15 Foods Boost your Immune System

 Immune system boosters

Feeding your body certain foods can help keep your system strong. If you're trying to find ways to stop colds, flu, and other infections, your initiative should be to travel to your local grocery. Plan your meals to incorporate these 15 powerful system boosters.

1. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits

Most people go straight back to vitamin C after catching a cold. This is because it helps build your immune system.

Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells, which is the key to fighting infection.

Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, it's easy to add a strain of this vitamin to any diet.

Popular citrus fruits include:

1.     Grapefruit	2.     Oranges	3.     Clementines
4.     Tangerines	5.     Lemons	6.     Limes

Since your body does not produce or store it, you need vitamin C daily for continued health. The recommended daily amount for most adults is:

>>75 mg for women

>>90 mg for men

If you opt for supplements, avoid taking more than 2,000 mg (mg) per day.

Also, keep in mind that vitamin C can help you recover faster from a cold, but there is still no evidence that it is effective against the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

2. Red bell peppers

Red bell peppers

If you think citrus fruits have the most vitamin C of any fruit or vegetable, think again. Ounces for ounces, red bell peppers contain about 3 times more vitamin C (127 mg) than Florida oranges (45 mg). These are a rich source of beta carotene.

In addition to boosting your immune system, vitamin C can help you maintain healthy skin. Beta carotene, which your body converts to vitamin A, helps keep your eyes and skin healthy.

3. Broccoli

Broccoli

Broccoli is supercharged with vitamins and minerals. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E as well as fiber and many more antioxidants, packaged broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables on your plate.

The key to keeping its power intact is to cook it as much as possible - or better yet, not at all. Studies have shown that steam is the best way to keep food more nutritious.

4. Garlic

Garlic

Garlic is found in almost every cuisine in the world. It adds a little zing to the diet and it is essential for your health.

Early civilization recognized its value in the fight against infection. Garlic can also slow down the hardening of the arteries and there is weak evidence that it helps lower blood pressure.

The resistance-enhancing properties of garlic seem to come from the heavy concentration of sulfur-containing mixtures such as allicin.

5. Ginger

Ginger

Ginger is another ingredient that comes back in many forms after getting sick. Ginger can help reduce inflammation which helps in reducing sore throat and inflammatory diseases. Ginger can help with nausea as well.

Although it is used in many sweet desserts, Ginger Capsicine packs some heat in the form of ginger ginseng, a relative.

Ginger can reduce chronic pain and even have cholesterol-lowering properties.

6. Spinach

Spinach

Spinach has made our list only because it is rich in vitamin C - it contains numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, both of which can boost our immune system's ability to fight infections.

Like broccoli, vegetables are cooked less so they are healthier but light cooking makes it easier to absorb vitamin A and release other nutrients from the antioxidant oxalic acid. Check out some spinach recipes here.

7. Yogurt

Yogurt

Look for yogurt that has the phrase "live and active culture" printed on the label, like Greek yogurt. These cultures can boost your immune system to fight disease.

Try to get plain yogurt rather than flavored and loaded types in sugar. You can instead sweeten yourself with plain yogurt with healthy fruit and a drop of honey.

Yogurt can also be a great source of vitamin D, so try to choose brands that are protected with this vitamin. Vitamin D is believed to help control immunity and enhance our body's natural defenses against disease.

Clinical trials are even in the works to study its possible effects on COVID-19.

8. Almonds

Almonds

When it comes to preventing and fighting colds, Vitamin E tends to take a backlog of vitamin C, however, this powerful antioxidant is the key to a healthy immune system.

It is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it requires the presence of fat for proper absorption. Almonds, like almonds, are high in vitamins and healthy fats.
Adults need about 15 milligrams of vitamin E per day. Serve half a cup of nuts, which is about 46 whole, shelled nuts, providing about 100 percent of the recommended daily amount.

9. Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds are rich in nutrients including phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins B-6 and E.

Vitamin E is important in controlling and maintaining the functioning of the immune system. Other foods high in vitamin E include avocados and dark leafy vegetables.

Sunflower seeds are also incredibly high in selenium. Just 1 ounce contains about half the selenium that the average adult needs every day. Various studies, mostly conducted on animals, have looked at the possibility of fighting viral infections such as swine flu (H1N1). 

10. Turmeric

Turmeric

You know turmeric is the main ingredient in many vegetables. This bright yellow, bitter spice has been used for several years as an anti-inflammatory in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Research shows that high levels of curcumin, which gives turmeric its distinctive color, help reduce muscle-induced muscle loss. Curcumin has the potential to increase immunity (based on results from animal studies) and as an antiviral. More research is needed.

11. Green tea

Green tea

Both green and black want a kind of antioxidant, flavonoids. Where green tea is actually at the level of epigallocotin gallate (EGCG), a more potent antioxidant.

In studies, ECGG has been shown to increase the effectiveness of resistance. The process of extracting Bloom T destroys a lot of ECGG. Green tea on the other hand is steamy and not fermentable, so ECGG is preserved.

Green tea is a good source of the amino acid L-thananine. L-thananine can help produce bactericidal compounds in your T cells.

12. Papaya

Papaya

Vitamin C means papaya is a fruit that you can get the recommended amount of vitamin C per day in a single medium fruit. Papaya also contains a digestive enzyme called papain which has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Papaya contains adequate amounts of potassium, magnesium, and folate, all of which are beneficial for your overall health.

13. Kiwi

Kiwi

Like papaya, kiwis are naturally rich in one a ton of essential nutrients, including phonet, potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin C.

Vitamin C boosts white blood cells to fight infection, while other nutrients in kiwi keep the rest of your body working properly.

14. Poultry

Poultry

When you’re sick and you arrive for chicken soup, it’s more than just a placebo effect that makes you feel better. The soup can help reduce inflammation which can improve the symptoms of a cold.

Chickens such as chickens and turkeys are high in vitamin B-6. About 3 ounces of light turkey or chicken contains about one-third of your daily recommended amount of B-6.

Vitamin B-6 is an important player in many chemical reactions that occur in the body. It is also important for the formation of new and healthy red blood cells.

Stocks or broths made from boiling chicken bones contain gelatin, chondroitin, and other nutrients that help with bowel healing and immunity.

15. Shellfish

Shellfish

Many people do not think that shellfish want to increase their resistance, but some types of shellfish are zinc-rich.

Zinc does not get as much attention as many other vitamins and minerals, but our bodies need it so that our immune cells can function intentionally.

Different types of shellfish contain more zinc:

Oysters

Crab

Lobster

Mussels

 Remember that you do not want to get more than the recommended daily amount of zinc in your diet:

>>11 mg for adult men

>>8 mg for most adult women

Too much zinc can actually interfere with the functioning of the immune system.

More ways to prevent infection

The key to a variety of proper nutrition. Eating just one of these foods will not be enough to fight the flu or other infections, even if you eat it constantly. Pay attention to the size and offer daily meals so you don’t get too much of a vitamin and too little.

Eating right is a great start, and there are other things you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu, colds, and other illnesses.

Start with these flu prevention basics and then read these 7 tips for flu-proofing your home. Perhaps most importantly, get your annual flu vaccine to protect yourself and others.