Charleston, S.C. (WCBD) – The COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on us all; mentally, emotionally, and physically. The good news is, being quarantined doesn’t have to negatively impact your diet.

News 2’s Temple Ricke spoke with Dr. Ann, a nutrition wellness expert, to provide healthy eating tips you can follow from home.

A Clemson University graduate with a degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Dr. Ann went on to receive her medical degree from the MUSC. She then worked as a family physician for 14 years and established the wellness education firm, Just Wellness, LLC in 2002.

Dr. Ann says the foods you choose to eat have a major impact on your immune health. To positively impact your health, there are four boxes that need to be checked off:

• Minimize foods that can hamper immune function: this includes processed foods, sugary drinks, and red meat.
• 80 to 85 percent of what you’re eating should come from plant-based foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. You need to eat whole real foods and avoid eating excessive amounts of fine white carbs.
• Include seafood in your diet; particularity oily fish that provide omega 3 fats, zinc, and selenium.
• Be aware of “immune grand-slammers”, foods that help your immune function: berries, oysters, walnuts, green teas, hot peppers, garlic, ginger, and other fermented foods.

“The great thing about focusing on eating more good foods is that it naturally shoves out the bad foods”.

Dr. Ann Kulze

With the COVID-19 pandemic among us, Dr. Ann says now is the time to boost your immunity. She has created a detailed handout to help guide you through the process. You can view the complete handout by clicking here.

It’s important to remember that eating healthy is not about counting calories or deprivation; Counting calories is described as an effort in futility. Dr. Ann says the best thing to do is focus on foods that you can eat a lot of: fruit, especially high-water fruits like watermelon, vegetables, nuts, and dark chocolate. Shift your focus to eating whole real foods.

For the full “healthy scoop”, head to Dr. Ann’s website to learn more.