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Eating healthy foods hopes to keep your body on the right track. But some foods can actually boost your immunity and help prevent colds and flus. According to Healthline, the best way to stay healthy is a trip to the grocery store.
Although eating a balanced diet with the added benefits of immunity boosting foods, can improve your immune system, that is not enough to keep you healthy or to help you bounce back after an illness. You still have to maintain a healthy active lifestyle and limit bad habits like smoking.
Here are nine immunity boosting foods that can make a real difference in your health:
Citrus Fruits
t’s common to load up on vitamin C after you have caught a cold because it helps your immune system to fight off illnesses but the vitamin can also help to prevent you from getting sick. One way to get enough vitamin C in your diet is to eat citrus fruits including oranges, clementines, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and pomelos. But your body doesn’t produce or store vitamin C so you have to eat enough every day. The daily recommended amount is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women.
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Garlic
Garlic is used to add flavor to food but it has also been used for healing since ancient times. In fact, early civilization’s recognized the medicinal properties in garlic to help fight infections. This comes from the large amount of sulfur-containing compounds, like allicin, that are contained in garlic.
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Poultry
If your grandma told you to eat chicken soup when you’re sick, she was right. That’s because chicken contains a good amount of vitamin B6, which is vital to your body’s ability to form new and healthy red blood cells. Poultry – domesticated turkey, duck, goose, and chicken – also contain vitamin A and carotenoids that are necessary for your immune system to function at its best.
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Spinach
This leafy green veggie is a great source of vitamin A and beta carotene which can help your body fight infections, according to Cleveland Health.Spinach also contains folate which could help boost your immune system. You can eat spinach raw in salads or smoothies or cooked in a large variety of dishes.
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Turmeric
This bright yellow spice has been used medicinally in natural healing as an anti-inflammatory but it also has antimicrobial properties that can help fight off infections. Turmeric could help boost your immune system due to the high concentrations of curcumin the spice contains. This antioxidant could also help your gut health and aid in the prevention of some cancers
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Green Tea
When you are ill do you crave cuddling up in blankets and drinking a hot cup of tea. It really is good for you because all teas are packed full of flavonoids – powerful antioxidants – but green tea is best because it contains high levels of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that helps support your immune system. A 2021 study published in Phytomedicine found that EGCG has antiviral properties that could help prevent you from catching colds and other viruses.
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Oysters
Oysters can help support your immune system because of the zinc content in the seafood, according to WebMD. The mineral aids in the creation of white blood cells that are involved in your body’s immune response and contains antiviral properties. Zinc also helps wounds heal faster.
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Broccoli
This healthy cruciferous vegetable is an immune system booster. That’s because it is full of vitamin A and C, as well as the antioxidant glutathione which helps to prevent the cell damage that causes chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. You can eat broccoli raw in salads or cooked into a variety of healthy dishes.
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