Strengthen your immune system
naturally with these immune-boosting foods and nutritional supplements.
The best way
to boosts the fighting power of. Your immune system is to adequately feed it,
Immune boosters work in many ways. They increase the number of white cells in
the immune system army, train them to fight better, and help them form an
overall better battle plan. Boosters also help to eliminate the deadwood in the
army, substances that drag the body down. Here are the top eight nutrients to
add to your family’s diet to cut down on days missed from work and school
because of illness.
Vitamin C- Vitamin C tops the list of immune
boosters for many reasons. There has been more research about the
immune-boosting effects of Vitamin C than perhaps any other nutrient. Vitamin C
supplements are inexpensive to produce, and it’s available naturally in many
fruits and vegetables. Also, you can buy a vitamin-C-fortified version of just
about anything. Here’s what the research shows about how this mighty vitamin
protects your body.
Vitamin C is
an extremely important nutrient for boosting immunity. Include plenty of foods
high in vitamin C in the diet, including fresh fruits and vegies, especially
citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage and parsley. A
vitamin C supplement is also recommended to ward off colds and flu, take around
2-3 g a day.
Vitamin C
increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies
and increases levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces,
preventing the entry of viruses. Vitamin C reduces the risk of cardiovascular
disease by raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol while lowering blood
pressure and interfering with the process by which fat is converted to plaque
in the arteries. As an added perk, persons whose diets are higher in vitamin C
have lower rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
You don’t
have to take in massive amounts of vitamin C to boost your immune system.
Around 200 milligrams a day seems to be a generally agreed-upon amount and one
that can be automatically obtained by eating at least six servings of fruits
and vegetables a day. If you take vitamin C supplements, it’s best to space
them throughout the day rather than take one large dose, most of which may end
up being excreted in the urine.
MUSHROOMS - Medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake,
maitake and reishi contain beta-glucans (complex carbohydrates) that enhance
immune activity against infections and cancer and reduce allergies (cases of
inappropriate immune system activity). While studies have focused on purified
mushroom extracts, fresh shiitake and maitake (also called “hen of the woods”)
mushrooms are delicious sautéed in a little olive oil.
Tomato Trumps Chicken
To beat back
a cold, you slurp chicken noodle soup. To avoid getting sick in the first
place, ladle out some tomato. In a study published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 10 subjects ate a tomato-rich diet for 3 weeks, followed by
a tomato-free diet for 3 more weeks. While subjects were on the tomato diet,
their infection-fighting white blood cells sustained 38 percent less damage
from free radicals — atoms in the body that damage and destabilize cells — than
when they ate no tomato products. Researchers speculate that the lycopene in
tomatoes acts as an antioxidant, helping white blood cells resist the damaging
effects of free radicals.
Wine- Drinking wine with your meal, in
addition to being good for your heart, may help ward off food poisoning before
it happens. Scientists at Oregon State University recently found that wine can
put the kibosh on three common food pathogens: E. coli, listeria, and
salmonella. In lab studies, the wine's combination of ethanol, organic acids,
and low pH appeared to scramble the bugs' genetic material. All wines have some
effect, say researchers, but reds are the most potent.
Tea- not just any hot tea, though. Chamomile, according to
researchers from London's Imperial College, is the one that'll help prevent
sickness. In a recent study, they found people who drank five cups of the brew
a day for 2 weeks had increased blood levels of plant-based compounds called
polyphenols, some of which have been associated with increased antibacterial
activity. Levels remained high for 2 weeks after subjects stopped drinking the
tea, says lead researcher Elaine Holmes, Ph.D. (Bonus: chamomile tea also
raised levels of glycine, a mild nerve relaxant and sedative.)
Garlic- This flavorful member of the onion
family is a powerful immune booster that stimulates the multiplication of
infection-fighting white cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and
increases the efficiency of antibody production. The immune-boosting properties
of garlic seem to be due to its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin
and sulfides. Garlic can also act as an antioxidant that reduces the build-up
of free radicals in the bloodstream.
Raw garlic in
the diet is very beneficial, however cooking garlic can destroy some of its
health-promoting compounds. One way to get around this problem is to take
Kyolic aged garlic extract. The natural ageing process increases antioxidant
levels and enhances garlic's immune boosting powers. It also has the added
benefit of being odourless.
Garlic may
protect against cancer, though the evidence is controversial. Cultures with a
garlic-rich diet have a lower incidence of intestinal cancer. Garlic may also
play a part in getting rid of potential carcinogens and other toxic substances.
It is also a heart-friendly food since it keeps platelets from sticking
together and clogging tiny blood vessels.
Zinc. Zinc is another important mineral needed for healthy immune
function. Zinc is found in foods such as red meat, chicken, fish, dairy foods,
eggs, legumes and sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Taking a zinc supplement is also
beneficial, around 45mg a day..This valuable mineral increases the production
of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more
aggressively.
It also increases killer cells that fight
against cancer and helps white cells release more antibodies. Zinc supplements
have been shown to slow the growth of cancer.Zinc increases the number of
infection-fighting T-cells, especially in elderly people who are often
deficient in zinc, and whose immune system often weakens with age. The
anti-infection hype around zinc is controversial.
While some studies claim that zinc
supplements in the form of lozenges can lower the incidence and severity of
infections, other studies have failed to show this correlation. A word of caution:
too much zinc in the form of supplements (more than 75 milligrams a day) can
inhibit immune function. It’s safest to stick to getting zinc from your diet
and aim for 15 to 25 milligrams a day.For infants and children, there is some
evidence that dietary zinc supplements may reduce the incidence of acute
respiratory infections, but this is controversial. The best source of zinc for
infants and young children is zinc-fortified cereals.
|
RICH
SOURCES OF ZINC
|
||
|
Food
Source of Zinc
|
Serving
Size
|
Zinc
(in milligrams)
|
|
Oysters
|
6 medium
|
76
|
|
Zinc-fortified cereals
|
1 ounce
|
0-15
|
|
Crab
|
3 ounces
|
7
|
|
Beef
|
3 ounces
|
6
|
|
Turkey, dark meat
|
3 ounces
|
3.8
|
|
Beans
|
1/2 cup
|
1.2-1.8
|
Omega-3 fatty acids- A study found that children taking a
half teaspoon of flax oil a day experienced fewer and less severe respiratory
infections and fewer days of being absent from school. The omega 3 fatty acids
in flax oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune
boosters by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that
eat up bacteria. (Perhaps this is why grandmothers used to insist on a daily
dose of unpalatable cod liver oil.) Essential fatty acids also protect the body
against damage from over-reactions to infection. When taking essential fatty
acid supplements, such as flax or fish oils, take additional vitamin E, which
acts together with essential fatty acids to boost the immune system. One way to
get more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is to add one to three teaspoons of
flax oil to a fruit and yogurt smoothie.
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