These are the Best Power Foods that Boost Your Immune System
Maintaining a healthy body can be challenging when faced with the many obstacles we tend to face in our daily lives. Between managing children, work, and late-night activities, our meals might be distant afterthoughts.
Neglecting to plan to eat healthy meals, or only eating unhealthy food can be problematic. Of course, eating unhealthy foods like cookies and pizza all day long can cause weight gain, heart problems, and other diseases. Skipping the heart-healthy food full of vital vitamins and minerals, however, can leave our body prone to sickness.
If you’re looking for ways to prevent colds, the flu, and other illnesses that can weaken our immune system, make your first step a visit to the local grocery store. We’ve rounded up some of the best—and affordable—superfoods that will boost your immune system.
Citrus Fruits
What list would this be without including citrus? Probably the best food fighters against infection and harmful bacteria, citrus contains Vitamin C, which is key to fighting sickness.
It’s no surprise that people turn to a glass of orange juice to fight a cold. Chock full of vitamin C, citrus like oranges, lemons, and grapefruit increase the production of white blood cells which eliminate harmful bacteria and cleanse the immune system.
Vitamin C is absolutely vital for you because your body doesn’t naturally produce or store it. For continued health, you need vitamin C daily.
Blueberries
Blueberries are awesome little fruits. There perfect for grabbing a handful and popping them into your mouth straight from the tin. They stay fresh for quite a while in the refrigerator and are tasty just by themselves.
Blueberries are among the fruits highest in antioxidants because of their many phytochemicals. Blueberries contain anthocyanins, catechins, and other chemicals which help give blueberries their bright color and powerful abilities.
Ginger
Ginger is an incredibly versatile plant that can be used in a variety of different dishes or even brewed into tea. Perhaps the best part is that ginger has a very neutral, fresh flavor that makes it a great add on to any dish. For picky children, you can even slip it into cooked meals.
Ginger is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain. Consuming ginger root or drinking tea with this spice helps ease digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the flu and common cold. In one research study, it was reported that consuming 2 grams of ginger per day significantly reduced muscle pain, soreness, and inflamed joints.
Broccoli
Kids might hate it, but everyone has to respect the considerable health benefits that eating a stalk of broccoli can give.
Broccoli is best when eaten raw and is packed with vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally. Full of vitamins A, C, and E, and with antioxidants and fiber, broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.
Unfortunately, eating raw broccoli can be an acquired taste for some. While arguably easier to consume when steamed or cooked, this vegetable loses much of its nutritional value prepared this way.
Spinach
Another heart-healthy vegetable designed to boost our immune system, spinach is a superfood loaded with tons of nutrients and vitamins all in a low-calorie package. Dark, leafy greens like spinach are important for skin, hair, and bone health. They also provide protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals.
The possible health benefits of consuming spinach include improving blood glucose control in people with diabetes, lowering the risk of cancer, reducing blood pressure, improving bone health, lowering the risk of developing asthma, and more.
Poultry
A classic dish for staving off colds is a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup. It’s a mainstay in American society that is as treasured as baseball or apple pie. However, the benefits of poultry are far greater than a feel-good placebo effect. Although subtler than some other items on this list, chicken and turkey are high in important vitamins.
Vitamin B-6 is a key element within poultry that reduces the symptoms of a cold and helps safeguard your body from being sick in the first place. The best part is that only three ounces of chicken or turkey contains half of your body’s recommended amount of B-6. It is also vital to the formation of new and healthy red blood cells.
