Many foods have immune boosting effects and it's easy to include them in your diet on a daily basis. By eating these top 11 super foods you can be assured that your diet will be super rich in vitamins and minerals to help fight off colds and flu this season.
Mushrooms - recent studies have found they make white blood cells act more aggressively against foreign bacteria. Look out for shitake
Garlic and Onion - antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal and increases immune function. They are also a good source of sulfur which is important for healthy live function
Cruciferous vegetables - boccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale are all good sources of betacarotene, vitamin C and Calcium which help protectagainst free radical damage. Spinach and other leafy greens are also high in betacarotene
Orange vegetables - sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and squash are a good source of vitamin A and kiwi fruit, blueberries, strawberries and oranges are good sources of vitamin C
Avocados - are rich in vitamin A and potassium and also contain folic acid and magnesium
Ginger - helps the body fight off infection and has been traditionally used in treating colds and flu
Turmeric - enhances the immune system and has a detoxifying effect
Blueberries - my favourite immune boosting food, rich in anti oxidant properties and comes out on top of 40 fruits and vegetables as the highest in anti oxidants. I eat a punnet a day!
Beetroot - bursting with mineral and has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immune boosting and detoxifying properties
Grapefruit - has immune boosting, antiseptic, wound healing and anti bacterial properties
Green tea - is a rich source of a type of antioxidant called a catechin and preliminary research has found that a specific catechin may give the tea antigen fighting abilities. Researchers in South Korea have found that i can also stop the influenza virus from replicating!
Yoghurt - may help keep infections at bay because the probiotics found in yoghurt produce healthy bacteria that colonise the gut and detoxify harmful immune cell production
Other reasons to exercise.....
Physical activity has such a positive effect on immunity. A 30 minute walk daily will make you 25% less likely to develop a cold compared with no exercise researchers have found in USC
More reasons to limit sugar intake.....
eating or drinking 100 grams of sugar (the equivalent of 2 cans of soda) can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kills germs by 40%. Immune suppressing sugar effect starts less than 30 mins after ingestion and may last up to 5 hours!
Limit your drinking..... excessive alcohol intake can harm the body's immune system so limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks as 3 or more can damage your immune system and inhibit the action of killer white cells on cancer cells
Hope this helps keep you healthy this season!
Suzanne
Lifestylist Health & Wellness