Diet in COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The paper is focused on the need of a diet under the conditions of an epidemiological crisis. The chemical analysis of food products demonstrates that there is no single food type including all the nutrients essential for the human body. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts, micronutrients, vitamins and water play their own roles in the vital processes, which are interconnected. A disorder of one of these processes is reflected in all the other. Hence, the human body has to be constantly provided with all nutrients, and more specifically, they have to be supplied in the required quantitative and qualitative ratios. In this context, the essence of diet and its role for a normal and healthy functioning of the body is manifested. Currently, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) does not establish a health claim on a single food product or nutritional ingredient with a protective action against coronavirus infection. Nevertheless, according to the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), nutrition plays a significant role in the course of a viral infection and its outcome. Observations are based mainly on the impact on other viruses with a similar nature, hence, the administration of measures was considered appropriate also in Covid-19. In the paper, guidelines for following a diet during the course of disease and after coronavirus infection are given.