization fructose, sucrose, dextrose, glucose, lactose, maltose, Sorbitol, mannitol, malitol and xylitol etc..
  • Better choices in moderation include honey, dates, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, coconut syrup, agave,  green leaf stevia, lucuma, fruit (choices in italic are best).
• WHITE FLOUR. Used in cookies, simple bread, pasta, pizza and other baked goods. It is just simple sugar to your body even though it may not taste sweet. Plus if the white flour is glutenous, it may increase inflammation that much more in people sensitive to gluten.

The most important foods to consume for healthy lungs and respiratory functions are the foods rich in oxygen and chlorophyll. Which ones do you think they are?

• Eat a diet consisting primarily in raw organic fruits and vegetables.
• Drink plenty of fresh juices (limit sugar intake though!). Liquids help to thin the lung secretion. You can also fast on pure juices, fresh lemon juice and distilled water (my Clean Start program supports you in a 3-day water and high chlorophyll fast followed by a vegetable and fruit diet for 5 days). You can include green drinks in your diet daily or take chlorophyll tablets.
• Consume a protein supplement from a vegetable source such as a free-form amino acid complex. Amino acids are the building block of proteins. Non-GMO soy, pea, brown rice protein are excellent sources of nondairy protein.
• Take probiotics 3 times a day if you’ve been put on antibiotics.

My Zenberry supergreen protein powder would cover all points above by the way😊 : All the organic super greens from the land and vegetables, a plant based protein, probiotics (and enzymes!). Check it out HERE. It makes a super green drink on the go. The recipe on this blog’s featured picture is my winter antiviral shake breakfast smoothie:

• 2 cups filtered water
• 2 TBSP Zenberry Greens (or Vanilla Chai or Holy Frappe – they all have the super greens!)
• 1 TBSP almond butter
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (unless Using Zenberry Vanilla Chai)
  Blend all ingredients in a high power blender.

Do not smoke is the other big advice and try to avoid secondhand smoke. Obviously!

Let me know if you have any questions,

Stay safe!

Emma