Which foods boost immune system?
Many people are looking for foods boosting immune system function
In today’s world it’s not good to have a weak immune system, especially with the presence of the Covid-19 and other common viral infections.
Feeding the body with immune boosting foods can help stave off the dreaded winter cold and flu symptoms.
Immune Boosting Foods
11 Powerful Foods That Help Boost Immune System Function
These are some of the best foods that boost immune system function…
1. CITRUS FRUITS
Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, clementines and limes.
These are some of the best fruits that boost immune system efficacy, especially if you have an immune deficiency.
Foods containing Vitamin C need to be eaten every day as Vitamin C is not stored in the body. However, they are a great source of immune system booster food that’s easy to be included in a meal or taken as a snack. We often look to Vitamin C for combating colds and flu ailments and reach for a squeeze of lemon in a glass of water to relieve the symptoms. We do this because citrus fruits are proven foods that boost your immune system. Vitamin C can help fight infection by increasing the white blood cells in the body. Therefore, choose citrus foods… fruits that boost immune system.
For a great health immune booster, start your day with a squeeze of lemon in a small glass of water as well as grapefruit or orange for an effective boost to your immune system, every day.
2. RED BELL PEPPERS
The red bell pepper is a wonderful immune system booster because of the high levels of Vitamin C it contains. It is high in nutrition value which makes it a very healthy food as well as an immune system booster. Red bell peppers are one of the best foods for immune system building and their Vitamin C levels, along with being a rich source of beta carotene, aids healthy skin and eyes.
If you are looking for ways to boost immune system function, just simply add red bell peppers to your diet to greatly improve and maintain your health and help strengthen your immune system.
3. GARLIC
Garlic has been known for many years as a highly nutritious immune system booster food. It contains many health boosting compounds that constitute a rich source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B. Garlic has high levels of Sulfur and contains compounds that play an important role in fighting infections with flu-like symptoms. It’s for these reasons that garlic has been widely used throughout the ages, both as an immune boosting food and as a herbal medicine.
Garlic contains antioxidants that help the body’s immune system to maintain overall good health. It is also beneficial for cardiovascular health.
Crushed or sliced garlic is one of the best foods that boost the immune system. However, garlic supplements are also a good immune booster, without the strong taste or aroma of garlic. Add garlic to your diet to strengthen your immune system.
4. BROCCOLI
A slow immune system or a weak immune system can improve greatly by adding broccoli to your daily diet, along with other rich glutathione foods such as spinach and avocados. You will not only improve your health, but it will have a beneficial effect on your longevity and your overall immune system.
Broccoli is an immune system booster food which has huge overall health and longevity benefits. Broccoli is part of the rich cruciferous vegetables group which are Sulfur-rich foods that build a strong immune system. These foods have a high concentration of sulforaphane. The compound sulforaphane activates a gene whose primary job is to produce antioxidants and one powerful antioxidant is glutathione, found in broccoli.
As an immune system booster, broccoli contains amino acids that must be obtained through the diet. Amino acids are the building blocks of life and have a vital role to play in maintaining a healthy immune system or boosting a weak immune system. Amino acids also help in muscle development as well as repair muscle damage.
Broccoli is a food that boosts your immune system by its powerful antioxidant protections against ageing and helping to improve cellular damage, while at the same time fighting against free radical damage. To strengthen the immune system, it is therefore important that you take full advantage of the nutritional value of broccoli. Broccoli contains glutathione which is a powerful antioxidant and is a huge immune system booster food, helping to protect the body from diseases such as Alzheimers, heart disease and stroke.
Broccoli helps maintain a strong immune system for high levels of health and well-being.
5. SPINACH
Spinach is a highly nutritional, value packed leafy green vegetable. It is an immune system booster food which was popularised by “Popeye the Sailor Man” from the 1930’s movie cartoon, in which Popeye would eat lots of spinach thereby developing strong muscles to impress his girlfriend, Olive Oyl.
