How to Boost Your Immune System Naturally : Best foods and Healthy Habits

Introduction

The immune system is your body’s natural defense against infections, viruses, and diseases. It is vital that you keep it strong and healthy year round. The good news is that you can support your immune system naturally by making some basic lifestyle changes and eating immune supporting food. This guide will offer safe and effective immune supporting foods, powerful vitamins, and ways to change effective immune boosting habits. Natural immunity boosters such as vitamin C-rich citrus fruits, managing stress, and quality rest are included. The goal of this guide is to give you naturals in order to enhance your body's’ defenses and to better manage common colds, flu, and whatever else we encounter.

Eat Immune - Boosting Foods

A nutrient rich diet plays a major role in keeping your immune system strong.

Citrus Fruits A Natural Source of Vitamin C for Strong Immunity

Citrus fruits are a natural immunity booster and an excellent source of vitamin C, a micronutrient that supports the body's defense systems. The vitamin stimulates the production of white blood cells to help the body fight against infection and illness, and adding citrus fruits to your diet can give protection from free radical damage, and routine normal immune function.

Some common products in the citrus family, which can help with immunity include:

• Oranges
• Lemons
• Grapefruit
• Limes
• Mandarins

How citrus fruits improve your immune system?

• Naturally bolster defenses.
• Provide antioxidants for cells.
• Reduce chance of colds and flu.
• Help produce collagen for healthy skin and healing.

Pro Tip

Consume citrus fruits raw, combine them to salads, or prepare a smoothie high in vitamin C as a delicious and healthy immune enhancement option.

Immuno-Dense Leafy Greens: Powerful Nutrient Boosters

Leafy greens are some of the best immune-boosting foods you can add to your diet. They are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to help your body build and strengthen defenses to fight off infection and stay healthy year-round. These leafy vegetables are full of vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta-carotene, which are all nutrients that effectively work to help you fight infection and protect your cells from damage.

Top leafy greens for boosting immunity

• Spinach
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Collard greens

Romaine lettuce How leafy greens boost your immune system?

Full of vitamin C to stimulate white blood cell production. High in antioxidants to reduce inflammation and protect against chronic disease. High in vitamin A to support healthy skin and mucous membranes as barriers against germs. Provide iron, magnesium, and folate to support overall wellness.

Pro tip:   Eat leafy greens raw in salads, blended in smoothies, or steamed lightly to maximize nutrient potential.

Garlic: The Natural Super Antibiotic to Boost Your Immune System

Garlic is one of the best superfoods that offer protection for the immune system, a great natural antibiotic and has proven anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. Garlic is loaded with allicin which has been found to help the body fight infections, even inflammation, while enhancing the immune system.

What makes garlic a natural immunity booster?

Contains allicin   Able to kill dangerous bacteria and viruses.

Loaded with anti-oxidants  Protects cells from oxidative damage.

Increases white blood cell activity   Enhances the response to illness.

Decreases duration of cold and flu  If consumed regularly sick days may of shorten the duration.

How to eat garlic for great benefit for immune system?

• Eat raw garlic  Contains the most allicin.
• Add minced garlic to soups, salads and stir-fry.
• Take crushed garlic mixed with honey which can also provide soothing relief to the throat, similar to cough syrup.

Pro Tip   After chopping garlic, allow it to sit for 10 minutes before cooking, so the beneficial compounds can activate before the heat denatures them.

Nuts & Seeds  Power-Packed Vitamin E Sources to Boost Your Immunity

If you want to boost your immune system, nut and seeds are a nutrient dense foods to include. Nuts and seeds are great sources of vitamin E, an excellent antioxidant that can protect cells against damage, fight inflammation and keep your body healthy to fight infections.

Why Vitamin E is Important for Immunity?

Vitamin E is important because it contributes to the enhancement immune cell function by neutralizing free radicals, producing antibodies that mediate an immune response, and controlling your body’s infection against viruses and bacteria. Vitamin E supplementation deficiency can worsen immunity and increase susceptibility to illness.

