Foods That Build Your Immune System

It's helpful to know which foods that build your immune system, but it is also important to know what vitamins and supplements are best in building your immune system. Between jobs, kids, and all the stresses of life, we simply don't make the time to eat as healthy as we know we should.

It’s also important to know that the latest research shows that ingesting isolated vitamins reduces effectiveness of the vitamins and also can – in cases – work against your desired results. This is because vitamins and nutrients work together and need each other to produce the best results.

For instance, your body needs enough calcium and magnesium in your body in order to properly absorb vitamin C. If you just take vitamin C for a cold or flu, it may not have any effect because your body lacks the other nutrients needed. This is why we advocate whole FOOD supplements.

As your body works as a consistent whole, so your vitamin and supplements intake needs to be taken as a consistent whole. Let's firstly take a look at the four main vitamins that help to build an efficient immune system, and then take a look at the best whole foods that build your immune system and accomplish what we need.

Vitamin C fights against all sorts of pathogens (foreign organisms) and helps, especially, to prevent the common cold (or help to fight it.)

Vitamin A and Beta-CaroteneThese significantly affect the way the immune system functions and can work to prevent or help fight an infection, or to help build your immune system

Zinc helps to build white blood cells and the defense system. When there is less Zinc in the body, many critical immune functions are lacking

Beta GlucanHelps to provide healthy cells for the immune system

Whole Foods That Build Your Immune System

It goes without saying that vegetables provide many vitamins and nutrients compared to other types of food. They are also a great source of fiber. When looking at your diet, vegetables should be your predominant choice.

Carrots are especially good when it comes to protect against certain cancers. Carrots contain Beta-Carotine which helps the immune system to reproduce cells. Brocolli is also an excellent choice, being very rich in vitamin A and C (it exceeds even oranges in vitamin C) and also containing calcium, magnesium and selenium.

Interestingly enough, most multi-vitamins do not contain selenium even though it is an essential trace vitamin. The benefit of whole vegetables cannot be understated, which makes whole food supplements incredibly convenient and an excellent choice.

Fruits

Fruits are another natural choice of whole foods that build your immune system. Natural sugar from fruits is far better than refined sugar. Refined sugar breaks down your immune system, and has many other negative effects.

The Mangosteen fruit and its potential benefits deserve mention here. The fruit contains 43 xanthones (powerful phytonutrients) by itself. This fruit has been used by those in Southeast Asia for centuries, and is an excellent resource of phytonutrients.

Oranges are an excellent source of Vitamin C, which is a helpful vitamin when fighting many colds and flus. Blueberries have also been found to be quite advantageous, as they help to reduce your stress levels (as mentioned, stress can have a very negative effect on your immune system.)

Protein and beef

You need protein to help support your muscle and organ structure, to maintain your ability to fight infections, and to build compounds that your body needs. Beef is an excellent source of zinc, which helps white blood cells and antibodies to reproduce more quickly. It also makes them more aggressive.

You can also find your source of Zinc in poultry, pork, or certain vegetables such as beans. Yogurt and milk can also help you here, and Oysters are in fact a fantastic source of Zinc.

Mushrooms

Shitake mushrooms are another one of the foods that build your immune system. They have been found in many studies to increase white blood cells. This is because they contain Beta Glucans. Beta Glucans are carbohydrates that can be found in foods, such as mushrooms, oats, barley, and yeast. They are taken as an herbal medicine to prevent and treat cancer, lower cholesterol, treat HIV and diabetes, and to increase immune system function.

Fish

Lobster, oysters and crabmeat are all very rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin C. Salmon is an excellent choice as well, because it not only contains rich vitamins and nutrients but also omega-3 fatty acids which are very beneficial in preventing heart disease, arthritis and cancer.

Yogurt

Your body needs certain bacteria to function properly. The bacteria found in yogurt actually help to fight the bad bacteria in your digestive tract.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the foods that build your immune system. It has been shown to produce wonderful results in helping your body fight off bacterial or viral infections. Even fungal infections have been fought off with the help of garlic.

A healthy, weekly diet of whole foods that build your immune system would consist of fruit, vegetables, wholes grains, seafood, poultry, and beef. For those of us that just don't make the time to eat as healthy as we know we should whole food supplements are the next best thing.

Studies at both the University of Florida and the University of Arizona found that certain whole food supplements support several important markers of proper immune function.

Click Here For The Supplement We Recommend

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