Food can be used as a potent weapon to support and strengthen our immune system. Now more than ever before, we need to provide our body with the proper nutrients to boost immunity. You’re about to learn how to take advantage of the immuno-stimulating properties of specific nutrients and food combinations.
The Immunity Vitamins
All vitamins are essential for our general health, but Vitamin C, D, B12, and B6 are particularly beneficial for our immune system.
Some of the richest foods in Vitamin C are broccoli, brussels sprouts, green and red peppers, spinach, guava, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, and citruses. You’ll get plenty of Vitamin B6 if you incorporate more chickpeas, tuna, salmon, chicken, bananas, and fortified cereals into your diet. Vitamin B12 comes from all animal protein and nutritional yeast. You can find Vitamin D in seafood, especially in herrings and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, swordfish), milk and dairy products, and little quantity in the egg yolk.
It is important to understand that animal proteins are essential for our immunity due to their high biological value. Indeed, our body will always prefer this type of protein over plant-based proteins to fight against any illness.
Fighting Against Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress can build up and lead to inflammation, manifesting itself in several ways, both outside and inside our body. When it comes to the inside, our immunity is attacked and weakened.
But what causes the formation of oxidative stress? Oxidative stress results from a combination of factors that put our bodies under stress, including poor sleep, overexercising, undereating or unbalanced diet, pollutants, etc.
Unfortunately, we’ll never be able to avoid stress altogether, but we can help keep inflammation away by enriching our diet with anti-inflammatory foods and, in particular, with spices. Cinnamon, ginger, garlic, oregano, and turmeric are some of the most potent anti-inflammatory spices.
I love adding cinnamon and ginger powder to my oatmeal base or pancake mixture in the morning; it’s a simple and delicious way to get in those anti-inflammatory spices from early in the morning.
Immuno-Stimulating Nutrients and Foods
Finally, we get to the immune-stimulating foods that have the natural ability to strengthen the immune system.
Echinacea in drops is my to-go every time I feel a little cold or sore throat coming in. Echinacea (in particular Echinacea Angustifolia and E. pallida) has been shown to optimize the work of our innate immunity and even to increase the so-called adaptive immunity. Echinacea is primarily known for its potent action against conditions involving the respiratory tract, including colds, the flu, lung infections, sinus, and sore throat. Echinacea is recommended for short-term use (3-4 days) and should be incorporated as soon as the symptoms kick in.
Another immunostimulating nutrient is quercetin. Quercetin is a plant flavonoid, a potent antioxidant, and the characteristic pigment of many fruits, vegetables, leaves, and flowers. Quercetin has also been shown to have antihistamine effects and may help with allergies. Capers are the richest natural source of quercetin, followed by onions, citrus fruits, apples, parsley, sage, tea, dark berries, beans, hot peppers, and red wine contains some quercetin, too.
The easiest (and most tasty) way to incorporate daily a little quercetin is soffritto! Preheat some olive oil with minced onion into a skillet and use it as the base for your proteins, potatoes, and veggies.
Resources:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/quercetinhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7343821/