A wave of influenza virus infection has passed. People gradually recovered from their illness and began to live in the same rhythm. But for quite a long time, you will feel unwell. As a rule, most people, after the flu, feel weakness, decreased appetite and poor performance. Even if you did not use antibiotics, all the same, the viral attack weakened the body and immunity.
The cells of the immune system are constantly moving through the blood and lymphatic vessels. They are looking for foreign particles - antigens. As soon as a "foreign" appears, a group of phagocytes (cells of the immune system) immediately captures it and destroys it. However, viruses are not so easy to destroy, as they penetrate into the cell and begin to multiply there. When a phagocyte captures a virus, it immediately sends a signal to the immune system about foreign invasion and about the type and structure of the antigen. After receiving an alarm signal, the immune system instantly forms cells suitable for fighting this type of virus - antibodies. In parallel, the immune system also forms memory cells that remember the type of virus, and when it re-invades the body, antigens instantly block it. This is natural immunity.
After the end of the battle, the immune system is completely exhausted. During the fight against viruses, a huge number of cells of the immune system die, and enzymes are consumed. If the immune system does not urgently recover its strength, then any infection can cause serious complications.
Now it is necessary to take a set of measures to restore the immune system and the vitality of the body as a whole.
The first thing to look out for is nutrition. First of all, it is necessary to replenish the substances wasted during the illness - vitamins, minerals, proteins and ready-made enzymes. 
We recommend to include in the diet: Lean fish, lean meats, mushrooms, lentils, peas, or beans. These foods are high in protein. We draw your attention to the fact that such products as sausage, sausages and smoked meats should be completely excluded from the diet for the period of recovery of the body after the flu. It is also good to include nuts in the diet (3-4 walnuts or a handful of other types of nuts or seeds, preferably sprouted. Peanuts should be excluded.). Taking a teaspoon of fish caviar has a good effect - it is very nutritious and quickly restores strength.
During the period of lack of vitamins, this is the second half of winter and spring, it is especially important to support the immune system. And the best supplier of vitamins is sprouts (seedlings of seeds of various plants - wheat, carrots, cabbage, alfalfa, radish, mustard, flax, sesame, lettuce, caraway seeds, rye, soybeans, peas, sunflowers, pumpkin, lentils). You can prepare sprouts like this: soak the seeds in a little water, as soon as the sprouts hatch, you can start eating them. For example, you can make different salads.
In comparison with a dormant seed, the amount of vitamins in a sprouted seed is ten times greater. Two tablespoons of wheat germ and two tablespoons of pea (lentil) sprouts will satisfy the body's daily need for vitamins. Add to this one lemon or a glass of rosehip infusion.
Whole grain cereals are a source of B vitamins- buckwheat, millet, non-crushed oats, pearl barley, brown rice, and whole grain bread. But confectionery, bread made from premium flour, various pasta products from the diet for this period is better to exclude.
Lack of iron and lithium in the human body can lead to a decrease in the formation of immune blood cells, and zinc, copper and calcium affect phagocytosis and the production of interferon (a protective protein produced by cells). Due to the lack of selenium and magnesium, antibody production decreases.
Iodine plays an important role in recovery from influenza. Iodine has a significant effect on the general physical and mental health of a person and on the maturation of cells. Iodine is involved in the regulation of almost all types of metabolism, the state of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. In this regard, after the flu, it is very important to take two teaspoons daily (one in the morning, the second in the evening) of seaweed paste (it is quite easy to prepare it), as well as eat other types of seafood.
Recipe for making seaweed pasta:
In the evening, fill a quarter of a mayonnaise jar with dry seaweed, which is sold in a pharmacy, and fill it with cold boiled water almost to the top. The pasta is ready in the morning.
It must be said that modern vegetables, herbs and fruits that we buy in stores do not contain the required amount of minerals that are needed by the human body weakened by the virus. But, we need to restore our immunity, so we will use everything that is at hand.
Here is a selection of foods that contain a complete mineral complex:
All legumes - soybeans, beans, peas, lentils, green peas (not crushed);
Nuts, seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds:
Liver of animals, birds and fish;
Chicken, quail yolks;
Cocoa powder;
Seaweed.
If a person has had the flu, then you need to include in the diet twice a week dishes from liver or legumes, 2-4 soft-boiled or "bagged" yolks, 1-2 cups of cocoa (you can daily) or 2 slices of high-quality black bitter chocolate.
