5 Amazing Foods To Boost Your Immune System

Our immune system is important  for our survival. Without an immune system, our bodies would be open to attack from bacteria, viruses, parasites, and more. It is our strong immune system that keeps us healthy as we drift through a sea of pathogens. This big network of cells and tissues is constantly on the lookout for invaders, and once an enemy is spotted, a complex attack is mounted. The immune system is spread crossed the body and involves many types of cells, organs, proteins, and tissues. Importantly, it can distinguish our tissue from foreign tissue — self from non-self. Dead and faulty cells are also recognized and cleared away by the immune system.

A balanced diet consisting of a range of vitamins and minerals, combined with healthy lifestyle factors like adequate sleep and exercise and low stress, most effectively primes the body to fight infection and disease. Incorporating specific foods into the diet may strengthen a person’s immune response. Read on to discover 5 foods that boost the immune system.

Mushrooms

Could a mushroom a day help keep the doctor away? Some most early evidence indicates that the Shiitake mushroom boosts immunity. Of the thousands of mushroom species globally, about 20 are used for culinary purposes. Shiitake mushrooms are native to Asia and are cultivated for their culinary and medicinal value.

In early 2011 study led by UF Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival along with 52 healthy adults, age from 21 to 41, came to the Gainesville campus, where researchers gave them a four-week supply of dry shiitake mushrooms. All adults took the mushrooms home, cleaned and cooked them. Then they ate one, 4-ounce serving of mushrooms once a day during the experiment.

Through blood tests before and after the experiment, researchers saw better-functioning gamma delta T-cells and reductions in inflammatory proteins. “If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial,” said Percival, an Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty member. “We’re enhancing the immune system, but we’re also reducing the inflammation that the immune system produces.”

Ginger

Upping your intake of antioxidant-rich foods and beverages like ginger shots may combat inflammation and keep your immune system healthy. Many test-tube and animal studies suggest that ginger can enhance immune response.

One of the most well-known health benefits of ginger supported by scientific studies is that it supports the immune system. This is partly because of gingerol and its suggested anti-inflammatory properties. While immune system inflammation is a natural and necessary part of your body’s response to illness, chronic inflammation can harm it and cause it to underperform. This leaves you more vulnerable to illness, which may be particularly of concern to you if you’re someone who picks up chesty coughs, the common cold, and the flu easily.

Broccoli sprouts

The most relevant benefit of broccoli sprouts is their ability to enhance immune function. They contain sulforaphane – a natural bioactive compound that helps to activate the immune system against viruses.

Broccoli sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrients. Consumption of sprouts is encouraged for better health and even weight loss. Broccoli sprouts are microgreens that have the potential to give a boost to your immune system, cardiovascular health, diabetes and autism in the most powerful way. Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is the chemical which is thought to have many health benefits. Including broccoli sprouts in your diet can help you with allergies, asthma and stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria. 

Sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts help in repairing endothelial cells in walls of the arteries. This reduces blockages and formation of plaque in arteries, thus preventing risks of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. From boosting immunity to preventing diseases, speeding up recovery and much more, there is a lot that sulforaphane can do to benefit your body. Including it in your diet can improve longevity and prevent premature ageing. Sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts can rejuvenate DNA of cells and reduce inflammation-which in turn offers protection to the body from damage caused by free radicals.

Garlic

Eating garlic can boost the number of virus-fighting T-cells in your bloodstream — important because colds and the flu are caused by viruses. Nutrition scientists from the University of Florida reported in the journal Clinical Nutrition in 2012 that taking aged garlic extract reduced the severity of cold and flu symptoms and that the symptoms went away faster in those who took the garlic extract than among those who didn’t The scientists speculated that the garlic extract worked by boosting participants’ immune cell function.

Garlic contains alliin. When this is ground, it makes the strong-smelling, potent antibacterial agent allicin. Garlic may have antibacterial effects. It’s also said to protect against atherosclerosis and stroke. This is because it keeps platelets from sticking together. It may also lower high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Garlic contains the property of allicin explicitly. When the cloves are crushed or chewed, it releases the potent, well-known smell and strong antibiotic traits. Allicin contains sulfur and sulfur-containing compounds that are shown to give garlic its known medicinal properties. It also includes several nutrients that are good for your health — arginine, oligosaccharides, flavonoids, and selenium.  These compounds specifically boost the immune system. They do this by increasing the disease-fighting response of the white blood cells in our bodies. When the white cells encounter unwanted bacteria or viruses, it may help the body resist or destroy those and other microorganisms. 

Turmeric

Turmeric: Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which is credited for most of the potent health benefits of this yellow spice. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties that can help to boost immunity. Black Pepper Powder: Studies suggest that black pepper can inhibit the growth of several bacteria.

“Turmeric is a powerful herb with over 300 nutrients including beta-carotene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), calcium, flavonoids, fibre, iron, niacin, potassium, zinc among others. But the active compound which has caught the attention of scientists, supplement industries and food technologists is curcumin for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Absorption of curcumin from turmeric is enhanced by 2000 times by peppering, a compound present in black pepper. Somehow our ancestors seem to have cracked this knowledge as all our recipes have both turmeric and black pepper in combination,”  says  nutritionists.