Immune Boosting Foods You Should Know About

You try to follow all the guidelines to prevent the flu and COVID-19. You wash your hands all day long, wear your mask when you can’t social distance, try to keep surfaces in your home clean all to keep you and your family immune from these viruses. In addition, maybe you consider trying something totally natural. The good news is that there are numerous immune boosting foods you should know about to keep healthy.

The Vitamin C Connection

We all know Vitamin C helps us ward off colds or stops them in their tracks. Instead of waiting until you get the sniffles, maintain Vitamin C in your everyday diet. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, tangerines, and clementines all have hearty amounts of Vitamin C. Make fresh squeezed juices, add to salads, and use them as a dessert with a touch of whipped cream.

The recommended daily amount is 75 mg for women and 90 for men.

The benefits of Vitamin C do not stop there. Think brightly colored veggies. Red bell peppers actually have three times the amount of Vitamin C as an orange. Roast them, grill them, add to salads or stuff them with ground turkey. Not only are they colorful, they are healthy sources of Vitamin C and A.

Dark Green Veggies

Spinach and broccoli are some of the darkest in the fresh food aisle of your local grocery. Both are loaded with vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. To preserve those nutrients it is best to steam them instead of cooking them too long. In this case, less is better.

Broccoli is loaded with vitamins A, C, and E, plus antioxidants. Keep fresh broccoli on hand every week.

Spinach can be eaten raw as a salad, blanched with pasta, or stuffed inside chicken or veal.

Yogurt

Stick primarily with Greek yogurt without any added sugar. Add fruit or a little honey yourself to give it some sweetness if you desire. It can also contain Vitamin D, so look for packaging clearly labeled “fortified with Vitamin D.”

Scientists are conducting trials now to see its effects on COVID-19.

Sunflower Seeds

This little seed is packed with phosphorus, magnesium, Vitamin E and  B-6. Vitamin E helps to maintain your immune system and selenium is another powerful nutrient found in sunflower seeds.

Eat them in scoops and know you are getting immune boosting nutrients.

Shellfish

Zinc is a prime factor in helping to prevent diseases. Crab, oysters, lobster and mussels are good sources of zinc.

Unfortunately, you can get too much zinc in your system so avoid getting more than the recommended amounts of these fish. Recommended amounts for women are 8 mg and 11mg for men.

Other foods that boost your immune system include the following:

• Garlic
• Poultry
• Green tea
• Papaya
• Turmeric
• Almonds