Be SARS Worry-Free! Eat a Variety of Foods and Practice a Healthy Lifestyle

Is there a special diet to fight SARS? Is Vitamin C mega-dosing a sure protection against SARS?

SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome according to WHO is an "atypical pneumonia of unknown etiology". It is a recognized form of pneumonia, but the cause is unknown. Scientists say that it is caused by the new coronavirus, named for its distinguishing crown-like appearance.

This disease is causing great panic among people because it develops very fast that within ten days a patient may die if he does not respond to antibiotics, antiviral and anti-microbial agents.

While it is true that Vitamin C is a good antioxidant and that it works well in strengthening the immune system, Vitamin C alone will not work, if the other nutrients are not sufficiently given.

The best strategy to obtain essential nutrients towards improved health is to eat a variety of foods everyday. In fact, this is the first message of the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos 2000 of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology. Nutritional guidelines are recommendations to promote good health through proper nutrition. They are composed of 10 simple statements that give advice on the consumption of foods and food components, which are public health concerns.

Eating a diet that includes a variety of foods in the right amounts chosen from different food groups help individuals meet their recommended nutrient intake. A person therefore, who eats a balanced diet everyday is assured of proper growth, good health, and resistance to diseases, including SARS.
To help people plan nutritious meals for specific age and physiologic groups, the FNRI-DOST provide tools like Your Guide to Good Nutrition, Food Pyramid, and Food Exchange Lists. Foods containing the same levels of certain nutrients are grouped together and the recommended amounts of intake are stated in household measures.

Another strategy to promote health is to practice a healthy lifestyle. Again, this suggestion is included in the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos, Message No. 10, stated specifically as "For a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition, exercise regularly, do not smoke and avoid drinking alcoholic beverages."

The benefit of a regular exercise has long been proven. Aside from helping maintain normal weight, it improves blood circulation, muscle tone, and efficiency of the heart and lungs.

Smoking has been associated with lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, to name a few. The heavier the smoking, the greater is the risk to these diseases. Smoking also decreases the appetite, thus increasing the risk to malnutrition. Moreover, it is also known to increase the requirement for Vitamin C. A smoker, for instance may not realize that his vitamin C intake may not actually bring its protective effect on his immune system.

Although recent researches have shown the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages may lead to weight gain, nutritional deficiencies, increased triglycerides, hypertension, and other serious illnesses as cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. Foreign studies have shown that moderate alcohol intake (not more that two shots or two glasses of beer in one day) have been associated with a low overall mortality and low risk for coronary disease compared with excessive or no intake at all of alcohol. At any rate, if alcoholic beverages are consumed should be taken in moderation.

So there, eat a variety of foods everyday plus practice a healthy lifestyle and forget about SARS!