Eating a variety of healthy foods that are high in vitamins and minerals, like citrus fruits and spinach, can help keep your immune system strong.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
If you eat certain foods, your immune system might be stronger.
Start by going to the grocery store if you want to stay healthy and avoid getting colds, the flu, and other infections. Plan your meals around these 15 strong foods that will help your immune system.
An important note
No supplement can cure or stop a disease from happening.
1. Citrus fruits
Most people with a cold take vitamin C right away because it boosts their immune system.
Vitamin C might make more white blood cells, which help fight off infections.
Almost all citrus fruits have vitamin C. This vitamin is easy to add to any meal because it comes in so many different flavors.
Popular citrus fruits include:
grapefruit
oranges
clementines
tangerines
lemons
limes
Vitamin C is important to your health because your body can’t make or store it. It has to be taken every day.
2. Red bell peppers
You would be wrong to think that citrus fruits have the most vitamin C of any fruit or vegetable. Per ounce, a red bell pepper has almost three times as much vitamin C as a Florida orange (Trusted Source). There is also a lot of beta-carotene in them.
Vitamin C can make your immune system stronger and may also help keep your skin healthy. Beta-carotene is turned into vitamin A by your body. Vitamin A helps keep your eyes and skin healthy.
3. Broccoli
There are many vitamins and minerals in broccoli. One of the healthiest vegetables you can eat is broccoli. It is full of fiber and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C, and E.
To keep its power, cook it as little as possible, or better yet, don’t cook it at all. Research from a trustworthy source has shown that steaming food is the best way to keep more nutrients in it.
4. Garlic
Garlic is in almost every kind of food in the world. It adds a kick to food and is good for your health.
People have known for a long time that it could help fight infections. Garlic may also slow down the hardening of the arteries, but there isn’t much evidence that it helps lower blood pressure.
Garlic seems to help the immune system because it contains a lot of sulfur-based compounds, like allicin.
5. Ginger
Ginger is something else that a lot of sick people use. Ginger may help reduce inflammation, which can make a sore throat and other conditions that cause inflammation feel better. If you are sick, ginger might also help.
Ginger is used in many sweet desserts, but it also has a spicy compound called gingerol that is related to capsaicin.
A good source says that ginger may also help with chronic pain and may even help lower cholesterol.
6. Spinach
Spinach made our list not only because it is high in vitamin C but also because it is full of antioxidants and beta-carotene, which may help our immune systems fight off infections better.
Like broccoli, spinach is healthiest when as few of its nutrients are lost as possible during cooking. But light cooking makes it easier to absorb the vitamin A and lets the antinutrient oxalic acid release other nutrients. Here are some ideas for cooking with spinach.
7. Greek yogurt
Look for “live and active cultures” on the label of yogurts like Greek yogurt. These cultures may help your immune system, which could help you fight off diseases.
Instead of getting yogurt with a lot of sugar and flavors, try to get plain yogurt. Plain yogurt can be made sweet by adding healthy fruits and honey.
You can also find vitamin D in yogurt, so try to buy brands that add it. Vitamin D is thought to boost the body’s natural defenses against diseases and make the immune system work better.
8. Almonds
When it comes to preventing and getting rid of colds, vitamin C is usually more important than vitamin E. But this powerful antioxidant is a must for a healthy immune system.
It is a vitamin that can only be absorbed when there is fat in the body. Almonds and other nuts are full of vitamin E and healthy fats.
Adults need only about 15 mg of vitamin E every day. A half-cup of almonds has about 46 whole almonds that haven’t been shelled. This is about 100% of the amount you should get every day.
9. Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds are full of vitamins B-6 and E, as well as phosphorous and magnesium.
Vitamin E is important for keeping the immune system in good shape and for making sure it works well. Avocados and dark leafy greens are also good sources of vitamin E.
Sunflower seeds also have a lot of selenium in them. There is almost half the selenium an average adult needs every day in just 1 ounce. Several studies, most of which were done on animals, looked at how well it could fight viral infections like swine flu (H1N1).
10. Turmeric
You might already know that turmeric is a key ingredient in a lot of curries. This bright yellow, bitter spice has also been used for years as an anti-inflammatory to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Research from a trusted source shows that high concentrations of curcumin, which gives turmeric its yellow color, can help lessen the damage that exercise can do to muscles. Studies on animals suggest that curcumin may help the immune system work better and fight off viruses. We need to find out more.
11. Green tea
Both green and black tea have flavonoids, which are a type of antioxidant. Green tea really shines when it has epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is another powerful antioxidant.
Researchers have found that EGCG makes the immune system work better. During the fermentation process, a lot of the EGCG in black tea is lost. The EGCG stays in green tea because it is steamed instead of fermented.
Green tea also has the amino acid L-theanine. L-theanine might help your T cells make substances that kill germs. The…..CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE
