Eating the right foods will help support your immune system during the winter months. So make sure these staples are in plentiful supply – your body will love you for it.

During the cooler months, strengthening the immune system becomes a focus for many people. But our immune system does more than just help our body to ward off common colds and the flu – it also helps
our body to react to foreign substances and forms part of our anti-cancer response. Immune system function is also tied to energy. Whether an increased susceptibility to viruses or infections or perhaps glandular fever, anything that triggers your immune system can be fatiguing. Optimising your immune system function can therefore help you to achieve and maintain great energy.

So, how can we support our body’s immune system? Aside from supplying the building blocks for our immune cells, the foods we eat also provide the vitamins and minerals that our immune cells require to function properly. It really does matter what we eat. With that in mind, here are a few foods that your immune system will love.

Lemons: Lemons are a great source of vitamin C, an essential nutrient for an immune system that is firing on all cylinders! Absorption of iron, a mineral that is critical for healthy immune system function, is enhanced in the presence of vitamin C, too.

Garlic: Garlic is wonderful for boosting the immune system. To enhance the amount of allicin, the main bioactive compound in garlic, crush or chop the garlic and wait 10 minutes before cooking it. Garlic also contains fibres that nourish our good gut bugs. Around 70 percent of the immune system is located in the gut, and the gut microbiome helps to modulate our immune responses.

Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are rich in minerals and are particularly high in zinc. Zinc is involved in over 300 processes in the body, and it’s the primary mineral involved in a well-functioning immune system. Try adding some pumpkin seeds in homemade mueslis, smoothies, bliss balls or salads, or enjoy a handful as a snack.

Brazil nuts: Brazil nuts are the richest dietary source of selenium, an antioxidant that helps to regulate immune function and inflammation. Very few foods contain selenium; consuming two to four brazil nuts a day is enough to meet your daily requirement.

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