As a nutritionist, I rely heavily on food to deliver high quality healing nutrients to my clients however, it’s not always enough. I know what you are thinking. How can food not be enough? The sad truth is most people fall short when it comes to getting all of the recommended nutrients to fulfill their basic nutritional needs. Once illness is present, those requirements go way up and it’s often just not possible to get enough from food alone.

Food quality plays a huge role here. So much of our food is grown in poor quality depleted soil and then treated with harsh chemicals.  It may look pretty but actually have less nutrients and often less taste than food did in the past. For example, have you ever bitten into a red tomato just to taste nothing? I have and not to age myself but I remember eating tomatoes like they were apples when I was kid and just biting into them savoring every flavor.  I wouldn’t do that with most of the conventionally grown produce today. Vegetables start losing some of their nutritional value just days after being cut. Think about how long and how far most produce travels to make it to your store where it then sits for more days waiting to be purchased.  In NY, I am very lucky to live close to farms and have access to organic fresh produce on a regular basis but most people are not so fortunate.

Then there are all of the other factors that influence the amount of nutrients actually making it into the body like the ability to fully digest and absorb your food, the health of the gut microbiome, age, appetite, thyroid health, toxins that block nutrients, parasites and poor food choices. There is a world of difference between eating an organic orange and a pre-packaged cookie.

To counter all of these points, part of my method centers on the use of targeted nutritional compounds to delivery high quality, bioavailable nutrients. Each person has their own unique set of needs depending on which pathways are depleted, blocked or overactive.  By understanding these points and combining high quality food with natural supplements, we can support the body in a deep and nourishing way allowing it to heal.

Lastly, I would like to touch on immune health in the face of Covid-19. I wholeheartedly recommend following all of the Body Bliss Nutrition Pillars (outlined in this series) to improve the overall state of your body. While there is no known natural prevention or treatment for COVID-19, it is of the upmost importance to work on all of the key pieces that are foundational to good health. Diet, sleep, stress management, the gut microbiome and proper elimination and detoxification are all necessary elements to establish and maintain good health and strong immune function.

What to do now:

*Vitamin C-Ascorbic acid has mounds of evidence behind it for general immunity, cellular defense and repair as well as exerting benefit over general viruses (not specifically COVID). Additionally, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is highly prevalent in lung tissue and plays and important antioxidant role. Other countries have been using high dose Vitamin C IV’s with success. I recommend an at home dose of 1000mg 2-3X day. Be aware that too much may cause loose stool.

*Zinc has shown direct benefit for overall immune health and COVID specifically. I recommend Zinc acetate, citrate, picolinate or glycinate oral pill or lozenge. 15-30mg /day

*Vitamin D3-I recommend keeping your blood levels between 50-70 for optimal immune function and general health especially if you have an autoimmune disease. Optimal levels of vitamin D are correlated to lower risk or depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease and cancer. It’s extremely health protective and even helps to keep the intestinal wall strong and in-tact. If you don’t know your level, 5000IU per day is a good general dose.

*N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is an important sulfur containing compound used for general immune function, cellular defense and repair. NAC can help break up mucus in the lungs and increase cellular antioxidant protection. 600-900 2X day

*ECGC (compound in green tea) 2-3 cups per day (please note, excessive ECGC in supplements can have an adverse effect on the liver)

*Garlic and ginger in food form should be used daily. Both can also be taken as a supplement to provide antimicrobial support

**If you become COVID+ and need to take medications, please discuss any supplements you take with your doctor as some may interfere with your prescriptions.

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