22 Superfoods To Keep Your Immune System Fighting Fit
Bolster your defences
Washing your hands and keeping away from people who are ill are the most effective ways to stay well – but eating healthily, and thereby avoiding nutritional deficiencies, is another vital weapon in your immune health armory. Tuck into these top foods, suggested by loveFOOD's nutritionist Angela Dowden, to help give your immune system a boost.
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Tuck into a daily carrot
Adding a cooked carrot to your daily diet is a great way to boost health. Heat softens the carrot's cell walls, allowing more beta carotene – which helps the body produce vitamin A – to be absorbed. Just one carrot will supply enough beta carotene for your body to convert into just over the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. This is vital for your defences, as it helps to maintain the mucous passages that act as a barrier to viruses and bacteria.
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Pile on the peppers
Did you know that just 6oz chopped red or green peppers will provide you with almost three times more vitamin C than an orange? Vitamin C is important for maintaining a healthy immune system, particularly during and after intensive physical activity (exercise fanatics, take note). Red peppers are also rich in vital vitamin A.
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Chomp on kale
Another vegetable that packs more vitamin C than citrus fruit, kale is also a marvelous provider of vitamin A (from beta-carotene) and other immunity-boosting antioxidants, including vitamin E. For maximum flavor, try it stir-fried with garlic, or add some to your morning smoothie.
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Go for garlic
Research suggests that eating garlic can help reduce your chances of catching the common cold. A freshly crushed garlic bulb is a good source of the health-boosting active ingredient allicin, which fights bacteria. If you're not a fan of the taste of garlic, you could always try garlic supplements instead.
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Don’t forget protein
Protein is made up of amino acids – chemical building blocks – which are essential to support the body's immune system, helping with healing and recovery. The recommended daily intake of protein for adults is around 0.03oz per 2.2lb of body weight in Australia and the UK, and ever-so-slightly more in Canada and the US. That's around 1.5oz for the average woman and 2oz for the average man. Protein-rich foods include seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soya products (like tofu), nuts, and seeds.
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'Fine tuna' your immune system
Tuna is a protein-rich in the antioxidant selenium, which many people have in short supply in their diet. Studies have shown that a deficiency of this trace mineral may increase the severity of a flu virus. Research also suggests that selenium lowers the risk of heart disease, reduces the symptoms of asthma, and boosts immunity in general.
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Try tinned sardines
Sardines can also do wonders for your immune system. Like tuna, they contain selenium – along with a smorgasbord of other nutrients, including vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D, all of which contribute to building the body's resilience to infections. Sardines are common in the Mediterranean diet, which is lauded for its health benefits.
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Make room for mushrooms
It's not just green, red, and orange foods that help your immune system – mushrooms are a decent source of selenium and B vitamins, too. Some supermarkets sell vitamin D–enriched mushrooms, which typically have 100 IU (2.5mcg) of vitamin D per 3.5oz. That's a good chunk of your recommended daily intake, 600 IU (15mcg).
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Nibble on cashews, Brazils, and peanuts
All nuts are nutritious – but grab a mixture of cashews, Brazil nuts, and peanuts, and you’ll get particularly good levels of zinc, selenium, iron, and vitamin B6. All of these vitamins and minerals play a key part in keeping your immune system healthy.
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Help yourself to the occasional sweet treat
In the past it was thought that sugar suppresses the immune system – however, more recent studies suggest glucose may help viral infections get better (but hamper recovery from bacterial ones). Either way, there’s no evidence that a modest amount of sugar is going to make you more susceptible to illness.
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Have some honey
A 2018 study found that in children with a cough, honey relieved symptoms better than diphenhydramine (an antihistamine cough-suppressant). The NHS also recommends drinking hot lemon and honey to ease a cough – but not for children under 12 months. The sweetness of honey helps you produce more saliva, which lubricates your airways and eases cough symptoms. It's thought to reduce inflammation and break up mucus, too.
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Get a boost of bacteria from kefir
Kefir provides a whole range of beneficial bacteria and yeasts, which together may help to make your immune system work more efficiently. Studies have shown that some kefir-specific microbes help to prime the immune system against bacterial infections. A product made the time-honoured way, with real kefir grains (cultures), is probably best.
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Drizzle some cold-pressed rapeseed oil
A little cold-pressed rapeseed oil has all the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats found in extra virgin olive oil, plus high levels of the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps support your immune system. Vitamin C regenerates vitamin E after it's done its job of protecting cells, so vitamin C–rich vegetables like peppers and leaves are the perfect foods to team with your oil.
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Eat a little red meat
Zinc helps the immune system work properly and aids in wound healing, while iron is also important for immune function. The best source of both? Lean red meat. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends that we eat no more than 18oz cooked red meat a week. Nuts contain good amounts of these nutrients, too.
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