If you are next in line to get your Covid vaccine, know that the process is only going to benefit you health-wise. So, there is no need to panic. The only thing you have to do is follow some dos and don’ts, eat healthy, drink a lot of fluid, and rest well.
Talking about foods, doctors insist that on the day of your vaccine, you must take your shot on a full tummy, so as to minimise some after-effects, which include nausea and vomiting for some.
Keeping with this, sports nutritionist Manisha Mehta shares a meal chart on foods to eat and avoid on the day you are getting the jab.
Early morning:
Start with swallowing a mildly-crushed garlic clove with water (it helps with anti-inflammation). Have herbal tea next, with ginger, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, tulsi, mulethi boiled in water. After straining, add a few drops of lemon and one teaspoon of honey.
But, do not panic if you don’t have all the ingredients. If you miss a few, it would still be a good drink for your throat.
Breakfast:
Have vegetable poha or vegetable upma. You can also opt for besan halwa (thin consistency), besan vegetable chilla, and homemade dhaniya pudina amla chutney. Have soft, easy-to-digest healthy foods. If you are a non-vegetarian, feel free to add eggs to your breakfast.
Mid morning:
Have fruits or blend some with amla and mint leaves. Suit your energy level and do not beat yourself if you don’t have the energy to make fancy smoothies. If you have access to coconut water, drink it.
Lunch:
For lunch, have rotis or boiled rice with dal, sabji, chutney, dahi. You can also have vegetable khichdi or daliya and dahi. Chutney is for taste and micronutrients, and curd is for digestion.
Evening snacks:
Repeat the herbal tea and have some nuts. You can also eat makhana instead of popcorn. If you feel like it, you can have papad with dhaniya chutney.
Dinner:
For dinner, have roti or boiled rice with dal, a sabji, chutney. Alternatively, have vegetable khichdi or daliya.
Bedtime:
Take a sip of lukewarm water. Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper.
Other things to keep in mind:
- Avoid meat and milk, as they can make digestion difficult.
- Avoid food coming out of a packet. No tea and biscuits.
- Do something during the day — anything that will help you get sleep.
- Fancy food can wait.
- Fruits will give you a much better quality of sugar than actual processed sugar.