Red beans can be used to make a delicious and healthy soup... This will require a glass of beans, a large onion, half a glass of walnuts, a tablespoon of apple or wine vinegar, a bunch of cilantro (or a tablespoon without the top of dry herb), 3 cloves of garlic, and two medium-sized carrots.
Sort the beans, rinse and soak overnight. Rinse again in the morning, drain and leave without water until evening. In the evening, rinse for the third time and cook. Add chopped onions and carrots to the beans cooked until half cooked. When the soup is ready, season it with crushed walnuts and vinegar and salt, then add finely chopped cilantro and garlic.
Well, and, of course, a weak human body needs enzymes after an infection. They are needed to support all life processes, without them no living being can exist: neither man, nor animal, nor plant. Enzymes are ubiquitous: no biological process, be it digestion, transmission of a nerve impulse or immune signal, the origin of life, the acceleration or deceleration of any reaction, can proceed without their participation. This is why it is imperative to get natural enzymes with every meal.
Enzymes are found in fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, sprouts, but most of them in fermented milk products - in kefir, in biocefir, in yogurt, in yogurt, in natural homemade yogurt, as well as in sauerkraut, beets, apples, cucumbers , tomatoes, plums, watermelons, carrots.
To provide the body with natural enzymes, it is enough to drink at least two glasses of kefir or other fermented milk products daily. Yoghurt is best made by yourself because store-bought yoghurt contains almost no nutrients. It is very good, during the recovery period, to drink two glasses of natural freshly squeezed juice during the day - apple-carrot, carrot-beetroot, etc.
It is good to serve pickled vegetables with meat and fish dishes as a side dish, and greens, fresh vegetables and kefir for children.
There are a number of products that regulate cellular immunity, activate phagocytosis, and stimulate the formation of lymphocytes and antibodies. These are plants-immunomodulators: chaga, ginseng root, Chinese lemongrass, eleutherococcus, calendula flowers, chamomile, St. John's wort, onion, garlic.
Milk of salmon fish also has a pronounced immunomodulatory property and enzymatic activity. They can be boiled, put in soups, borscht, or you can prepare a hodgepodge according to the following recipe:
Pour sauerkraut with a little water and simmer together with onions and carrots for 30-40 minutes. Then put washed fish milk into the stewed vegetables at the rate of 50-100 g per serving, mix and keep on fire for another 10-15 minutes.
This type of diet will be beneficial even if you are not sick with the flu, and will serve as an excellent prevention against infection with the virus.
In addition to a special diet for the rehabilitation of the body after an illness, it is also necessary to carry out detoxification, because with the death of a large number of cells in a viral war, our body also has to deal with toxic decay substances.
For detoxification you need:
Eat cranberries, lingonberries with honey. It would be nice to drink hot tea made from ginger (preferably fresh), cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, a little nutmeg. Before meals, you can drink a decoction of immortelle. You can have tea with St. John's wort.
To remove toxins from the body, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids. Up to two liters per day (tea with lemon, honey, raspberry jam, linden decoction, fruit juices).
For effective elimination of toxins, it is recommended to use Antioxidant and Detox along with the above products., and it is necessary to start applying not from the moment of recovery, but from the first hours of infection, but it is better to start in advance during the epidemic in order to avoid infection. Antioxidant and Imune Support. These preparations are made from natural substances and contain a large amount of essential complexes of vitamins and minerals.
The need to take vitamins after the flu and properly build your diet is due to the fact that the human body is extremely weakened by a period of a long and serious fight against viruses. This condition, expressed in increased fatigue, drowsiness, general weakness and apathy, is mistakenly ignored by many people. You should not endure the loss of performance and a decrease in vitality. The fight against a viral infection was not in vain for the immune system, many cells died, the body is weakened and is an easy prey for other pathogens. Sometimes even a mild infection becomes the cause of serious complications after the flu.
Features of nutrition after an illness
How to recuperate? All medical recommendations include: the correct regimen, the alternation of rest and physical activity and the necessary diet. The body needs to replenish the supply of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes expended during the illness. For the fastest recovery of strength, it is recommended to adhere to a special menu for three weeks after recovery.
Food should be about 10-15% more calories than usual. In no case should you try to "lose weight", fight for a slim figure immediately after an illness.
