Immunity Boosters Everyone Should Be Aware Of
Feel a cold coming on? Want to learn how to boost your immune system naturally and cost-effectively? Luckily for you, there are plenty of immune-boosting foods that help you stay healthy and fight illness. What's even better than that is that they can be found in the kitchen or purchased at the grocery store.
So start reading and add these foods to your next grocery list and plan some meals around them so that you can boost your immune system.
Mushrooms
Surprised to hear such a common food on the list? You really shouldn’t be. After all, isn’t penicillin itself a close cousin to our everyday mushrooms? Full of antioxidants, mushrooms are especially amazing at battling the common cold, but they can also increase your immunity to the level of actually fighting off cancer. So go mushrooms! Try mixing different types to reap even more nutritional benefits. Mushrooms are also high in protein and potassium which are both vital for a healthy diet.
Cabbage
More exactly, the cabbage family. Foods such as cauliflower, garden cress, lettuce, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts all help to detox your liver and eliminate toxins faster from your organs. And they are really easy to include in your meals, since you can add a green-leafed side dish to almost anything. Plus they are filled with tons of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, calcium, iron, and so much more.
Ginger
This common spice holds more secrets than you might think. It cleanses the lungs and sinuses and is supposed to tend to the lymphatic system. Ginger keeps the body’s airways and ‘sewage’ systems open, making toxins less likely to clog up and prevent infection. So add a dash of this if you’re looking for a quick and thorough immunity boost. Or, you can make a ginger, lemon and turmeric tea to boost your immune system even further.
Eggs
As many of us know, eggs are an amazing source of protein that give more shine and strength to your hair. But looking a step further than that, eggs also contain many vital minerals such as zinc and selenium that help to boost our immune system. However, egg yolks are quite high in cholesterol. So if that is something that you need to look out for, take out the egg yolks and eat just the whites, or take the egg yolk out of one of your eggs.
Oatmeal
We've all been told to eat our oats in the morning. But did you know that oats can actually boost your immune system? Even better, oats have cholesterol-lowering abilities that can rid the body of plaque buildup and decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. They are also filled with B vitamins, iron, and magnesium that can increase the stamina of athletes. Oats are also great at curbing cravings and keeping you energized. So boil up some water, add it to your oats.
Black Currants
These small little black berries seem to have five times the amount of vitamin C an orange has. Now, remember all those citrus foods you had to eat when you had a cold because of the importance of the vitamin C they provided. Do you know what a boost that means fivetimesthat is worth?! And if that’s not enough, black currants contain a compound that is supposed to enhance night vision. Doesn’t that sound cool?
Carrots
What’s up, doc? Your immunity, if you start chewing on some of these. Aside from the well-known benefit to your eyesight, carrots also have the ability to strengthen the mucus lining within your body. This means that germs in your intestines get eliminated instead of getting into the rest of the body through the bloodstream to wreak havoc. To make full use of their vitamins, try dipping them in some olive oil first to make the absorption faster.
Yogurt
We all know that any milk derivative is healthy, full of calcium and great at protecting us from getting sick, that’s why we pump our kids full of them. But do we respect the same rule? Yogurt especially has some added benefits as it acts upon your guts, sealing germs and bacteria in so they don’t get into the bloodstream to make us ill. And it is such a versatile snack, from the natural sort to the potently-flavored low-fat one that it is virtually impossible not to find a type that suits your fancy.