Antiviral foods, which are they?

Antiviral foods, which are they?

Three recent articles share some everyday foods that are not only nutritious and anti-inflammatory, but also appear to help our bodies fight viruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The first article, in the journal Nutrients, called Antiviral Functional Foods and Exercise Lifestyle Prevention of Coronavirus, lists the following food groups with anti-viral properties:

Fruits Veggies Dairy (or vitamin D) Nuts Seeds Olive Oil Fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut) Herbs Roots Mushrooms Coffee Seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids (cold water fatty fish) Chicken Meat

That’s a pretty general list, and basically describes most of the unprocessed food groups, with the exceptions being grains and legumes.

But perhaps that’s the point: Eating real, unprocessed foods has yet another health advantage over-processed foods.

A second article entitled The Antiviral, Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Natural Medicinal Herbs and Mushrooms and SARS-CoV-2 Infection reported the following foods may help fend off SARS-CoV-2: Garlic Ginger Reishi mushroom Chaga mushroom Shiitake mushrooms Maitake mushrooms

This list brings an Asian mushroom stir-fry to mind, except for the chaga mushroom, which is typically brewed into a tea.

A third article, Traditional foods and their constituent’s antiviral and immune system modulating properties, published the results of a literature search for foods shown to have antiviral properties against RNA viruses and coronaviruses in general.

They included: Black cumin seed Garlic Cinnamon Licorice Black pepper Moringa Honey Mushrooms Hopefully you are already including some of these foods in your diet.

Just normal culinary quantities are recommended, so consider using these lists for inspiration next time you need a meal idea.

And if you have some yummy ways to combine some of these foods, please share!