There should be products on the table that will be absorbed by the body quickly and without unnecessary energy consumption: low-fat meats, sea fish, dairy products, honey. To eliminate the load on the liver, everything should be steamed or boiled. But this healthy food will not be completely assimilated without the participation of vitamins. But under stressful situations, including the flu, vitamin stores are consumed very quickly.
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Immunity and vitamins
The body's defense systems function due to the presence of vitamins of all groups, so it would be a mistake to believe that taking only one type of vitamins (most often ascorbic acid is used for these purposes) you can not drink all the others.
Vitamin A, also known as "retinol", is actively involved in strengthening the protective functions of the body, increasing the ability of mucous membranes to retain pathogenic microbes. It also activates the activity of leukocytes.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) stimulates the production of energy by the cells of the body. This group of vitamins also enhances the ability to produce antibodies, which are needed to fight off pathogens. Folic acid increases the speed of the immune system's response to unwanted invasions.
If there is not enough vitamin C in the diet, then the rate of production of antibodies that protect the body decreases. In addition, the immune response to signals of problems is not fast enough.
The presence of vitamin E in the diet also increases resistance to various diseases. This is especially important in old age.
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How to take vitamins
It is necessary to take pharmacy drugs that advertisements offer in abundance, it is necessary to be careful. It is best to consult with your doctor and strictly follow his recommendations. Vitamins should in no way be perceived as harmless "supplements", the use of which is not regulated in any way. These are also medicines. Their improper use can cause serious harm. An overdose of especially fat-soluble drugs (vitamin A or D) can have symptoms of acute poisoning.
The intake of "natural" vitamins contained in food is highly preferable. Having formed your diet in such a way that all the necessary types of products are present on the table, you can replenish the reserves of the required substances in a natural way. It is necessary to eat a variety of dishes, since, contrary to popular belief, vitamins are found not only in plant foods (fruits and vegetables).
All these useful substances are:
- fat soluble;
- water soluble.
The first group is vitamins A (retinol, carotene), E, D and K. The second group is ascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid. The content of retinol and carotene is high in foods such as butter, beef liver, cheese, cream, carrots, sweet peppers, tomatoes, parsley, cottage cheese. Vitamin E are rich in: herring, cod, milk, vegetable oil, oats, beef.
Vitamin D is found in chicken eggs, sour cream and cream, butter and milk. Ascorbic acid is the most popular protector, which is considered almost a panacea, especially for colds and viral infections. This is not entirely correct opinion, but the presence of this substance in the body is necessary both to strengthen the protective functions and to restore a person's strength after an illness. Its content is high in products: sweet peppers, Brussels sprouts and other types of cabbage, onions, green beans, citrus fruits, black currants, rose hips, red mountain ash, wild garlic, squash.
Folic acid can promote protein metabolism and is necessary for the body to form red blood cells. It is found in large quantities in spinach, walnuts, hazelnuts, offal, buckwheat, barley and pearl barley, pumpkin, melons, oranges, beets, potatoes, chicken eggs.
Riboflavin is a substance that needs to be replenished daily. This can be done by actively using kefir, sour cream, feta cheese, green peas, lettuce, peaches, apricots, garlic, apples, strawberries.
Thiamin is also called the vitality vitamin.
The need for it increases during the rehabilitation period after various stresses, including diseases. Thiamine-rich foods are: cereals (Hercules and semolina), buns, rabbit meat, hazelnuts, cocoa, tea, yeast, condensed milk, red cabbage and kohlrabi, horse mackerel, potatoes.
Today everyone knows that the well-being and health of a person directly depends on immunity. It is he who is a natural barrier and protector against all kinds of viruses and pathogenic bacteria.
And such a common disease as the flu, in a person with a strong immune system, can generally proceed as a slight malaise. However, recently, not all of us can boast of good health and endurance.
Every year, in cold weather, favorable for its spread, the flu has the character of epidemics. Several outbreaks of this infectious disease are recorded per year. Moreover, weakened people, small children, the elderly people tolerate it very hard, sometimes with serious complications, such as:
- Acute purulent sinusitis
- Acute neuritis of the auditory nerve
- Diseases of the pulmonary system - pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis
- Acute otitis media
The most common complication after influenza is pneumonia. After the transferred virus with a complication (the addition of purulent infections), immunity is weakened.
