In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a slew of Indian manufacturers have been advertising food products ranging from muesli and breakfast cereal to fortified bread, biscuits, flavoured beverages, honey and chyawanprash — not to mention certain Ayurvedic formulations — that rather brazenly offer immunity. Experts in the field have cautioned consumers against these claims, saying such shortcuts for boosting the body’s defences “solely out of bottles” is not an ideal solution.

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

Speaking on this issue, Simran Saini, a prominent Delhi-based Nutritionist and Weight-loss Consultant, told IANS: “During the Coronavirus pandemic, many companies are highlighting their products as immunity boosters. This can be a dangerous trend especially because consumers, fearing infection from this virus, are grasping at anything that promises immunity boosting.” Manisha Chopra, another Nutritionist, Dietician and fitness expert, fully concurred, saying: “Boost your immunity by all means but let it not be at the cost of common sense! Prevention is better than cure! No doubt, the idea that you can avoid the dreaded coronavirus by boosting your immunity is appealing. But, till the world gets a well-tested and well-researched grip on how to stop Coronavirus, we are all shooting in the dark.”

A POTENT IMMUNITY BUILDER

These nutritionists were, however, in agreement on the use of mustard oil as an immunity builder, both as a cooking medium and for non-edible purposes. Mustard oil is an ancient oil full of health benefits for our body outside and inside. It is loaded with Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) that are essential for maintaining a healthy cholesterol balance in your body. Also, being rich in Alpha Linoleic Acid, it is a protector of cardiac functions. Using mustard oil in Indian cooking is an old tradition and offers a wide range of health benefits.

Mustard oil’s Allyl Isothiocyanates (AITC) work as an antimicrobial agent. That’s why it is used as a remedy to treat colds, boost immunity, encourage hair growth, provide nourishment to the skin and numerous references to these attributes can even be found in Ayurveda. This oil also has potent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and helps in protecting our digestive tract from harmful infections.

COLD-PRESSED MUSTARD OIL IS THE BEST

The cold-pressing process of extracting oil does not use any chemicals or heat. The oil that is extracted retains all the essential nutrients. This kind of oil is the best if you want to boost immunity.

Antioxidants in cold pressed mustard oil helps your body fight free radicals

Your body accumulates free radicals that can damage your cells. Such free radicals are major risk factors of cancer and heart disease. By switching to cold pressed mustard oil, you can protect your body against the harmful effects of free radicals.

It has potent anti-inflammatory properties

This helps in wound healing and offers protection against premature skin aging. It helps the body fight off invading pathogens and organisms. The cold-pressing process helps to retain anti-inflammatory properties of this oil.

It has anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects

The cold-pressed process of extracting the oil from mustard seeds makes it possible for the oil to retain its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. When you use this oil, your body is better able to fight against multiple bacterial and viral diseases in a natural manner by boosting your immunity.

(With inputs from IANS)

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