Winter is the key season when viruses tend to circulate such as colds and flus. Unfortunately there is no single food or specific diet that can boost our immunity. However a healthy, balanced diet is important for supporting your immune system.
The nutrients we need to include within our diets are;
Vitamin A
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Copper
Folate
Iron
Selenium
Zinc
We shouldn't get these nutrients from supplements, accept for Vitamin D, unless directed by a dietician/nutritionist prescribing the correct dosage, as supplements can be harmful if taken in too large a dose, and in fact only supports the supplement businesses.
We should attain these nutrients from our diet and the food we eat, focusing on;
Vegetables
Fruit
Nuts
Seeds
Wholegrains
Diary Products
Fortified Alternatives
Meat
Fish
Plant Proteins (Pulses)
Fermented Foods - Kimchi, Sauerkraut...
Probiotics - Live Yogurts, Kefir...
It is important we eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables to make certain we achieve the variety of nutrients our immune system requires. As all the different micronutrients play a different part in the immune system, not one is a specific hero.
Its important that we eat the rainbow, as the different colours offer an array of phytochemicals which help protect us from disease. i.e. antioxidants, carotenoids...
Remember frozen fruit and vegetables can be more nutritious than fresh, because frozen produce is frozen immediately after harvest.
But tinned produce still offers us the health benefits if we run out of fresh and frozen produce;
Vitamin C
Red Bell Peppers
Oranges
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Green Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Strawberries
Brussel Sprouts
Ginger
Vitamin B6
Chickpeas
Beef and Beef Liver
Cold water fish i.e. Salmon, Tuna...
Chicken Breast
Fortified Cereals
Potatoes
Turkey
Bananas
Bulgar wheat
Cottage Cheese
Squash (Winter)
Vitamin B6
Beef Liver
Clams
Oysters
Meat
Fish
Poultry
Eggs
Milk
Diary Produce
Vitamin A
Organ Meat (Beef Liver...)
Fish
Eggs
Diary Produce
Leafy Green Vegetables
Orange and yellow Vegetables
Cantaloupe Melon
Mangos
Apricots
Grapefruit
Fortified Cereals
Zinc
Oysters
Beef Lean Cuts
Blue Crab
Pumpkin Seeds
Turkey Breast
Cheddar Cheese
Prawn/Shrimp
Lentils
Sardines
Greek Yogurt
Milk
Selenium
Brazil Nuts
Tuna
Halibut
Sardines
Lean Meat
Cottage Cheese
Brown Rice
Eggs
Oatmeal
Milk and Yogurt
Lentils
Nuts and Seeds
Peas
Copper
Organ Meat
Shell Fish
Fish
Nuts and Seeds
Wholegrains
Cocoa
Potatoes
Mushrooms
Avocados
Chickpeas
Water
Black Pepper
Dark Leafy Greens
Tofu
Folate
Dark Leafy Green
Asparagus
Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Citrus Fruit
Melons
Bananas
Strawberries
Black-eyed Peas
Kidney Beans
Nuts
Fortified Foods
Eggs
Diary
Meat (Liver)
Iron
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Organ Meat
Beans
Pulses
Nuts and Seeds
Fortified Foods
Unpeeled Potatoes
Vegetables
In addition to eating a nutrient rich diet its important to stay hydrated, by drinking water, water helps boost our immune system too, as it helps our bodies produce lymph, which carry our white blood cells and other immune system cells around our bodies. We should avoid drinks that dehydrate us i.e. Tea, Coffee, Pop...
Eating a nutrient dense diet supports our bodies whole health and well-being including our immune system, the varied variety of whole foods enable our bodies to stay as healthy as possible, let us not forget though that diet alone cannot keep us healthy, its important to be active where we can.
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