The influenza virus is very "partial" to the human nervous system, which can cause nervous disorders of varying severity. That is why, after the transferred virus, a person feels very weak, because the fight against the influenza virus significantly strains, depresses the nervous and immune systems. Signs of asthenia (exhaustion of the nervous system) after the flu:
- constant sleepiness
- fast fatiguability
- weakness and fatigue
- anxiety, nervousness, moodiness, irascibility
- decreased appetite
If a person has suffered a severe flu with serious complications, the question arises - how to recover from the flu as soon as possible? Here are some tips on how to return to your previous vigor and continue to lead a normal life, and enjoy life!
How to quickly recover from the flu
Psychological calm
The main factor in the rapid recovery and raising of immunity is the absence of stress, psychological comfort, and a positive mood. This is perhaps the most difficult "task" for a modern city dweller, especially a resident of a metropolis. To calm the nervous system, it is advisable not to overwork and:
- If possible, surround yourself only with positive people, more often be with family and friends
- Avoid contact with people you don't like
- Take more breaks at work
- Try to be more relaxed about stressful situations
- Meditate
In practice, such advice is quite difficult to apply, here are some simple options for helping to achieve psychological comfort:
Dream
Get enough sleep, go to bed no later than 10 pm. Sound, healthy sleep restores the body well (see the advice of a somnologist). If you have an air purifier and humidifier in your home, be sure to use them to create clean, moist air while you sleep.
Foot massage
This is an excellent procedure that allows you to relax, improve mood and well-being, and raise immunity. You can visit massage rooms or massage yourself - buy special foot massagers, you can use Kuznetsov's applicator (periodically get bare feet on the applicator for 1-2 minutes for 10 minutes). On the feet of a person there are biological points of all organs and systems, many nerve endings. If you do this massage for 10 days, you will definitely feel the effect.
Affirmations
You can use affirmations, auto-training, psychological attitudes. For example, formulate yourself short phrases about your excellent health, mood, etc.
- My immune system recovers quickly from the flu
- I am a calm, balanced woman with a strong immune system.
- Today and always I am in a great mood, I am doing great
- There are always people around me who love me and whom I love
- I am in good health and my body is recovering quickly from the flu.
Believe me, if you repeat the affirmations at least 2 times a day, it will definitely have a positive effect on your well-being and help you quickly recover from the flu, calm the nervous system and give you self-confidence. Inspire yourself that nothing in the world is important, neither problems at work, nor family troubles are worth it for you to be upset, worried, thereby reducing your immunity.
Water procedures
Water is able to relax, calm down, put the body in order. If possible, visit the pool. No - take baths with sea salt, a contrast shower, if there are no contraindications, then visit the bathhouse.
Physical activity
Not immediately after the flu, but after 1-2 weeks, try to lead a more active lifestyle, take more walks, start or continue your classes in sports clubs, do yoga, dance, body flex very well. The surest way to increase immunity is physical labor in the fresh air.
Nutrition and vitamins
Naturally, nutrition plays a decisive role in restoring health after any illness, there is a lot of information about this, what should be a proper diet, what foods and vitamins should be. But multivitamin complexes are better treated with caution, like any drug (see). Of course, an abundance of fruits, fresh vegetables, greens and high-quality protein foods will significantly improve your health. Freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices, boiled meat and fish, fermented milk products, green quality tea (see) - should be present in your diet. Replace flour products with crispbread, whole grain baked goods, and bran bread.
Drink plenty of water
Not just liquids, but pure water. To recover from the flu, it is necessary to remove from the body the toxins that are released during intoxication with the virus, drink a full glass of clean water 30 minutes before each meal (see).
Herbal, fruit teas
If you are not allergic to herbal medicinal preparations, you can take various vitamin preparations, decoctions, infusions. Particularly rich in vitamin C - raspberries. To improve immunity, you can use ginseng, lemongrass, echinacea, eleutherococcus. You should be very careful about any immunomodulators (see).
Recipe for restoring immunity
A good remedy for boosting immunity is easy enough. You will need ginger, lemon and honey for it. , which is sold in our retail chains, it is necessary to soak (pre-purified) in cold water for 1 hour, so that the funds with which it was processed go into the water. Everyone knows about the medicinal properties of these 3 products. Finely chop the peeled lemon and ginger, then beat in a blender until smooth, add honey to taste. This remedy can be added to green tea or simply consumed as you like.
