Food is Fuel; How to Boost Your Immune System
There is a cliche saying that you are what you eat; this is incredibly true when you consider that the food you eat is fuel for your body. What you eat will make up the power necessary to complete your day, run those errands, and maintain healthy habits. However, if we only feed ourselves junk food, you will ultimately stunt your body’s immune system and decrease your chances of fighting off disease and infections. Focus on healthy foods to give your immune system the boost it is craving. It is important to note that if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, visit your health care provider to determine if you have COVID-19.
Healthy, Perishable Food
When you introduce junk food into your system, there are not enough living organisms in that type of food; while it is digestible, your body might not know how to handle those types of foods, giving you nothing but empty calories. When you make up your diet to include fresh fruit and vegetables that have their own bacterial make-up, your body knows how to digest these foods and gather more nutrients from them. To give your body the fuel it needs, incorporate fresh foods as much as possible.
Vitamin C
It is a well-known fact that vitamin C will help you fight off colds. What vitamin C does for the body is boost your immune system to increase white blood cell production; white blood cells will attack any bacteria or cell that it deems as foreign.
Citrus fruits are an excellent vitamin C source, such as oranges, grapefruits, clementines, and lemons. If you are looking to increase your vitamin C intake, don’t shy away from eating your leafy greens, broccoli, and red bell peppers. Any vitamin C that the body can’t use gets flushed out of your system, so don’t be afraid to eat vitamin-rich foods daily.
Nuts and Seeds
Whether your favorite is almonds, walnuts, chia, or pumpkin, nuts and seeds provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals that can help boost your immune system. All nuts and seeds could give you more zinc in your diet. Zinc helps make up the metabolic pathways in your body, and thousands of proteins require zinc to function correctly. Not only can nuts and seeds provide you with your daily needs for zinc, but other immunity-boosting items like fatty acids, vitamin E, B-6, and other minerals.
Garlic
Garlic is found around the world and adds flavor to almost any savory dish. Throughout history, garlic is known for its ability to fight infections. Lately, studies are trying to prove that garlic can help slow down arteries from hardening and lower blood pressure. Garlic’s main claim to fame is its sulfur-containing compounds. Sulfur helps the body build and fix your DNA and protect cells from damage; it can also help your body metabolize food and contribute to healthy tendons, skin, and ligaments.
