Avoid Getting Sick with These

Healthy Foods to Boost Immune

System
By Emily Turner December 6, 2019 in Healthy Foods

We all know that consuming certain foods help a lot in improving your immune
system.

Eating healthy and high-source of antioxidant foods plays a great role in

maintaining a good immune system; these include fruits, green vegetables,
whole grains and foods rich in protein.

The main aim of feeding your body these healthy foods is to keep it away from
infection and illness.

No matter what type of weather you have in your city, summer or winter, your first
step must be visiting the grocery store to get healthy foods to boost immune
system, especially during the cold and flu season.

By incorporating specific foods into your daily diet, you can strengthen your
immune system and keep yourself healthy.

Here, you will learn about some of the healthy foods to boost immunity and stay
well.

Table of Contents

• What is the Immune System?

• Healthy Foods to Boost Immune System
o Red Bell Pepper
o Broccoli
o Garlic
o Green Tea
o Papaya
o Turmeric
o Mushroom
o Almonds
o Spinach
o Yogurt
o Ginger

What is the Immune System?

You must know that if you have a strong immune system, it means your body is
capable enough to fight infections and various diseases.

The immune system is a combination of organs, cells, and tissues that works
effectively in carrying out the bodily processes to fight against viruses, bacteria
and other external builds that can cause infection.

When your body comes in contact with viruses or bacteria, your immune system
triggers a protected response by releasing antibodies present on the pathogens
and hence, kill them.

People with low or poor immune systems are more likely to easily get affected by
a virus or bacteria.

Let’s plan your meals with these immunity boosters.

Healthy Foods to Boost Immune
System
Here are some of the most powerful foods which can help in boosting your
immunity.

Red Bell Pepper

Many of you may be known to the fact that citrus fruits contain a high source of
Vitamin C.

But, you may not be known that red bell peppers contain almost two times
Vitamin C than citrus fruits.
Red bell peppers are also one of the rich sources of beta carotene that help a lot
in boosting the immune system.

Moreover, it is also beneficial in maintaining healthy eyes and skin.

Broccoli
Broccoli is another one of the healthy foods to boost immunity which is fully
packed with vitamins and minerals.

It also contains various antioxidants and fiber, which makes it one of the
preferable healthy vegetables to be included in your meals.

The best way to maintain its healthy content is to cook broccoli as little as
possible.

Garlic
Many of you might be using garlic in most of your cuisines, but do you know that
it is quite helpful in making your body capable of fighting infections?

Garlic has powerful immune-boosting properties that make it a must-have food

for your health.

It is also one of the common home remedy to treat colds and other illnesses.

A sulfur-containing compound, allicin, found in garlic is highly powerful in

reducing the risk of getting an infection.

Green Tea
Green tea contains flavonoids, which makes it a powerful natural remedy for
many health issues.

Drinking green tea regularly, instead of black tea or coffee, can strengthen your
immune system.
Also, it is a rich source of the amino acid L-theanine that works effectively in
helping the production of germ-fighting compounds in your body, thus making it
one of the healthy foods to boost immune system.

So, if you are a frequent cold sufferer, you must start consuming at least one cup
of green tea in a day.

Papaya
Apart from citrus fruits, papaya is another fruit that is packed with Vitamin C.

Papaya contains a digestive enzyme called papain that brings highly beneficial
anti-inflammatory effects on your body.
Papaya also helps in boosting the immune system and strengthens your body to
fight colds and other infections.

Potassium, vitamin B and folate are also present in papaya, all these are quite
beneficial for maintaining your overall health.

Turmeric
We all know that turmeric is a key ingredient in many cuisines, but do you know
that it is also one of the healthy foods to boost immunity?

This yellow spice has anti-inflammatory properties that help in treating

osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, exercise-induced muscle damage, and also
improves your immune response.

The curcumin found in turmeric has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

effects, due to which it is also used in the formulation of various alternative
medicines.

Mushrooms
Many of you might be thinking that how mushrooms can boost your immune
system?

Mushrooms are a rich source of Selenium and Vitamin B which plays a great part
in strengthening the immune system.

Mushrooms also contain polysaccharides, sugar-like molecules that are also

helpful in boosting the function of your immune system.

So, if you do not like mushrooms, start eating them as your alternate medicine to
improve your health and with the time you will begin loving this food.

Almonds
When we talk about fighting and preventing cold and flu, Vitamin E comes in the
second position in the list of Vitamins.

Almonds are those healthy foods to boost immune system that contains Vitamin
E, magnesium, fiber, and other healthy fats.

A small handful of almonds daily are enough to take their health benefits.

You can also choose to use almonds in smoothies, snacks, sweet dishes, etc.
and can consume them in different ways to benefit your family’s immune system.

Spinach
Spinach is also helpful in boosting the immune system.

It contains flavonoids, Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which are highly beneficial in

maintaining the immune system.

These essential nutrients and antioxidants work great in strengthening your

immunity and make your body able to prevent and fight the common cold.
You can consume it in various ways, such as spinach soup, curry, salad, etc. or
choose to have spinach in any way you like.

Yogurt
No doubt, yogurt is used to prepare many cuisines, but it is also one of the
healthy foods to boost immune system and helps in fighting various diseases.

Yogurts also contain Vitamin D which is helpful in regulating the immune system.

So, add yogurt in your diet to improve your body’s natural strength to fight
against diseases.

It is also recommended to take plain yogurt instead of flavored or the one loaded
with sugar.

If you want, you can add healthy fruits and honey to make a flavored and
sweetened yogurt at home.

Ginger
Ginger is another healthy food that helps in decreasing inflammation, such as
give you relief from sore throat.

It is also helpful in decreasing nausea and treating various inflammatory

diseases.

Due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of ginger, you can also
use it to decrease chronic pain and to lower your cholesterol levels.
Ginger can be consumed by adding in cuisines, curries, desserts, and teas.

The best way to take its maximum health benefits is to drink ginger tea.

Conclusion

Adding these foods into your diet can help in protecting you from common
infections.

Always keep in mind that only eating these healthy foods to boost immunity is not
enough.

You have to take prescribed medications and proper nutrition to strengthen your
body to fight off the cold and flu.

Follow us @ Pinterest!