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Six Foods that Support Your Immune System

Roxanne October 12, 2012

A healthy diet is important for maintaining a strong immune system. The immune system thrives on a diet made up of whole foods, and foods rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals. This list contains foods that have high levels of these nutrients.

Some of these foods may already be a part of your diet. Keeping in mind their excellent immune boosting qualities provides an incentive to eat them even more.

Foods for Immune System Support

Garlic

Garlic has many healing qualities that can help your immune system defeat bacterial, viral and even fungal infections.  It contains allicin, ajoene and thiosulfinates — three powerful compounds that help the body prevent and fight infections. Garlic has been used throughout history in many cultures to prevent illnesses. Incorporating garlic into your diet is a great way to help prevent colds, the flu, and other illnesses.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods contain a variety of friendly bacteria (probiotics) that are necessary for a healthy digestive system. Adding additional healthy bacteria to the gut provides a stronger defense for immunity by fighting to reduce the bad bacteria. Maintaining high levels of good bacteria in the gut is what keeps someone from getting sick. Some fermented foods to try are yogurt (non-dairy if you cannot tolerate milk), kombucha, sauerkraut, or water kefir.

Green Tea

High levels of antioxidants in green tea provide an immediate boost to the immune system. Antioxidants assist the immune system in its battle against free radicals that come from the pollution in your air, water, and food. Studies have shown that green tea also has strong cancer-fighting properties. A regular dose of green tea is an excellent way to support your immune system.

Six Foods that Support Your Immune System

Ginger

Ginger has been traditionally used to treat colds and the flu because it is a strong antioxidant and a natural antimicrobial. The warming properties of ginger can also help to clear some nasal congestion if there are already signs of a cold. Drinking ginger tea works well as a preventative method.

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are rich in beta-carotene, a nutrient that the body breaks down to make vitamin A. Vitamin A helps strengthen the immune system and also aids in cancer prevention. Research suggests that vitamin A may help keep the respiratory system healthy, which is particularly helpful when you have a cold or the flu. Pumpkin can be added to a variety of different recipes such as bread, muffins or pancakes and it’s even great on its own, cubed and roasted.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains lauric acid which the body converts into monolaurin. Monolaurin is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes or influenza. Including coconut oil in your regular diet helps to prevent getting sick and helps keep immune response strong. Use coconut oil in place of other cooking oils or butter to get more of it into your diet.

Do you eat these foods as a regular part of your diet? How has it helped you?

This is the writings of:

Roxanne
Roxanne and her family live a holistic lifestyle, eating healthy whole foods, practicing yoga, and using natural remedies and alternative medicine. After a career in the fashion industry in New York, Roxanne went back to school and was trained as a Certified Holistic Health Coach and started her own business helping other moms to create their own holistic lifestyle. On any given day Roxanne can be found cooking and creating delicious healthy recipes, creating handmade natural beauty products, practicing yoga and meditation, learning about the latest information on nutrition and health, or having fun with her daughter and husband. Read more from Roxanne on her blog The Holistic mama
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6 Comments

  1. Love this article!! Good stuff! I knew about garlic and coconut oil but learned so mmuch from the others. Thanks for the help!

    Reply

  2. […] Six Foods That Support Your Immune System […]

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  3. Besides cooking with it, what is a good way to take coconut oil for those of us who would otherwise gag on it? I tried just eating it one spoonful at a time but I just can’t do it.

    Reply

  4. […] be sick. There is much you can do to keep your immune system happy – the biggest of which is diet. Not fad diets, but whole, real food diets. By nourishing your body and not hampering it with toxic […]

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Hi, I’m Kate.  I love medical freedom, sharing natural remedies, developing real food recipes, and gentle parenting. My goal is to teach you how to live your life free from Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Government by learning about herbs, cooking, and sustainable practices.

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