Chikungunya Diet: 12 Amazing Recovery Foods

What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a disease that spreads in India during and after the rainy season. The virus is carried by infected mosquitoes named Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. It was discovered in 1952 during a southern Tanzanian outbreak. The term “chikungunya” comes from a Kimakonde word meaning “to become distorted,” referring to the stooped appearance of sufferers due to joint pain.

Chikungunya is rarely fatal. The primary symptoms include joint and muscular discomfort, nausea, tiredness, and rash. The other symptoms of chikungunya include:

• Fever
• Rash
• Swelling around joints
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Fatigue

What To Eat During Chikungunya?

Since there is no specific antiviral medicine for Chikungunya, the treatment aims at improving symptoms. This disease significantly affects the immune system. So it’s critical to eat well and boost immunity. Incorporating a chikungunya diet into your daily routine may help suppress the symptoms.

Here is the list of 12 chikungunya treatment food items that will help you to recover from the disease.

1. Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are the healthiest vegetables to include in the chikungunya diet. They are high in nutrients and can help relieve joint pain in chikungunya as well prevent Chikungunya. They’re easy to digest and contain a lot of vitamin A while being low in calories. They’re also high in vitamin C, which helps to prevent arthritis. As a result, it aids in the relief of chikungunya symptoms, such as joint pain, as well as the prevention of the disease.

2. Citrus fruits

Vitamin C-rich foods are recommended in the chikungunya diet as they help boost immunity. Also, chikungunya foods rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, kiwis, and guava, are easily digestible and recommended after counteracting chikungunya.

3. Coconut Water

During chikungunya, coconut is beneficial in three ways. 

• For starters, it aids in the detoxification of a patient’s body.
• Secondly, it keeps a person’s body from becoming dehydrated. 
• Finally, coconuts are beneficial for the liver.

4. Fruits

Fruits are essential to recover from Chikungunya. Oranges, apples, watermelons, and other fruits effectively treat chikungunya in the shortest amount of time. Apples, for example, are high in fibre, which helps to cleanse the body and improve digestion. It also helps to lower cholesterol, prevent constipation, and keep the body clean. 

5. Homemade porridges

Porridges are tasty, light and nutritious homemade foods. It aids your recovery from Chikungunya. It provides a feeling of fullness and is high in nutrients. Homemade porridges are high in protein, which strengthens your body. It is also effortless to consume and digest. Therefore porridges are highly recommended to be included in the chikungunya diet. 

6. Soups

Soups are suitable to be included in your chikungunya diet. These soups are high in nutrients, which aid in the relief of chikungunya symptoms. Soups made from beans, fish, and lean meat, are good protein sources. Therefore, it’s good to include them in your chikungunya diet. Besides, tomato soup and carrot soup are high in antioxidants and vitamin A, which are essential for recovering from Chikungunya. Broccoli soups are also nutritious because they contain vitamin C.

7. Chromium Rich Foods

Eating foods rich in chromium, selenium, and zinc can provide your body with essential nutrients and aid in your recovery from weakness. Chromium-rich foods that can help to reduce fever include:

• Oats
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Green beans
• Mushrooms
• Almonds
• Flax seeds
• Broccoli

8. Papaya leaf extract

Papaya leaf extract is highly recommended to improve blood platelet count in Chikungunya. Having papaya leaf can effectively increase platelet count within 3 hours.

9. Giloy juice

Giloy juice is another popular remedy for Chikungunya. It can be taken twice a day by adding a few drops of giloy juice to a glass of water. Remember not to overdo it. You can also extract fresh giloy juice from the giloy stems by boiling it in water.

10. Barley

If you have Chikungunya, you must include barley (sattu) in your diet. It aids in liver detoxification.

11. Herbal tea

Freshly made hot herbal tea containing ingredients such as fennel seeds, caraway seeds, and cumin seeds is the most effective treatment for chikungunya joint pain. All you need to do is boil some water with these seeds for a few minutes or until the water is only 3/4 full. Strain and serve. You can also add honey/jaggery to enhance the flavour.

12. Turmeric and Ginger

Both turmeric and ginger exhibit anti-inflammatory properties that help alleviate pain. You can incorporate them into your food preparations for the best results.

The Chikungunya virus damages the body’s immunity which takes time to heal. A healthy diet rich in vitamins C and A, proteins, herbs and minerals can help speedy recovery from Chikungunya.

Disclaimer: The information given in this article is accurate to our best knowledge. Still, we recommend you consult your doctor before taking any foods for Chikungunya mentioned in this article.