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Even wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow is not immune from COVID-19.
The actress and Goop founder said in a recent blog post that she had COVID “very early on” and suffered from persistent fatigue and brain fog. In the Goop post, Paltrow shared the “longer-term detox” regimen she was following to alleviate prolonged side effects, which, along with dizziness and increased heart rate, are common in long-haul COVID- 19.
Paltrow said that in January she did “tests that showed very high levels of inflammation in my body. So she turned to functional medicine practitioner Dr Will Cole, who recommended an intermittent fasting plan that Paltrow describes as “keto and plant based but flexible” and includes fish and meats.
In addition to asking him to cut out the sugar and alcohol, Cole asks Paltrow to take several vitamin and mineral supplements, ranging from vitamin D3 to zinc and selenium. Paltrow added that she worked out in the morning and fasted until 11 a.m. daily. “Everything I do makes me feel good, like a gift to my body,” she writes.
Dr. Christian Sandrock, an infectious disease, lung disease and critical care physician who helped start UC Davis Health’s post-COVID-19 clinic, tells Yahoo Life that fatigue and “slowness,” or Brain fog Paltrow experiences are common symptoms of post-acute COVID syndrome. “That’s probably more than half of people who had symptomatic COVID [post-acute COVID syndrome]Sandrock said.
The inflammation described by Paltrow is also common. In patients with “prolonged symptoms, we find that they have high levels of inflammation,” says Sandrock. “There are a few blood tests that usually indicate that you are inflamed. We see it with so many different diseases. The million dollar question is: what treatments will help? There is no protocol. [The symptoms are] so vast that it has become very individualized now.
While the symptoms Paltrow experiences are consistent with a lengthy COVID, the treatment she tries is not something experts recommend – and, in fact, may actually interfere with recovery.
Sandrock says that “fasting may reduce some levels of inflammation” but there is currently no data “specifically with acute post-COVID syndrome” and fasting. For COVID-19 patients, Sandrock adds that there is also no data indicating that fasting improves your outcome “with acute illness and that it” could actually be harmful. … You may feel tired and dizzy when you don’t eat. We do not recommend fasting [for COVID-19 patients]. We recommend that you do not overeat or eat unprocessed foods. “
As for Paltrow’s routine of working out in the morning while fasting, dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read it before you eat it: from etiquette to the table, tells Yahoo Life it’s not doable for everyone, especially if you have long-term side effects from COVID-19. “Some people, when they eat before training, don’t feel well,” says Taub-Dix. “For other people, if they born to eat, they do not feel well. They may feel dizzy or tired and don’t have the energy to train.
While Taub-Dix praises Paltrow for “trying to eat healthier, exercise, and take care of herself,” she says, “I’m not a big fan of such restrictive diets like keto. . With Paleo or Keto [in general], you don’t really get a lot of carbohydrates in your diet… nor fruits, vegetables, or whole grains – all of which are rich sources of fiber. “
Taub-Dix adds: “Someone like Gwyneth Paltrow is a role model. She looks amazing, she talks about healthy habits and people listen to her. So I wish celebrities like this would talk about eating a healthy balanced diet, allowing all food to come in without demonizing food or saying you have to eliminate all XYZ to be healthy. Young people listen to celebrities too – not just the old people who can afford these things. “
However, Taub-Dix is thrilled to see Paltrow incorporate plant-based meals into her diet, and says you don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan to enjoy them. “You can play the plants on your plate,” says Taub-Dix, noting that having a meatless meal once a week is a good place to start. “Introducing plants slowly can make a huge difference in your diet and in your life.”
Both experts agree that the supplements taken by Paltrow don’t raise any red flags, but they might not help either. “Our general rule of thumb when patients ask about supplements is that I have no data on whether it is harmful or helpful,” says Sandrock. “If you take them in the form of supplements, they’re usually not harmful. If you have the financial resources, I have no problem doing so. I just don’t have any data that will help you. “
Taub-Dix points out that most of these vitamins and minerals are found in real foods. Paltrow said she was taking the butyrate supplement, which Taub-Dix said “might be good for you because it helps with gut health and nourishes good bacteria.” However, she adds that a diet high in fiber also helps improve gut health “because it causes your colon to make more butyric acid, which is butyrate.”
Paltrow also takes zinc and selenium supplements, which Taub-Dix says help support the immune system, and selenium also helps thyroid function. “If your thyroid is off, you may feel tired, listless, and have weight problems,” says Taub-Dix. “His thyroid levels may have been rocked by COVID.”
But she adds that you can find both minerals in a variety of foods. Selenium is found in Brazil nuts, sardines, whole grains, eggs, oatmeal, and beans, while zinc is found in meat, shellfish, and legumes (such as legumes and beans). beans) and nuts. “These are very good foods,” says Taub-Dix. “These are the most underrated foods in the store.”
Paltrow also takes at least 500 IU per day of vitamin D3, which Taub-Dix says is helpful in supporting a healthy immune system. Unlike other supplements in Paltrow’s diet, Taub-Dix notes that vitamin D is more difficult to get from foods, although you can find it in oily fish, such as salmon and sardines, as well as eggs and fortified milk and orange juice. You can also get vitamin D from sun exposure. “But I guess Gwyneth wears a lot of sunscreen,” she says.
Taub-Dix says people often take vitamins as “insurance” to make up for nutritional deficiencies in their diet, but she notes that many vitamins are meant to be taken with food. For example, “Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, so when you eat fat it helps absorb D,” she says, adding, “It’s good to take a supplement, but I prefer to eat something. than getting it from a powder or a pill. “
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