Are you eating enough of this for immunity?

“Drink that kadha, have enough protein, be a rock-chick Radha, and conquer the world like a queen”

Have you dunked yourself in haldi, pepper, ginger, tulsi and every other teekha or kadwa stuff there is for immunity? Have you been so desperate to be immune and shoo away the ‘virus-that-shall-not- be-named’? IF you have been nodding vigorously to everything, then we would like to ask you, ‘Protein khaya kya?”

Is this you after all the ‘immunity rituals?’

Protein? What does it have to do with immunity?

EVERYTHING!!

Believe us, not because we have protein bars but because of science!

Before all of you think this is going to be yet another scientific sermon on immunity terms being thrown around such as ‘Antibodies and Antigens, (Is it just us or do you feel that makes a great sci-fi movie title), immunocompromised, herd immunity – well we would like to disappoint you by taking a very common sensical approach to immunity!

Immunity matlab imm-YOU-nity!

Immunity is not just a lonely cell gone turbo or a little tiddly organ with daggers drawn but, you as whole!

Didn’t understand? The immune system is literally ‘Your whole body’! Read that again if you may!

Your skin, hair, nose (nose hair too), sweat, saliva, tears – all of that ‘khoon pasina’ is actually a part of your immune system! All of them physically barricade the germs from coming in and attacking just like a police officer’s nakabandi! That slimy booger is germs trapped by nose hair, sweat flushes out bacteria from skin and tears from the eyes!

Police nakabandi is like your skin/hair/sweat – not letting the uglies in!

So unless you go scratching your nose and not washing your hands, this first level of immunity keeps these dirty beings out! We hope now Amitabh Bachchan on your TV makes sense!

Uh oh! But I scratched. Now what?

But what happens when you do go scratching? Your body has so many ways to filter and destroy them. We go to level 2: stomach acid kills, lungs trap it and coughing expels it as mucus or bulgum; body temperature increases (fever) trying to kill this ‘gunda. Most of the time, they succeed and all you feel is a little sneeze.

Enter the Shakal of an Enemy

But when the enemy is strong and smart like the one we are facing, then our body unleashes a full-blown war on it! It unleashes all the weapons – white blood cells, enzymes and everything known to mankind. The immune cells even eat up the virus like a happy pacman!

Immune cells be like…

So where’s the Protein dude?

Literally everywhere!

We just like to know it by different names: hair, skin, nails, eyes, heart, kidney, medulla oblongata, lymph, intestine and every other name you must have read in biology books! Before human beings, all of us are Protein beings!

Those enzymes we mentioned: protein

The Pacman cells and the white blood cells we spoke of: protein

Cells that release killer stomach acid: you guessed it, protein!

And who repairs and heals the wound after a fight to make you look like the person you are: Protein again!!!!

This is a very wrong time to be deficient in protein! It would be like showing up in a war without a shield or any weapons. Proteins from our food releases these little building blocks called amino acids which, in different permutation and combination, make up skin/blood/hair/organ.

So the next time you go drink that godforsaken kadha, ask yourself this, “Aaj maine protein khaya kya?”

P.S: Nothing against tulsi, haldi, green tea, pepper…all of them help in their own great ways. But guys, secure the basics first and don’t stop that Kadha! That’s something you need to keep up with too in these difficult times.