In the midst of uncertain and unpredictable weather, improving your immune system is one way to stay healthy.
To do so, the saying that you are what you eat has never been more true—eating the right foods and getting the proper nutrition can help your body protect itself and fight various diseases.
What you need are nutrient-dense foods, which contain nutrients and minerals your body will use to improve your health and wellness. While it doesn’t mean that it’ll prevent all diseases from entering your body, it can help give your body the ammunition it needs to fight them off.
That said, be sure to incorporate these eight immune system booster foods to guarantee great health all year long!
15 Immune System Booster Foods You Should Consume
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If you want to start improving your immune system, food is a great way to start. It’s one thing you can immediately start on without affecting your daily routine—just changing what you consume every day.
Be sure to put these immune system booster foods to maintain a healthy diet:
1. Berries
such as blueberries, blackberries, and others. They provide potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and prebiotics. Consuming them can improve your immune system by forming healthy cell functions and protecting you against inflammation.
2. Nuts and seeds
such as almonds, pecans, and others. They provide protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Consuming them can help protect you against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.
3. Green vegetables
such as spinach, kale, and others. They provide vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Aside from improving your immune system, they can also help with vision, skin health, and reducing risks of cancer and heart diseases.
4. Spices
such as garlic, ginger, and others. They are a great source of antioxidants and can help lower the risks of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases.
5. Red meat
is a great source of vitamin B-12, iron, protein, and zinc. Consuming it can help you produce new red blood cells faster, so that oxygen gets distributed from the lungs to the rest of the body smoothly. It can also help support your immune function.
6. Fish oil
has high levels of Omega 3 that can increase the activity among white blood cells to help fight off infection.
7. Olive oil
provides healthy fat and a large amount of antioxidants. Both can help protect your heart and brain, while also reducing inflammation in your body.
8. Yogurt
is rich in vitamin D that can stimulate your immune system to ward off diseases.
9. Tropical and Citrus Fruits
Apart from berries, tropical and citrus fruits such as papaya and orange are also the types of foods that boost your immune system. Incorporating this type of fruits into your diet can enhance overall health with their rich vitamins and antioxidants. Papaya for instance, strengthen the immune system and support immune boosting, making them smart choices for a robust and healthy immune system.
Read Also: Uh-Oh, What to Do If You Get Sick While Traveling
10. Tempeh and Tofu
Tempeh and tofu are highly recommended foods for improving your immune system.
Apart from being a favorite of many mothers in Indonesia, both are easy to obtain and process.
Tempeh, as a source of vegetable protein, not only provides protein benefits but also contains iron, calcium, and fiber.
This makes tempeh a good choice for maintaining digestive health, optimizing bone growth, and maintaining the supply of red blood cells.
Tofu, with its carbohydrate, fat, phosphorus, fiber, and calcium content, is also an excellent immune-boosting food.
Its smooth and creamy texture is often liked by children, making it an attractive choice for serving.
Therefore, let’s add tempeh and tofu to your healthy diet to increase body endurance naturally.
11. Chicken Soup
Serving chicken soup gives your taste buds pleasure and is a wise choice to increase your body’s endurance.
The water content in chicken soup helps keep the body hydrated, while chicken or turkey meat is rich in vitamin B-6, which is important for health.
By consuming just about 3 ounces of chicken meat, you can get almost a third of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B-6 for adults.
Vitamin B-6 is crucial in various chemical reactions in the body and is important for forming new, healthy red blood cells.
If you cook chicken soup with chicken bone broth, the added gelatin, chondroitin, and other nutrients in the broth can provide extra benefits for gut healing and boosting your immune system.
So, choose chicken soup as part of your healthy diet to support your immune system naturally.
12. Garlic
Including garlic in your daily menu provides a delicious taste to your dishes and is a wise step to support body health.
Garlic contains sulfur compounds, especially allicin, which improve the immune system.
Research shows that the allicin content in garlic can provide extra support in strengthening the body’s immunity, making it an excellent food to integrate into your daily diet.
That way, you provide deliciousness to the dish and care for your body’s health naturally.
13. Turmeric
Integrating turmeric into your diet can be a smart choice for maintaining health.
Turmeric contains anti-inflammatory compounds, especially curcumin, which has been shown to have healing effects on several types of diseases.
Research also shows that curcumin in turmeric positively strengthens the immune system and has antiviral properties.
Regularly consuming turmeric can provide natural support to your body to fight disease and maintain overall health.
14. Shelled seafood
Eating shelled seafood, such as oysters, crab, lobster, and shellfish, can be a smart choice to strengthen your immune system.
This seafood is rich in zinc, a mineral that has an important role in supporting immune function.
By integrating shelled seafood into your diet, you enjoy culinary delights and provide the support needed to maintain your health and immune system.
15. Poultry
Eating poultry meat, such as chicken soup, can be a wise choice to increase your immune system.
When you have a cold or flu, chicken soup provides comfort and contains anti-inflammatory properties that can relieve symptoms of illness.
Poultry meat, such as chicken and turkey, is rich in vitamin B-6, which plays an important role in forming new red blood cells that support the health of your immune system.
Including poultry meat in your diet can provide the support needed to maintain health and fitness.
Other Ways to Boost Your Immune System
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Food isn’t the only way to boost your immune system. For your body to work optimally, it also needs support from other aspects. This way, you can manage your health consistently.
Here are some other ways to boost your immune system to guarantee a balanced and healthy lifestyle:
1. Stress Management
Did you know that stress can raise your cortisol level, in turn weakening your immune system if they’re left that high for too long?
Furthermore, it can also damage your cells and elevates inflammation, leaving you susceptible to viruses and infections.
To make sure that your immune system doesn’t get affected, you can start looking into ways to relieve your stress. You can start with deep breath, meditation, or doing fun activities as a means of unwinding.
It may take some time to find what works for you, but don’t give up. Once you find the best way to manage it, you’ll be able to take better care of yourself.
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercising is a great way to increase blood and lymph flow as your muscles contract. Aside from that, it also increases the circulation of immune cells, thus distributing them at a higher rate and numbers.
The effect extends until the workout session is over. These immune cells continue to circulate faster for up to three hours after the exercise is completed, providing an extra time for the immune cells to identify foreign cells and keep you from getting sick.
If you’re not used to exercising regularly, you can start small by going on a light walk, doing yoga, or swimming. Once you start doing it regularly, you can gradually increase the intensity.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Last but not least, getting enough sleep is something that most people likely overlook when it comes to maintaining one’s health. Well, it’s actually very important.
The production of immune cells mostly happens when you’re sleeping, so when you don’t get enough sleep, that process is disrupted. Be sure to get enough sleep so your body can produce the amount of immune cells it needs to function optimally.
Read Also: Try These 9 Yoga Exercises for Beginners!
4. Practicing Correct Hand-Washing and Oral Hygiene
Practicing proper hand-washing and maintaining good oral hygiene are crucial for boosting your immune system. Hand-washing is essential in preventing infections, as it removes harmful bacteria and viruses that can enter your body through contaminated surfaces.
Regularly washing your hands with soap and water reduces the risk of illnesses and supports your immune response. Additionally, maintaining oral hygiene through brushing and flossing is equally important. Your mouth is a gateway to your body, and a clean oral environment prevents harmful bacteria from entering your bloodstream, strengthening your immune system’s defense against potential threats.
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