How Eating Certain Foods Can Boost Your Immune System
With it still being cold and flu season, your body sometimes needs a little extra help to stay healthy! These tips can help boost your immune system and have you feeling great!
Bring Me The News reached out to nutritionist and cofounder of Wellness Minneapolis, Jesse Haas, for some information that could help our bodies immune system. “Our immune system is influenced by many, many things,” she says. “Our nutrition is either going to support it or fight against it.”
Haas has some great recommendations to help boost your immune system! She recommends:
- Going Heavy on Plants- Plants are high in antioxidants and rich in key vitamins and minerals. Haas recommends getting these nutrients into your diet regularly so the body has what it needs to fend off any "bugs" that sneak into your body. Balance and not a sudden overdose of vitamins is highly recommended.
- Drink Lots of Water- On average, not everyone is consuming enough water. Dehydrations weakens the body and staying hydrated keeps the body functioning properly.
- Eat Anthocyanidins- Can't pronounce that? Don't worry, most people including myself can't either. Anthocyanidins is an antioxidant. The main job of antioxidants is to protect cells, tissues and vital organs, as well as supporting your immune system. You can find Anthocyanidins in fruits and veggies like blueberries, strawberries, plums, red cabbage and cranberries. Anthicyanidins are what give those fruits and veggies their purple color!
- Watch Sugar Intake- Natural sugars found in fruits and starchy veggies don't apply to this. According to Haas, she says “When we eat refined, added sugars, our immune system is dampened for several hours after that, so eating candies, cookies and sugary beverages is going to have a negative impact and lower our abilities to fight against any immune stressors like the flu or other viruses.”
- Seek Out Zinc- Adding Zinc to your diet is a great way to boost your immune system! Zinc can come in a tablet form or you can find it in shellfish, like mussels and shrimp, legumes and red meat.
- Embrace Herbs & Spices- Turmeric, ginger, cayenne, garlic, cinnamon are just some examples of herbs and spices that have great benefits for your body. You don't have to take supplements, you can add these to your food to give it a flavorful boost!
- Be kind to your gut- Foods that help promote a healthy microbiome in your tummy! Foods like raw sauerkraut, kombucha, and yogurt. Fermented foods are full of probiotics, which help regulate the stomach and help when you have an illness. A large portion of our immune system is packed around the gastrointestinal tract.
Trying these tip can help boost your immune system as well as keeping good hygiene, washing your hands regularly and covering your coughs and sneezes!
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