Your immune system is your body’s defence system to fight bacteria and germs that can make you sick or worse, cause disease. When it comes to staying healthy, or shortening an illness, having a strong immune system is important.
Most of us have a general idea of what our immune system is, but not so much what our immune system is comprised of, which can make it difficult to maintain our body’s ability to stay healthy.
What is the immune system composed of?
Your immune system is comprised of:
Skin: The body’s physical barrier to stop germs and bacteria.
Gut: Most of the good bacteria in your body is held in your gut and having a healthy gut with balanced bacteria levels helps your body fight off infections.
Mucous membranes: Mucus lines the insides of your body and catches germs and bacteria before they have the chance to attack.
Lymphatic system: The lymphatic system is comprised of your lymph nodes, marrow, and spleen. It helps carry oxygen, food, and water throughout your body and flush out toxins, germs and bacteria.
Now that you have a better idea of the different elements in your body that work together to fight off bacteria in your body, let’s look at the different foods, nutrition and supplements that help support these different parts of your body so they can function at their best, reducing your chance for sickness and disease.
Best Foods for Immunity
Different types of foods have different benefits for your health and wellness.
Here are some of the top foods to keep your body and immune system strong and healthy.
Citrus Fruits: Not only delicious, but citrus fruits are also loaded with vitamin C, a key immune-boosting vitamin and helpful in fighting infection.
Add these nutritious citrus fruits to your shopping list: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, clementines, blood oranges, tangerines.
Cruciferous Vegetables: Especially lightly cooked or sprouted broccoli, contain Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as sulforaphane, a sulfur-rich compound that’s been shown to have numerous immune-boosting health benefits. Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage kale, spinach should be eaten in good quantities.
Button Mushrooms: This mushroom gives you the mineral selenium as well as the vitamin Bs riboflavin and niacin.
They also promote your body’s production of pathogen fighting proteins.
Garlic: Used in many cuisines around the world, garlic is another sulfur-rich root vegetable that contains the immune-boosting substance, allicin.
Oysters: Oysters are an excellent source of zinc and iron and also contain vitamin A.
Zinc helps to create and activate white blood cells as well as helping heal wounds making it a great way to keep your skin healthy.
Tumeric: Often used in curries, this root contains high concentrations of curcumin, widely known to be anti-inflammatory. Sprinkle turmeric on vegetables you are roasting, or on a stirfry, for an immune boost.
Green Tea: This refreshing tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which is believed to support the production of disease-fighting T-cells. Replace your cup of coffee with a hot or iced green tea each day.
Watermelon: This refreshing fruit has the antioxidant of glutathione when ripe. It helps strengthen the immune system to fight off infections.
It is also a great source of Lycopene, which is the source of its red colour but also helps fight inflammation and respiratory issues.
Spinach: It’s a “superfood” because it has folate in it that helps our bodies make new cells and to repair DNA.
Spinach also has fibre antioxidants like Vitamin C.
Ginger: With a high concentration of antioxidants, ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory addition to your diet.
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Vitamins and minerals for immunity
Different vitamins can help boost your body’s natural support system and keep your immune strong.
Here are some of the top immune-boosting vitamins and supplements that are important to have in your diet.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that works to protect cells from damage that’s caused by free radicals. Vitamin C also helps your body produce collagen which in turn helps improve the absorption of iron.
Some foods rich in vitamin C are oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kiwi, cauliflower, red bell peppers, and cantaloupe.
Vitamin A: An immune system regulator, vitamin A can help protect against infection.
Excellent sources of vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, and broccoli.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is also known as a gift from the sun as it is absorbed into our body through the sun’s rays. Vitamin D is a hormone, but it also helps muscles move and maintains strong bones. It’s in 2 forms, D2 and D3 which both increase levels in the blood.
You can find vitamin D naturally in the sun or in foods like fatty fish, egg yolks, and cheese.
Vitamin B6: This is also called pyridoxine has a wide range of functions in the body. It plays a role in protein metabolism and you can find B6 in lots of multivitamins.
You can find Vitamin B6 in foods like milk, beef, eggs, fish, and poultry.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E is very important to immune system function and is considered a powerful antioxidant.
Some foods naturally rich in this vitamin include dark leafy greens, avocados, broccoli, hazelnuts, peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
Probiotics: They are known for supporting digestive health, but some strains are good for your immune system. Probiotics are available as a dietary supplement or formulated with vitamin C, D, or zinc.
You can find probiotics naturally in fermented foods, yoghurt, kefir, cottage cheese, and miso.
Zinc: This vitamin is in the majority of the metabolic processes in the human body and plays a crucial role in carbohydrate metabolism, glucose utilization and insulin production. It also supports the body’s natural resistance to germs and bacteria.
Some foods rich in zinc are nuts, seeds, and legumes.
If you don’t think you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals from food alone it might be an idea to take a supplement. If you start to feel rundown and exhibit early signs of an illness such as the flu, it’s a good time to see if you can add some supplements to your diet.
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Herbs for Immunity
Herbs are plants that have different benefits and capabilities to help us heal and stay strong.
They are some of the most natural ways we can boost our immune system.
Here are some common herbs that support the immune system.
Astragalus: This Chinese herb has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Studies show that it can boost the resistance to infection and help regulate the body’s immune responses.
Angelica Root: It has been shown to help treat respiratory ailments and cold symptoms.
This herb also helps modulate the body’s immune system.
Ginger: This herb has anti-inflammatory effects and may help with muscle pain.
It is also packed with antioxidants to fight off illness and disease.
Olive Leaf Extract: Olive leaf extract not only boosts immunity but also helps to eliminate free radicals and reduce inflammation.
Essential Oils for immunity
Essential oils are a great way to help support your immune system and health overall.
There are different ways you can use essential oils to take advantage of their benefits:
Topically- Apply a small amount of oil to different parts of your skin for absorption.
Aromatically- Diffuse oils into the air using a diffuser.
Internally- some oils can also be added to food or drinks and ingested to benefit.
While there are dozens of oils that can benefit your health and wellness, here are some of the top oils that help boost your immunity.
Tea Tree: This is a very versatile oil that has many antimicrobial properties such as an effective decongestant or expectorant.
You can use it for cold and flu season or for a cough and chest congestion.
Peppermint: It’s a very common oil that’s used to relieve headaches and indigestion.
It also has detoxifying properties that are believed to help reduce sugar cravings.
Oregano: This oil is rich in antioxidants and super effective when fighting bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that cause disease.
It’s also beneficial in treating various health concerns.
Lemon: This oil has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and detoxifying properties. It’s a natural disinfectant and cleaning product as well.
Cinnamon Bark: This oil assists in boosting the natural defences against seasonal germs. It’s anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties help support the immune system.
For more information about your immune system including 24 RECIPES, get the Immunity Support Pack.