Spinach is an immune booster food, rich in vitamins A, C and K, iron and magnesium. These nutrients help to strengthen bones, body tissue and skin, hair and eyesight, all helping to boost a low immune system. Spinach helps strengthen the immune system as it helps repel bacteria and viruses. Spinach is an immune system booster food that also protects against eye diseases and cardiovascular diseases. It can help reduce the risk of heart attacks and the thickening of the artery wall, building a strong immune system.
Spinach helps turn food into energy to sustain you throughout the day.
For a low immune system or an immune deficiency, it would be highly recommended that you add spinach to your diet. To gain all the benefits of this powerful leafy green vegetable, you can eat spinach raw in salads, lightly steamed or added to soups for garnish, as well as lightly sautéd with other immune booster vegetables. However, the less cooking the better, to retain all the nutrients.
Spinach is a “must-have” vegetable to add on a regular basis to your diet as it’s one of the best immune-boosting foods.
6. GINGER
Ginger has natural, built-in, strong antioxidant properties that boost the immune system. Itis one more of the many immune system booster foods.
Ginger is well known as a defence against cold viruses and other infections with flu-type symptoms, such as chills and fevers. Ginger is a food that actually fuels the immune system and has been used in traditional as well as alternative medicine throughout history. It has been widely used as a natural remedy for stomach pains, nausea, travel sickness as well as to alleviate morning sickness and many other health problems.
Ginger is an immune boosting food and an excellent antioxidant source and works well with dishes where turmeric is also included. These two foods work well together, giving a huge boost to the body’s health and well-being, while at the same time helping to build a strong immune system.
Ginger is a great tonic. The raw ginger can be grated into a glass of warm water and taken as a tonic. Ginger is also known to improve immune system health as it helps with inflammatory issues and helps support the cells in the brain where is also helps inhibit against diseases such as Alzheimers and other brain related problems.
Ginger is a natural immune booster and by adding ginger to your diet on a regular basis you can improve a low immune system as it’s one of the best foods for immune system building.
Read more about the health benefits of ginger
7. BLUEBERRIES
Blueberries are included on our list of immune system booster foods because they are full of antioxidant flavonoids that greatly reduce cell damage and help boost the immune system for better health and well-being. Blueberries are often referred to as a “superfood”, packed with flavour, containing essential nutrients such as potassium, Vitamin C and A and dietary fibre. The blueberry is very small in size but it packs a fantastic punch when it comes to health effects on the body. This is because it can help boost a low immune system as well as protect a strong immune system.
Blueberries can be added to breakfast meals, added to smoothies along with yoghurt or just eaten on their own as a small snack.
8. TURMERIC
Turmeric has been long known as one of the most effective immune system booster foods. It has been well known for its anti-inflammatory benefits for centuries. Curcumin, the yellow orange component, is the active ingredient in turmeric. It’s a powerful spice that is mainly used in curries, stews, sauces and other dishes and has widely been used throughout Asia.
Turmeric is an immune booster and has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for providing benefits to those suffering depression, anxiety, mood, stress or other emotional issues as well as building a strong immune system.
Turmeric’s natural properties have good effects on the immune system, boosting the body’s all-round function. Turmeric has excellent tonic benefits for helping good liver function and may also help remove stones in gallbladder disorders.
Turmeric has one of the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits for improving health as it’s an immune boosting food. It can help those with an immune deficiency or a low immune system by its natural energising protective properties. These protective properties may also be beneficial for fighting cancer cell invasion. Turmeric has many important medicinal properties and gives a natural boost to the immune system.
Turmeric is one of the best foods for immune system strengthening. It helps to eliminate harmful effects from “free radicals” that try to harm the body. It has beneficial effects on digestive disorders, cramps and helps eliminate gasses in the intestine.
Turmeric helps cardiovascular health, which in turn reduces cholesterol levels. Studies have shown it also has benefits on cognitive impairment, helping improve memory and its natural properties fight against Alzheimer’s.
