A noble effect of the coronavirus crisis is that everyone is eager to help each other. As a result, you are probably receiving a lot of tips on healthy practices and guidelines to prevent sickness.

I want to share a few Ayurvedic principles on diet and lifestyle to build your body’s immunity.

Ayurvedic Tips on Eating Habits

Ayurvedic principles suggest how we should consume our three meals of the day. It says:

• Breakfast should be like “a prince” – well-nourished, warm, not too filling, and easily digestible food which provides strength and vigor
• Lunch should be like “a king” – a full well-balanced meal with all six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) which not only nurtures the physical body but also provides mental and emotional stability
• Dinner should be like “a beggar” – a small quantity of light food such as soup

There is a proverb that says, ‘We are what we eat’. This, however, is not the complete truth because we cannot digest everything we consume, hence more importantly, ‘We are what we digest and absorb’. Now, let’s look at a few healthy habits about diet to optimize our digestion and absorption:

• Lunch should be the main meal of the day, not dinner. The human body resembles Mother Nature and the cycle of the sun, so when the sun is at its highest peak at noontime, our digestion is the strongest.
• Eat warm and easily digestible food.
• The meals should be well-cooked and contain healthy spices.
• Eat citrus fruits daily as Vitamin C is a good source for building immunity. Eating fresh fruits provides a source of fiber and is better than drinking packaged juices.
• The best replenishment of minerals is fresh coconut water – you should drink it whenever you feel tired.
• Avoid eating or drinking anything cold.
• Eat only when hungry to keep secretions of digestive enzymes at an optimal level.
• Avoid animal protein as it is hard to digest.
• Consume one glass of vegetable juice (green and/or red) daily.
• Dry fruits are a good source of vital nutrients. For example, you can soak 5 black raisins and 5 almonds overnight, and consume those the next morning after peeling the skin off the almonds.
• Eat only until you’re 75% full because your stomach needs space for air and water to digest food well.
• Hydrate throughout the day with lukewarm water.
• Respect genuine cravings of your body and feed it with healthy foods. For example, if your body is craving something sweet, eat sweet fruits instead of ice-cream.

Some antiviral and immunity booster spices that we can easily find in our kitchen are: 

Turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, orange/lemon zest, Tulsi (Indian Holy Basil), and Amla (Indian gooseberry)

Spice Tea Recipe: Any six or seven spices can be picked from the above list. Take ¼ tsp of each spice (except black pepper which should only be a pinch) and add them to 3 cups of water. Boil it on low heat for five minutes, then let it sit for an hour. Strain and drink warm. Add a little more water if it is too spicy for you. Click here for a full Recipe.    

Lifestyle Habits You Need to Know

A few healthy Ayurvedic lifestyle tips:

• Expose your body to sunlight for at least half an hour every day. The best time for a sunbath is at sunrise and/or sunset. Avoid strong midday sun rays as they can be harmful.
• Keep the house well circulated with fresh air.
• Make sure you are getting good quality sleep according to your body’s needs. Sleep is one of the main pillars of building immunity.
• Keep the nose and throat mucus lining oily with herbal oil or good quality clarified butter (Ghee).
• Practice yoga or any other form of exercise for at least half an hour every day.
• Breathing exercises (Pranayama) are the most efficient way to optimize the function of every cell in our body. With deep and balanced breathing, we can draw more oxygen and Prana (the life force energy). It should be practiced daily for 15-20 min.

My last tip is TO STAY CALM. It is scientifically proven that stress, fear, anxiety, and anger lower our immunity.