Foods That Boost Your Immune System

Subject: Foods That Boost Your Immune System

Hello,

In our last blog, we talked about some

food “no-no’s” that reduce your immune response and increase your chances of

infection or disease.

Today, we’ll talk about the opposite: foods

that actually increase your immune response.

Eating the following foods will boost your

immune system:

•Citrus Fruits: Almost all citrus fruits are

high in Vitamin C. Women should get 75 mg of

Vitamin C a day and men should aim for 90 mg.

Some examples of citrus fruits include oranges,

grapefruits, tangerines, lemons and limes.

•Red Bell Peppers: These contain almost three

times the Vitamin C as an orange and also provide

beta carotene, which your body changes into

Vitamin A.

•Broccoli: This veggie is packed with Vitamins

A, C, E, and other antioxidants, as well as fiber.

The key is to cook it as little as possible to

retain the nutrients.

•Garlic: Garlic’s immune-boosting abilities seem

to come from a high concentration of sulfur-containing

compounds like allicin.

•Ginger: This may reduce inflammation, which

helps your immune system.

•Spinach: Spinach is rich with Vitamin C and other

antioxidants and beta carotene. Light cooking, as

with broccoli, makes it easier to absorb the

vitamins.

•Yogurt: As with other probiotics, look for

yogurt with live cultures of bacteria.

Also, aim for plain yogurt instead of those loaded

with sugar. You can sweeten it yourself with some

honey or fruit slices.

•Almonds: These nuts are packed with Vitamin E,

another vitamin essential to the immune system.

A half-cup serving gives you 100% of your daily

requirements.

•Turmeric: Curcumin, the chemical that gives

turmeric its yellow color

shows promise as an

immune booster.

•Green Tea: Both green and black teas are packed

with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, but green

tea also has epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which

enhances the immune system (EGCG is leached out of black tea by the fermentation process).

Green tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine,

which helps your T-cells produce germ-fighting

compounds.

•Papaya: One medium fruit can contain double the

daily recommended amount of Vitamin C. It also

contains a digestive enzyme called papain that

is an anti-inflammatory.

•Poultry: About three ounces of light turkey

or chicken meat contains nearly one-third of your

daily recommended amount of Vitamin B6, which is

needed by the immune system.

In our final blog of the week, we’ll talk about

supplements and whether or not they help boost

your immune system.

Until then,

Much Love

Marie Jane Lewin "The Beauty Alchemist"