Influenza is a viral infection transmitted by airborne droplets. Its outbreak occurs mainly with the onset of cold weather. Therefore, on the eve of the autumn-winter period, many are wondering what vitamins for influenza exist and help to cope with the disease?
The virus spreads very quickly. A sick person shares the flu with others for 6 days from the first day of infection. The flu spreads in seconds and often appears in less than three hours. The disease comes on quickly, and the course is long, debilitating and difficult.
Immunity plays a huge role in any treatment. It stimulates the production of antibodies to fight cold symptoms, but is often powerless against the flu virus. A few days after the infection, its resources are exhausted, the disease continues to act, the recovery and restoration of the body is delayed.
The symptoms of influenza are:
- Increased body temperature with fever. It can be insignificant, up to 37.5, or sharp, reaching 40 degrees.
- General weakness, increased fatigue that occurs simultaneously with the end of the incubation period.
- Headache, localized in the forehead, eyes, temporal and occipital zones, associated with damage to the brain vessels by the virus. They can be amplified by harsh noise, bright light, and simple head movement.
- Lomota, soreness and stiffness in the muscles caused by oxygen starvation, accompanied by stagnation of waste products inside the tissues.
- Chills, occurring simultaneously with other manifestations of a viral infection, aimed at reducing heat loss. This is a kind of protective reaction of the body, caused by a violation of thermoregulation and the corresponding reaction of nerve cells.
- Lack of appetite associated with a decrease in the activity of the food center located in the brain.
A sick person within a few hours, but more often - days appears:
- nausea;
- congestion of the sinuses, and later - whitish discharge from them;
- sore throat;
- drowsiness;
- redness of the eyes, photophobia and lacrimation;
- diarrhea;
- increased sweating;
- limb pain;
- hysterical, dry cough;
- hoarseness of voice.
In some cases, there is a lack of a cold as such. Sneezing, characteristic of colds, is rare.
Are vitamins able to fight the flu?
The recovery period after illness takes from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the complexity and duration of its course. During this period, all human systems and organs return to normal. Prolonged rises in temperature, shortness of breath, profuse sweating, weakness - a syndrome that the infection continues to have a destructive effect. To speed up the healing process, doctors recommend staying in bed and drinking multivitamins.
We often hear that taking vitamins until the disease is completely eliminated is useless. In fact, from the beginning to the end of the disease, as well as during the recovery period, it is possible and necessary to use vitamin-containing preparations. They will not destroy viruses or bacteria, but they will provide support to the body during a difficult period and help to recover faster.
Dragee "Ascorbinka" familiar from childhood, which has always been considered the best prophylactic agent that increases resistance to respiratory infections, is actually powerless against them. But it perfectly supports the body, already weakened by a cold.
Vitamins are especially important for children. Every woman knows that it is easier to persuade a baby who has no appetite and fever to drink water or tea and take a sweet pill than to eat a sweet orange or tangerine. Vitamins will have a strengthening and supportive effect on the child's body, but they cannot be substituted for good nutrition.
What vitamins do you take for the flu?
To understand which vitamins help you get rid of the flu faster, you should find out their names and effects on the body.
Vitamin A
Retinol has regenerative properties. Any acute viral infection provokes damage to a huge number of epithelial cells that require repair. If you drink at least 1.5 thousand micrograms per day, the tissues will return to their normal state very quickly.
B vitamins
When a doctor prescribes vitamins after the flu, these substances are certainly contained in them. They are assigned the role of a stimulant of the immune system, the action of which is to increase the production of antibodies.
A mildly affecting immunity (B2) can be consumed by people who have autoimmune diseases, in which it is strictly forbidden to take absolutely all immunomodulators. Even those of plant origin are included in the number of "outcasts". Thiamine () and pyridoxine () are assigned the role of cellular regenerators that form the respiratory tract. The substances also relieve the urge to cough.
Tocopherol
Essential for stimulating the immune system, protecting cells from damage and eliminating toxins. 10 mg of a substance that has a depressing effect on pathogenic microorganisms should be consumed per day.
Vitamins help to quickly get rid of the flu and colds, so they should be drunk both for prevention and during illness.
What to give preference: multivitamins or fruits?
It is imperative to take vitamins for the flu, but many will have a question: are fruits able to get rid of the purchase of pharmaceutical preparations? It is possible to consume fruits rich in vitamins, but it is hardly possible to calculate how many nutrients the body has obtained from them.
