If you’re like most of us, you’ve been paying special attention to your immunity and wondering what you can do to boost yours.
While there’s no single food that is magically going to help you avoid getting coughs and colds, there are ways to give your immunity a real supercharge: get more sleep, stay hydrated, exercise, wash your hands. And fill your pantry with immunity-fighting foods.
The immune system is complex, and eating a variety of colourful fruits and veggies, grains and lean proteins gives us vital nutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E, and minerals like folate, calcium, selenium and zinc.
Many foods fight inflammation, which is the immune response in the body that makes tissues inflamed. When you reduce inflammation in the body, your body can work better, which means your immune system will cope better with fending off threats.
A lot of us won’t realise that we already stock some foods at home that are known to help boost our immunity.
Sweet potatoe / Kumara
The Center for Science in the Public Interest named the sweet potato the world’s healthiest vegetable. Just a cup of sweet potato with the skin delivers many times the vitamin C and three times the vitamin A you need in a day.
Canned fish
Oily canned fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Three ounces of tuna has all the selenium you need, and an abundance of zinc. Selenium enhances your immune response and reduces inflammation by lowering oxidative stress. Fatty fish is also rich in omega-3 gats, which may help to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is in in nearly everyone’s cupboard, and it’s packed full of micronutrients including potassium and magnesium. Natural almonds are another great source of belly-filling fibre and disease fighting monounsaturated fats.
Eggs
The incredible, edible egg. One complete egg is a great source of healthy fats and protein, plus 10% of your vitamin A, a quarter of your selenium, and all the zinc you need in a day.
Leafy greens
Spinach - Popeye’s go-to magic food. Half a cup of these dark leafy greens gives you 14mg of vitamin C – that’s 190 times your daily requirement. Other powerhouse greens like kale and swiss chard are loaded with vitamins A, C and K, folate and potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and fibre.
Broccoli
Loaded with vitamins C and K, carotenoids, and folate. It’s also rich in zinc which is important in preventing inflammation and balancing your immune response.
Lentils
Dig out those lentils you have lurking in the back of your pantry and add them to stews and soups. They’re a great source of folate and fibre and vitamin B which supports immune function as well as your mood.
Beans
All beans are rich in protein, fibre, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Beans are an all-round staple and go well in many dishes, from Mexican Chilli Con Carne, or vegetable soups and curries.
Fermented foods
We all know foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt help to keep the gut microbiome healthy and balanced. Intestinal balance is key to wellness. Throw in some berries or bananas with plain Greek Yogurt for a supercharged bowl of goodness no matter the time of day.
Bananas
Banana’s are nature’s on-the-go immune boosters! They’re a portable source of quick energy as they provide a burst of natural sugar with a blood stabilising dose of fibre.
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