The Role of Vitamins and Diet in COVID Resistance

In normal situations, we all have to take care of ourselves to avoid many illnesses. However, nowadays, we have to work much harder due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. If we happen to get infected, it will bring difficulties to both ourselves and those close to us.

That is why we should not remain indifferent but instead take better care of ourselves, especially by having a strong enough immune system to stay as far away from COVID as possible. If we do get infected, the symptoms will not be severe, and recovery will be quick. One of the aids to strengthen our body’s immunity is taking various vitamins.

The Role of Vitamins and Food in Disease Resistance

In reality, whether it is preventing COVID infection, maintaining a strong body to reduce severe symptoms during infection, or recovering to normal health after recovering from COVID, as well as with all other diseases, the key lies in keeping the body “in a state of the strongest immunity.” Eating food and vitamins plays a very important role in boosting the body’s immunity. The roles of food and vitamins in building immunity are as follows:

• If the body has high sugar and fat levels, immunity will work less effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce sweets, fats, and carbohydrates in the diet because excessive intake will weaken immunity, making the body more vulnerable, easier to get COVID, more severe symptoms if infected, slower recovery after COVID, and prolonged Long COVID, which deteriorates quality of life. However, protein can be consumed without limit; the more protein consumed, the better, as it helps strengthen the body.
• It is essential to consume enough vitamins and minerals because they directly help build the body’s immunity. Vitamins and minerals are classified as micronutrients, or small molecular nutrients, which do not provide energy like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, which are macronutrients. However, they are indispensable because a lack of vitamins and minerals makes the body prone to illness.

What Vitamins and Minerals Should You Take to Stay Safe from COVID?

Important vitamins and minerals that help strengthen the body’s immunity, which we should know and consume, are as follows:

1. Vitamin C is the most recommended vitamin to consume in large amounts because the body cannot produce it on its own. Vitamin C helps the immune system work at full efficiency. It is abundant in sour fruits such as tamarind, berries, guava, and green leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli.
2. Vitamin D also helps the immune system work efficiently. It is a vitamin the body can produce itself. However, research has found that over half of Bangkok residents have a high deficiency of vitamin D, possibly due to “fear of the sun.” Therefore, it is recommended to expose yourself to sunlight for about 15 minutes a day, preferably in the morning around 9-10 AM, to get mild sunlight. In reality, the best sunlight for synthesizing vitamin D is midday sun because it contains high UVB, which aids vitamin D synthesis. Additionally, vitamin D can be obtained from foods such as meat, eggs, milk, fish, and egg yolks.
3. Zinc is the most prominent mineral for its ability to help build immunity. It is found in various foods, including seafood, vegetables, meat, and grains.

3 Ways to Get Vitamins into the Body: 3 Styles of Building Immunity for Strength

We can supplement vitamins in 3 ways, each with its own advantages and suitability for different situations, as follows:

1. Getting vitamins through food consumption
   This allows us to benefit from various nutrients and receive multiple vitamins. For example, eating guava provides not only vitamin C but also dietary fiber that aids digestion. However, in terms of vitamin quantity, eating food usually provides less vitamin than taking vitamin capsules or directly dripping vitamins into the body. Moreover, for those with poor nutrient absorption, getting vitamins from food will have slower results.

2. Taking vitamin tablets
   This method delivers a large amount of vitamins at once because it concentrates vitamins into a tablet. For example, one vitamin C capsule may contain the equivalent vitamin C of four guavas. It is suitable for urgent immune boosting because it works faster than getting vitamins from food. However, some vitamin tablets are synthetic and may contain chemical contaminants, so caution is needed. Also, taking only vitamin tablets without a proper diet may cause deficiencies in other nutrients unknowingly.

3. Vitamin drip (intravenous) into the body
   This involves injecting vitamins directly into the bloodstream, providing concentrated vitamins and the fastest results. Taking concentrated vitamin capsules or through food still requires absorption through several layers in the body. Therefore, vitamin drip is suitable for body recovery to help patients regain strength quickly, such as patients recovering from COVID. Additionally, patients recovering from illness may experience loss of appetite, making vitamin intake through food insufficient.

Dietary supplements for workers to boost immunity and maintain strong health Because every day, we all have to endure heavy work stress and face a pandemic situation that shows no sign of easing soon, including those who experience fatigue, insomnia, and hair loss after recovering from COVID-19, known as Long COVID. Therefore, finding quality supplements that provide essential vitamins to the body and help nourish various organs to function fully and efficiently is something not to overlook. Besides being easy to do, it can be done continuously, leading to good health results. The 3 dietary supplements that workers should take are as follows:

1. NITESENSE dietary supplement
   A dietary supplement containing PharmaGABA, Magnesium, L-Theanine, and Choline Bitartrate, which help enhance neurotransmitter and brain wave functions for sleep, helping the body relax and sleep soundly. Adequate restful sleep directly affects having a strong, fresh, and energetic body.
2. ACTIVA dietary supplement
   A dietary supplement containing Cordyceps, Ginseng, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Taurine, Coenzyme Q10, and vitamins C, D3, B5, B6, B12. It helps stimulate insulin function, regulate cortisol hormone levels, and improve heart efficiency, making you feel energetic, bright, and stress-free. Stress is a major enemy that leads to weakness and various diseases.
3. HIRA-D dietary supplement
   A dietary supplement containing L-Cysteine, L-Lysine, L-Arginine, Horsetail Powder, Coenzyme Q10, and vitamins E, B3, B5, B6, B2, B1, B12. It plays an important role in building strong, beautiful hair and nails. As we age, work harder, and experience more stress, hair becomes weak and falls out easily, affecting confidence and mental health, which makes diseases more likely to occur.

Vitamins are essential nutrients for the body at every age and condition, whether the body is normal, sick, or recovered. Vitamins play a direct and important role in keeping the body strong. If the body lacks vitamins, immunity will be low, the body will weaken, become more prone to illness, suffer more severe symptoms, recover slowly, and have delayed healing.

Many people may still misunderstand that taking vitamin supplements is useless and does not help, causing them to miss the opportunity to strengthen their bodies. Although vitamins are not medicines that directly cure diseases or kill pathogens like some drugs, vitamins are one of the essential nutrients the body cannot do without. This is a fact we all should be aware of and prioritize so that we can study and use vitamins to take care of ourselves and our loved ones to be as healthy as possible.