Top 7 Immunity Boosting Foods That You Must Include In Diet
by Shivani Kakhandki, Cora Health
If there is anything that the past twin year of 2020 has taught us, it has to be the importance of immunity to lead a healthy life. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disheveled the lives of millions across the globe. While the discovery and production of vaccines are undergoing, it may take a while for the vaccine to reach each one of us. In this regard, most of the doctors, researchers, and scientists believe that the best defense shield that we have against the novel coronavirus is that of a healthy immune system. Eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly helps to keep our immunity game strong; however, there are certain particular foods that contain essential minerals and nutrients which help in fighting the pathogens which are nothing but foreign bodies like viruses and bacteria that cause an infection or a disease. So, when a body comes face-to-face with a pathogen, it is our immune system that triggers an immune response, this releases antibodies that fight and kill the virus. Therefore, if we incorporate certain foods in our everyday diet — this will contribute to warding off the deadly viruses including the novel coronavirus.
There exist certain immunity-boosting foods that are high in antioxidants and essential nutrients that promote the healthy life of our cells. Unfortunately, the majority of us these days don’t eat the required amount of food that is rich in nutrients, instead, we fall prey to processed foods that are nutrient deprived. This makes us more susceptible to severe illnesses and diseases. We need to understand that if we eat certain immunity-boosting food, we will not be gifted with good immunity right away. A healthy immunity system is achieved while one ensures that a diet that is a combination of well-adjusted vitamins and minerals is being eaten regularly — then over a certain period of time, one will be able to achieve a healthy immune system! With all this being said, let’s now discuss the best foods that we must include in our everyday diet if we want to maintain a very healthy immune system.
Foods That Boost Our Immunity
#1 Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the spices that holds a special place in Indian culture for centuries. This spice is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties and how it treats inflammation of the bones and muscles. Our ancestors made use of this bitter, bright yellow spice for centuries to treat chronic illnesses like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The spice turmeric derives its yellow color from the presence of high concentrations of curcumin. This active ingredient, the curcumin acts as a great modulator to boost the health of our immune system and is anti-viral in nature as well.
#2 Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is extremely high in fiber content and is known to be dense in phytochemicals and micronutrients. For those of you who don’t know, wheatgrass is the nothing but the leaf that sprouts out of a wheat plant. Juice made of wheatgrass is becoming increasingly popular among health and fitness enthusiasts as the tiniest amount of wheatgrass juice contains vitamin A, B6, C, K, and E in great concentrations. Wheatgrass makes for an excellent immunity booster food as it contains nearly 17 different kinds of amino acids, a hell lot of essential nutrients, and numerous antioxidants. Consuming wheatgrass will make your body stronger from inside and also speeds up the healing strength of the body.
#3 Almonds
Almonds are rich in vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin. This is a powerful antioxidant that is the key to obtaining a healthy immune system. Vitamin E helps in the production of healthy red blood cells which boost blood flow to all corners of the body. Good circulation of blood promotes a stronger immune system. One can consume 4–6 almonds daily. You could either eat it as it is also the main water overnight and get good circulation of blood promotes a stronger immune system. One can consume 4–6 almonds daily. You could either eat it as a whole or you could soak them in water overnight and eat them.
#4 Garlic
Garlic has made a place for itself in almost every cuisine across the world. It adds that zing to the dish irrespective of the distinctive smell it possesses. There are many protective benefits that garlic offers for our health and our immunity. Even the early human civilizations recommended eating garlic to ward off infections. Garlic has several immune hosting properties because of the presence of sulfur compounds like allicin. It also slows down the hardening of arteries as a body ages.
#5 Ginger
Ginger is one such ingredient that our mothers, grandmoms turn to when we fall sick, isn’t it? Ginger is one spice that boasts of great anti-inflammatory properties. It helps in the treatment of sore throat, its anti-viral properties proved to be effective against viral infections, it also improves digestion and helps in maintaining a healthy gut — all these contribute to a healthy immune system. It also helps in relieving chronic pain and helps maintain lower cholesterol levels.
#6 Green Tea
Green tea possesses incredible antioxidant properties that help the body detox and flush out the toxins and other harmful elements from the body. Green tea is known to contain EGCG (epigallocatechin), an antioxidant that boosts the healthy functioning of our immune system. This particular tea is packed with flavonoids and it is also rich in an amino acid called L-theanine which is known to aid the production of compounds that fight germs in our body.
#7 Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds of nutrients like magnesium, vitamin B-6, phosphorus, and vitamin E as well. Vitamin D is a potent antioxidant that helps in maintaining and regulating the immune system of our body. Apart from adding flavor to your food, sunflower seeds give that nutrient punch to your food as they are also rich in selenium.
We need to understand that variety is the door to proper nutrition. Eating only one of the above-mentioned foods won’t strengthen your immune system. Eating a combination of each one of them in correct serving sizes is the thing to do. So, shall we begin work towards getting our immunity game strong, shall we?