Turmeric has natural medicinal properties that have so many health benefits so why not spice up your life with Turmeric, one of the best immune system booster foods.
To help supercharge your immune system, simply add more turmeric to your diet on a regular basis, especially during flu seasons and times of stress and anxiety.
9. ALMONDS
Almonds are immune boosting foods and a good source of nutrition. They are a food that is low in carbohydrates which may help those trying to lose weight, however it is recommended they need to be always taken in small portions. They exhibit antioxidant benefits, supporting the immune system, helping protect the body against the risk of heart disease. Almonds are high in fat, but it is good monounsaturated fat, which has cardio-protective properties.
Almonds are one of the many foods that help restore a weak immune system.
10. YOGURT
Gut Health is incredibly important for maintaining a healthy immune system. A low immune system can become a strong immune system by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with regular natural yogurt.
Good health is reliant on immune system booster foods that will help support strong bones, skin, hair, nails and give us energy and balance our weight, mood and diet. Natural Yogurt gives a powerful benefit to the body’s health, enabling the digestive system to function properly.
Natural Yogurt has great benefits for the immune system as it is one of the best sources of probiotics. The probiotics in yogurt are gut-friendly bacteria that aid and dictate our health. Yogurt is a dairy-fermented milk product that provides both calcium and protein. Its health benefits help protect against osteoporosis, heart disease and issues around weight. If there is an imbalance in the gut bacteria, this will lead eventually to an immune deficiency and many health problems.
Healthy bacteria help to turn on enzymes that will create a healthy gut and boost the immune system to fight off unhealthy bacteria such as fungus related infections as well as other health issues. Yogurt’s friendly bacteria help break down food as it enters the gut, absorbing the nutrients into the body. This helps to fight off any unfriendly, harmful organisms that could potentially cause infections, diseases, diarrhoea or other issues.
Look for a natural Greek yogurt, high in probiotics, that has a “live and active cultures” seal as this will help build a strong immune system.
11. GREEN TEA
Green tea has been widely used throughout Japan, China and India and its origins are known to date back 3000 years. There is a great correlation between drinking green tea and the improvement to health and it has a direct effect on the body’s immune system.
The benefits of drinking Green tea are numerous. Chinese traditional medicine long held the view that drinking Green tea helped relieve the body’s aches and pains, improved digestion and had a detoxification effect, thus improving quality of life.
Drinking Green tea two or three times a day can provide valued benefits for a healthier lifestyle.
Green tea has natural antioxidants called flavonoids that help to prevent cell damage in the body. It is also beneficial to those who want to lose weight because it helps improve the body’s metabolic capabilities and increase fat burning and weight maintenance. It may also help those with Type 2 Diabetes.
Drinking Green tea helps improve health for those with a weak immune system.
The antioxidants in green tea help promote heart health, thereby reducing the risks of high blood pressure and stroke. These antioxidants help improve and regulate blood pressure function and cholesterol levels, thereby strengthening the immune system. Green tea is an immune booster food that greatly reduces inflammation damage which can have an effect on the reduction of tumour incidences lowering the risks of cancer. It also helps reduce risk of bacterial infections and viral diseases.
Drinking green tea is one of the best ways to build a strong immune system, while improving heart health by antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, with healing benefits.
Here are some of the immune system boosting teas that may also improve blood pressure:
Try some of the following teas as foods to boost immunity…
- Lemon balm tea may help relieve anxiety, insomnia and stress as well as nausea and indigestion. Lemon balm has antiviral properties as well and helping improve cognitive function.
- Sage tea may help promote healthy skin cell growth as it is rich in anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants.
- Green tea and Black tea.
- Hibiscus and Nettle tea, blended together Hibiscus and Nettle tea not only taste great, but they are all-round “immune booster teas”
We should all choose immune boosting foods as these foods are vital for optimum health and nutrition. These “immune system booster foods” provide energy, health and wellbeing, strengthening the overall immune system.
Iimmune boosting recipes
