Stock these 8 Foods to Boost immunity during Coronavirus- Dieticians and Doctors suggest!

Can you boost your immune system during these testing times and save yourself from COVID-19? That’s perhaps what every one of us has been going through. As we brace ourselves to fight this global pandemic, knowing the best foods to boost immunity should be one of the best options you would want have as part of your arsenal.

Well, there are several claims and proofs that have been doing the rounds on the internet and news channels to boost your immunity with certain foods. Maybe not all of them are true. In fact, a few of them tend to be just a hype. That is precisely why we thought of listing out a few good foods to help boost immunity during COVID-19.

Which are the best foods to boost immunity?

Well, immunity is not something you would be able to measure in definite terms. It does consist of a huge range of a few delicate and complex aspects. In fact, immunity can be considered to be something that consists of different components. If you tend to improve one of them, the other one may get impaired.

That is perhaps what makes it a little difficult and simply impossible to find answers for. There is also another risk where, while we plan to address one virus, what is the guarantee that we are not supporting the growth of another variety?

Having understood that, it would be interesting to know that there are certain foods that have been found to improve your health and help you boost your immunity. We will list out those 8 best foods to boost your ability to fight against Coronavirus or other similar attacks. While we will pay attention to the best fruits and vegetables for immune system, we will also focus on other food items as well.

1. Bell Peppers -Red

Red Bell Peppers have been considered to be the best when it comes to getting a decent level of Vitamin C. As we are well aware of, Vitamin C has been observed to be one of the strongest options to take care of the immunity. In fact, just one cup of chopped bell peppers provide you more than the beverage intake of Vitamin C that your body needs.

It has been established that Bell Peppers provide you almost 200 per cent of your daily Vitamin C requirement. That should be one of the prime reasons to include red bell peppers in your diet. Vitamin C is helpful in supporting a huge number of cell functions that protect your body from viral attacks. This can be one of the great options to reduce the chances of respiratory syndromes.

Vitamin C has been one of the prime factors in your body’s defence mechanism wherein it aids in growth and repair of your cells.

2. Chickpeas

Your body needs proteins to grow your cells and repair them. It can also be an efficient source for synthesizing and maintaining the proper enzyme level in your body. This can be one of the strongest factors that would make it evident enough to include protein rich food in your diet.

Chickpeas can be a great source of protein. The Zinc content in the Chickpeas help you improve your immune system and control the immune responses of your body. While the regular chickpeas can be good enough for a wide range of food recipes, roasted chickpeas double up as an excellent quick snack you can get. You can even use it as a salad topper. It would be a good idea to add a little salt and paprika while roasting.

If you are using canned chickpeas, it would be advisable to rinse them to wash away the extra sodium content.

3. Broccoli

Broccoli is yet another great source for Vitamin C. You would only need half a cup of Broccoli to satiate 43 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs. A few other nutrients packed within Broccoli would include Vitamin C, A and E.

You would also find it packing in a lot of antioxidants and fiber. The phytochemicals and antioxidants in Broccoli can help you improve your immune system. The Vitamin E can be one of the right ingredients to fight off viruses and bacteria.

Studies have shown that the Americans haven’t been getting enough of Vitamin C and Broccoli can be one of the easiest and best options to include the Vitamin C content. Broccoli has been considered to be powerhouse vegetable for obvious reasons. Experts suggest eating it raw or cooked only slightly.

4. Garlic

Garlic is one of the common ingredients in almost every cuisine around the world. While it can add more flavour to your food, it can also be a great option for reducing the risk of heart diseases. Garlic consists of a high concentration of sulphur-rich components and that has been one of the strong reasons that makes it a powerful immune booster.

Garlic is known for lowering the blood pressure. The ancient civilisations understood the importance of the garlic and included it in their diet. That should perhaps explain why it has been part of every world cuisine. It has been one of the strongest ways through which you can stay safe from cold. If you are taking garlic supplements, you are less likely to catch cold and even if you do, you will recover quite soon.

5. Mushrooms

Vitamin D is quite low in the food elements. It is essentially offered through the sun rays. However, mushrooms have been one of the common sources for the Vitamin D. They can be a perfect option for a side dish. They have also been known for the appetizer properties that they have.

The Vitamin D found in mushrooms helps in the absorption of calcium. This would further improve your bone health. The Vitamin D is also known to be helpful in fighting a types of cancers and a few types of respiratory diseases. There are several mushroom recipes you can try out or even eat it slightly cooked.

6. Spinach

Well, Spinach does come with a huge list of beneficial ingredients. And Vitamin C is just one of them. It also comes with a huge number of antioxidants and beta carotene. This would make Spinach complete food. All those factors together should ideally help you get the best possible protection against the attacks on your immune system.

Experts suggest consuming Spinach lightly cooked. This will help preserve the ingredients and provide the full possible benefits for your body. It can be used in preparing your smoothies, as a side dish or even with your morning breakfast.

7. Yogurt

Yogurts that have live cultures should be what would make it one of the excellent option for boosting your immunity. If you are getting packed yogurts, make sure you do not opt for the flavoured ones or the ones that come with a huge amount of sugar.

Plain Yogurts would be an excellent choice for the better benefits. If you are looking for the sweetness in your yogurt, it would be an ideal option to add the sugar in the form of fruits or honey. Yogurt has also been one of the excellent options for Vitamin D. It can be a great source for regulation your immune system. There have been clinical studies in progress to determine whether Vitamin D can be effective in controlling the effects of COVID-19.

8. Shellfish

That is a wonderful collection to your immune boosters, and can definitely be the right kind of food you would would want to enjoy, while helping you improve your immunity against Coronavirus. The Shellfish contains zinc which should be one of the excellent options for enhancing your immunity.

Zinc is something we do not pay much attention to when looking for the nutrients. However, it should be noticed that they are much needed for your immune cells. Do note, however, that too much of zinc can even inhibit your immune system.

Some of the best food items that can prove to be efficient in this category can include

• oysters
• crab
• lobster
• mussels

Before we take your Leave…

Of course, those are just a few of the options that should help you pick the best foods to boost your immunity. But, that should not mean you should stick to any ONE or TWO of those food items. Variety is the essence of life and that would be applicable to your food habits as well.

Eating in the right proportions should be what would help you get access to the best protection against COVID-19 and other infections.

Take care of the health of your family with the right diet and improve your immunity with the right kind of balanced food.