Testing positive for COVID-19 raises many questions. What should you do next? Who should you tell about your positive status? And, once the dust settles, what should you eat if you have COVID?
Official guidelines around COVID-19 largely revolve around things like testing, isolation and monitoring your symptoms. There’s really nothing to a COVID diet either to try to speed up your symptoms or to make you feel better. But COVID-19 can come with some unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that indicate that you may want to change your eating habits.
So, what should you do nutritionally after testing positive for COVID? Here’s what infectious disease experts recommend.
How Likely Is What You Eat Affecting Your Disease?
It’s important to get this out of the way beforehand: it’s unlikely that what you eat will speed up the course of your illness or what kind of symptoms you’re experiencing.
“At this point there is no data showing that eating special foods or taking certain vitamins for COVID-19 such as vitamin D, zinc or vitamin C will affect the course of your COVID-19,” said Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. But, he says, “people are still looking at this. The lack of data does not rule out the possibility that some dietary changes or improvements will benefit you.”
There is some data to suggest that having certain levels of vitamin D can prevent you from getting COVID and may even reduce the chances of getting a serious case if you get infected. “But there’s no evidence that supplementation once you’re infected has a benefit,” says Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Even things like vitamin C probably won’t have an impact, he says, adding, “there is no evidence of benefits for vitamin C supplementation in people with adequate levels.”
You may also have heard that fermented foods can boost your immune system. And while research has shown that people who eat fermented foods have a more diverse gut microbiome, which can affect your immune response, it’s also unlikely to help once you’re really sick, says Richard Watkins, MD, a physician for infectious diseases in Akron, Ohio, and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.
What should you eat if you have COVID-19?
It really depends on your symptoms. At baseline, “it’s important to eat a normal diet and stay well-hydrated during your illness, as a fever can be dehydrating,” says Dr. Adalya.
You’ll want to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with lean protein to make sure you’re meeting all of your nutritional needs and keeping your body in good shape, says Dr. russo.
Beyond that, though, it really depends on your symptoms. If you’re struggling with gastrointestinal issues, Dr. Russo that you can try the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) to see if it helps. But dr. Adalja says that you should really just “eat everything that is acceptable”.
Another major potential symptom is the loss of taste and sense of smell. If that happens to you, Dr. Watkins recommends that you try to eat a nutritious diet, even if you don’t feel like eating much. “It’s important to maintain an adequate diet with adequate calories,” he says.
You can also throw scent training into the mix in an effort to restore your senses, says Dr. russo. In case you’re unfamiliar with the practice, scent training involves smelling certain strong scents, such as cinnamon and citrus, and imagining what they smell like as you inhale. Studies have shown it can help people restore their sense of smell and taste to some extent, but research is ongoing.
Should You Avoid Foods When You Have COVID-19?
Again, certain foods are unlikely to affect the course of your disease, but eating certain foods can leave you feeling less than optimal as your body fights the infection. Fast foods, fried foods, and things with a lot of added sugars can just make you feel miserable on top of already feeling bad from having COVID, says Dr. russo. They can actually increase inflammation in your body, although it’s unlikely that the occasional fried food or treat will do so in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, says Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, a dietitian and health coach, and author. by The Little Book of Game Changers.
It’s also a good idea to avoid alcohol, says Dr. Russo, to keep you from becoming dehydrated and contributing to more body inflammation. You also don’t want to risk overdoing it and feeling even worse the next day, he says.
And there’s this to consider, too, according to Dr. Russo: Doctors can’t rule out the possibility that alcohol can affect your body’s ability to fight infection. “It’s better to be safe and give your body all the benefits to help clear the infection,” he says.
This article is correct as of the time of writing. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic moves rapidly and the scientific community’s understanding of the novel coronavirus evolves, some of the information may have changed since the last update. While we strive to keep all of our stories up to date, you can visit the online resources provided by the CDC† WHOand your local public health department to keep up to date with the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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