Table of Contents
- Tip 11 – Add some raw fruit and vegetables to your diet
- Tip 12 – Start eating three different types of fruits and vegetables every day
- Tip 13 – Add some spice to your diet
- Tip 14 – Eat foods that contain large amounts of antioxidants
- Tip 15 – Supplement your diet with healthy oils to boost the immune system
- Tip 16 – A raw carrot a day keeps infection away
- Tip 17 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in Iron
- Tip 18 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in Selenium, Vitamin E and Zinc
- Tip 19 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in omega 3
- Tip 20 – Add eggs to your diet
Tip 11 – Add some raw fruit and vegetables to your diet
Cooking makes food taste better, but it also removes a number of essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals from the food. Without the right nutrients, the immune system is unable to function at its peak.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients. By eating some raw fruits and vegetables each day, the body will be have access to increased amounts of nutrients that it can use to sustain the body.
Other foods can be eaten raw too, including seeds, nuts and even sushi. It’s not recommended to eat raw meat, eggs and seafood, however.
Tip 12 – Start eating three different types of fruits and vegetables every day
Fruits and vegetables are rich with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that the body uses. Different types of vegetables, however, contain different types of nutrients. Medical research has found that it’s important to eat a variety of different fruits and vegetables to ensure that the body gets all the nutrients it needs.
The easiest way to do this is to eat three different ‘colours’ of fruits and vegetables each day.
The colour of a fruit or vegetables indicates which family it comes from. Generally, fruits and vegetables of the same colour share similar amounts of vitamins and minerals. By eating three different coloured fruits and vegetables each day, the body will take in a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. This ensures that the body and immune system have all the fuel they need to work at their best.
Aside from strengthening the body and the immune system immune system, fruits and vegetables have also been found to lower blood pressure and cholesterol while reducing the chance of contracting a number of diseases. They are also high in fiber, meaning they aid the body in digesting food.
Tip 13 – Add some spice to your diet
Capsaicin is the part of the chili that is responsible for its spice and hotness. Medical research has found that capsaicin can actually strengthen the immune system by helping it fight pollutants, viruses and bacteria by causing the body to produce increased numbers of antibodies and white blood cells.
Currys and hot sauces are high in numbers of chilies and can benefit the immune system if eaten a few times a week. Another option is to chop up a few chilies and sprinkle them over other foods like omelets. Chilies can also be eaten raw, but this is not an option for the faint of heart.
Tip 14 – Eat foods that contain large amounts of antioxidants
Free radicals are a pollutant found in the environment. They are caused by smoking, radiation (from mobile phones and microwaves, for example) and other environmental sources. They negatively impact the body by damaging cell walls and causing them to break down and weaken.
Antioxidants are a special type of vitamin and mineral that strengthen the cell wall and help to remove free radicals in the body. By doing so, they greatly boost the strength of the immune system.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Smoothies and juices made up of fresh fruit and vegetables are also easy to prepare and can help to supply the body with large amounts of antioxidants.
Tip 15 – Supplement your diet with healthy oils to boost the immune system
Healthy oils such as olive oil, walnut oil, almond oil and flax seed oil have been found to significantly boost the immune system.
These healthy oils are high in fat content. The body uses fat to help it absorb various nutrients, vitamins and minerals present in food. This helps the immune system by making it easier for it to access the nutrients it needs to function properly.
The body also uses fat to aid it in transporting nutrients throughout the body. The immune system cells also uses this transport system to travel around in the body. By improving the transport system, the immune system cells are able to get around the body quicker and more easily, meaning they can hunt down and eliminate infections with greater efficiency.
Healthy oils are easy to add to any diet. Instead of using vegetable oils for cooking, use healthy oils instead. They can also be added on top of salads or eaten with whole grain bread. Another option is to drink the healthy oils raw from a spoon.
Tip 16 – A raw carrot a day keeps infection away
It has long since been proven that the urban myth about carrots is true – they do make it easier to see in the dark. But further research has found that carrots in fact benefit in the body in other ways, too.
Carrots contain high numbers of a special nutrient called ‘beta carotene’. Beta carotene causes the immune system to produce special cells known as macrophages. Macrophages are capable of fighting off and destroying certain types of infection. Cooking destroys the beta carotene present in carrots, however, so the carrot must be eaten raw for the beta carotene to be absorbed into the body.
Carrots also have two other beneficial side effects. They eliminate a number of bacteria in the mouth that can cause bad breath and they help strengthen the heart reducing the likelihood of heart attacks.
Tip 17 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in Iron
The immune system uses iron to produce the white blood cells and antibodies it needs to fight off bacteria, viruses and disease. If the immune system lacks iron, it is unable to produce the numbers of white blood cells required to function at optimal levels.
Low amounts of iron in a diet can also cause the disease anemia. Symptoms of anemia include shortness of breath, bleeding gums, lethargy and a weaker immune system.
Red meat, eggs, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seafood are all rich in iron content. Special iron enriched whole grain rice, pastas and breads are also available to buy.
Tip 18 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in Selenium, Vitamin E and Zinc
The combination of selenium, vitamin e and zinc is known as ‘SEZ’. SEZ can help keep the body healthy and the immune system strong by improving the body’s immunity against harmful pollutants.
Selenium causes the body to produce special cells that are particularly adept at removing infection and destroying cancer cells. Nuts, whole grains, seafood, garlic and eggs are all rich in selenium.
Vitamin e causes the immune system to produce increased numbers of killer cells that are capable of killing viruses and bacteria in the body. Healthy oils, nuts and oatmeal are all rich in vitamin e.
Zinc causes the immune system to produce increased numbers of white cells. Meat, whole grains and nuts are all rich in Zinc.
Tip 19 – Supplement your diet with foods that are rich in omega 3
Omega 3 is an essential nutrient that provides a number of benefits to the body and the immune system.
Omega 3 causes the white blood cells used by the immune system to become stronger and more able to effectively fight off bacteria, viruses and pollutants that may invade the body.
Omega 3 also causes the joints to become stronger and suppler. It also causes the body to start burning increased amounts of fat for energy to help in the fight against obesity. Omega 3 can also help the body in fighting off certain illnesses like asthma and cancer.
Omega 3 can be found in abundance in fish. Certain healthy oils like fish oil and flax seed oil are also rich in Omega 3. Special eggs that are rich in Omega 3 content are also available to buy.
Tip 20 – Add eggs to your diet
Eggs are a super food. They are rich in various nutrients, vitamins and minerals that strengthen the body and the immune system. They main nutrients are selenium (see tip 18), calcium and magnesium. Selenium causes the immune system to produce higher numbers of infection killing cells while calcium is used by the body to keep the bones healthy and strong. Magnesium is used by the immune system to produce antibody cells capable of fighting bacteria, viruses and disease.
Eggs are also rich in a nutrient known as Alpha GPC. Alpha GPC causes the brain to repair cells at an increased rate, leading to improvements in memory, better moods and reduced stress.