An innate immunity is the first shield of defense to the human body. It fights against invading pathogens and wards off bacterial and viral infections from entering our system.
In order to stay healthy and free from diseases one has to strengthen the system.
Know 10 foods, whichwill help in boosting your immune system:
1. Turmeric
Turmeric contains Vitamin B6 and minerals such as potassium, manganese and iron, which help in acting as a defense mechanism for the “trying to invade” germs.
Apart from all the minerals it contains curcumin, which is an excellent antioxidant and enhances the immune system.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C enables the White Blood Cells to quickly respond to the germs and infections and fight against them.
Lemons, Mango, Grapefruit, oranges etc. are a great source of Vitamin C.
3. Fruits rich in Beta Carotene
Apricots,Asparagus, Carrots, Broccoli, Chives and others are a good source of Beta Carotene. These foods act on the different components of the immune system. They can be eaten as salads or even made as smoothies and soups.
4. Yoghurt
Yoghurt is regarded as an excellent medicine for digestion as it contains probiotics. Apart from this, it is proven that Yoghurt is an excellent health promoter because of its capability to stimulate the production of interferon- a component that boosts the immune system.
5. Vitamin E
Chew a handful of Almond for a rich supply of Vitamin E, which is an excellent tool for the proper functioning of the system.
6. Flax seeds
Flax seeds contain ingredients, which help in modulating the response of the immune system. Alpha linolenic acid, omega-3 fatty acid and phytoestrogens are compounds that can help in keeping the infections and autoimmune diseases at bay.
7. Garlic
Garlic is one of the best herbal medicines to fight against quite a number of diseases especially those against the heart. Recently, studies have proved garlic to be playing an excellent role in preventing cancers of different organs.
Include garlic in your cooking recipes and the “allicin” it contains helps boost your immune system and keep it running in perfect condition.
8. Green Tea
Green tea is a potential source of antioxidants called polyphenols. Some studies have shown that it can kill the influenza and the common cold virus. Apart from boosting the immune system, Green tea has many benefits like weight loss, flushing toxins etc.
Avoid having milk with green tea as the proteins in the milk might kill the antioxidant property of the green tea.
9. Zinc
Zinc is one of the minerals responsible for the proper functioning of the system. It helps White Blood Cells combat against the infections. It also plays an important role as a catalyst in the immune system to fight against foreign bodies.
Non-vegetarians can include red meat, crab and oyster in their meal and the vegetarians can consume whole grains, beans and cereal to get an optimum amount of Zinc into their bodies.
10. Green leafy vegetables
If you have to force the green leafy vegetables down the gut with utmost disgust, here is the reason to start loving them. Green Vegetables contain folic acid, which plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system.
Breast-feeding mothers should feed themselves with the greens for maintaining proper levels of vitamins and folic acid, which is the need of that hour.
By: Lilian Rebekah