Best Nuts and Seeds for Vitamin E

• Almonds  One of the best sources of vitamin E.
• Sunflower Seeds   Contains vitamin E, selenium, and zinc.
• Hazelnuts  Good for heart and immune health.
• Walnuts   Provide omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
• Pumpkin Seeds   Contains high rates of zinc and antioxidants.

How to incorporate nuts and seeds into the diet?

• Sprinkle sunflower or pumpkin seeds on salads
• Add almonds or walnuts to oatmeal or yogurt.
• Make homemade trail mix with mixed nuts and dried fruit.
• Spread nut butters like almond butter on whole-grain toast.

Yogurt & Probiotics: The Ultimate Boost for Gut Health and Immunity"

If you want to be certain about having a healthy immune system, improving gut health is the place to start, and yogurt with probiotic content is one of the most beneficial yogurt food you could consume. Probiotics are "good" bacteria which help form a healthy gut microbiome, improve digestive function, and help to bolster the body’s defenses from sickness with the help of using yogurt.

Why Probiotics Boost -Immunity Benefits for a strong immune system

Over 70% of the immune system is located in your gut. Probiotics found in yogurt help restore the balance of good bacteria, remove harmful pathogens, and improve nutrient absorption from the food we eat. Probiotics in yogurt are also helpful to regulate your immune system's responses and improve your chances of warding off infections, colds, and digestive issues.

Best probiotic Yogurt for Gut Health and Immunity

1. Greek Yogurt  Contains high levels of protein and contains pro and prebiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus.  
2. Kefir Yogurt  Contains a myriad of probiotic strains and easily digestible.
3. Plain, Unsweetened Yogurt- Avoid sweetener added sugars for the best health benefit.

How Yogurt Improves Gut Health and Boosts the Immune System?

• Yogurt containing probiotics helps decrease inflammation in your digestive tract.
• Yogurt containing probiotics helps create natural antibodies to help ward off bad bacteria.
• Yogurt containing probiotic content supports your gut microbiome by helping to establish an intestinal surface barrier for infection.

Easiest ways of adding yogurt with probiotic content to your diet Yogurt can be eaten plain or with fresh fruits and nuts as a morning meal. Add a spoonful of yogurt to your smoothie for a probiotic boost. Use yogurt as a base for salad dressings and dips for a healthier option.

FAQs

Q 1 What foods are the best at helping to boost immunity naturally?

Answer :  Some of the best foods to boost immunity include yogurt, garlic, citrus fruit, and nuts & seeds. Yogurt with live probiotics helps with gut health, garlic is a natural antibiotic, citrus fruits have a high vitamin C content, and nuts & seeds have vitamin E to improve immunity.

Q2. How does yogurt help the immune system?

 Answer : Yogurt provides many probiotics in it, and it helps balance your gut microbiome. A healthy gut helps improve nutrient absorption and can enhance your body’s immunity to defend against viruses and infections.

Q3. Why is garlic called natures antibiotic for immunity?

Answer:       Garlic has a compound called allicin that fights against bacteria, viruses, and infection. Consuming raw or cooked garlic regularly can enhance the activity of white blood cells and natural immunity.

Q4. What citrus fruit is best to improve immunity?

 Answer :   Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and limes have high vitamin C content. Vitamin C stimulates white blood cell production, improves collagen formation, and strengthens and supports the immune system.

Q5. How do nuts and seeds help with immunity boosting?

 Answer :   Nuts such as almonds, and seeds such as sunflower seeds, are excellent sources of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant and protects our cells from free radical damage and can improve the body’s immune response.

Conclusion

Having a robust immune system is your body's best defense against infections and illness. By including foods which can be supercharged to help your immune system like yogurt, garlic, citrus, nuts & seeds, etc. into your daily routine you can improve your body's ability to fight viruses and bacterial infection. These foods are full of important nutrients such as probiotics, vitamin C, vitamin E, and antioxidants that can help improve and reinforce immune function. Keep in mind a holistic view of immune health, which includes healthy lifestyle habits such as sleep, stress reduction, exercise, and hydration which work together with a healthy diet to optimize immune health. So, start today with a few of these simple and easy changes to feel better immune health, gut health, and at the same time feel better overall.

Try these natural ways  and let us know what worked best for you in the comments.