Boosting our immune system is always important, as our immune system is the first line of defense for our body. However, during a time of a respiratory pandemic, it becomes that much more important. The Western medical community is puzzled by why some people who have been diagnosed with Coronavirus are impacted so much more than others. Although there are many factors that determine the severity of symptoms of this disease, one determining factor is the strength of our immune system.
Our immune system is similar to the front line of an army. If the front line of an army is strong, then the invaders will not be able to penetrate too deep into the defending territory. However, if the front line of an army is weak, or has holes, then the invader will be able to invade, kill the defending army, and take over.
One of the ways to make sure that the immune system is strong, complete, and ready to engage in any battle is by fortifying the diet with supporting foods. Some foods are better than others for supporting the immune system, but a general rule is to eat the colors of the rainbow. An example of this could be to eat:
Red: Red cabbage, red onions, red peppers, tomatoes, cherries, strawberries
Orange: Carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, clementines, tangerines, papaya
Yellow: Lemons, turmeric
Green: Green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, arugula, etc.), broccoli, lime, kiwi
Blue: Berries (blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
Pink: Pink grapefruit
Purple: Beets, grapes, eggplant
Here’s a list of specific foods that best support the immune system.
Fresh Fruits: Most fruits are packed full of Vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells, which are essential in fighting infections. Additionally, Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting a variety of cell functions, including helping to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals that we’re exposed to in the environment. This can lower the risk of respiratory infections. Additionally, because Vitamin C protects the cells, it can also help the growth and repair of tissues in your body. Vitamin C is not produced or stored in the body naturally, so you need to consume it through the diet.
Citrus Fruits
Almost all citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C, making it easy to add to any meal. Popular citrus fruits include:
grapefruit
oranges
tangerines
lemons
limes
clementines
Papaya
Papaya is also loaded with Vitamin C. In fact, you can find 224% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C in a single papaya. In addition, papayas have potassium, B vitamins, and folate, which are beneficial to supporting your energy and overall wellbeing. Papayas also have an anti-inflammatory digestive enzyme called papain. Decreasing inflammation in the body leads to decreased pain, increased circulation, and more energy to put towards our immune system.
Kiwi
Kiwis are packed with essential nutrients, including folate, potassium, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C to help the body function properly.
Vegetables
Red Bell Peppers
Okay, so we just talked about how fruits are chock-full of Vitamin C. However, red bell peppers actually contain twice as much Vitamin C as citrus fruits! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of chopped red bell peppers contains 211% of your daily value of Vitamin C. In addition, red bell peppers are a rich source of beta carotene, the main dietary source of Vitamin A. Beta carotene can help keep your eyes and skin healthy.
Broccoli
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, bok choy, radishes, arugula, water cress, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens) are supercharged with vitamins and minerals. Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables since it is packed with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as many other antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber to support our immune system. Half a cup of broccoli contains 43% of your daily value of Vitamin C. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps fight off bacteria and viruses. So that you get the most out of your broccoli, make sure that you keep it crunchy by eating it raw or just slightly cooking it.
Spinach
Spinach also packs a powerful punch in the health department. Spinach is rich in Vitamin C, numerous antioxidants, and beta carotene… All which help the immune system fight infections. Just like broccoli, it is important to cook spinach as little as possible so that it retains its nutrients. However, light cooking will enhance its beta carotene and release other nutrients from oxalic acid.
Chinese Botanical Substances: The three substances listed here are included in the Materia Medica, or the Chinese botanical medicine bible. Although these three substances are incredibly different according to Chinese medicine, the similarity that they all have is that they protect the body from pathogenic invasion.
Garlic (da suan)
Garlic adds flavor to any dish and is must-have for your health. My cousin was working abroad in Spain when the pandemic struck. He developed a nasty ear infection, but Spain had restricted people to being entirely housebound. So, with limited options, he contacted me and followed my instructions of putting drops of garlic oil in his ear. Almost immediately, the pain from his ear infection ceased, and his ear infection cleared up. This is because garlic has been recognized for centuries for its ability to fight infections. Garlic’s immune-boosting properties come from heavy concentration of sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin. Other allium family members include onions, shallots, leaks, and chives. In a 2001 study, participants who took garlic supplements were less likely to catch a cold. Those who did get infected recovered faster than participants in the placebo group. In addition, garlic has been known to lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease by slowing down hardening of the arteries. Since garlic can be added to any dish, garlic supplements should not be necessary; Just aim to consume 2 to 3 cloves per day.
Ginger (sheng jiang)
In Chinese medicine, fresh ginger is a substance that helps drive pathogens out of the body, and is a good substance to use when you feel the onset of an acute illness. In addition, ginger helps decrease inflammation, which can be useful to use for anything from a sore throat to chronic pain. Ginger also helps alleviate nausea.
Turmeric (jiang huang)
Turmeric is a fantastic anti-inflammatory substance that can treat anything from generalized body pain, arthritis, or exercise-induced muscle pain. In fact, turmeric is known as the “herbal ibuprofen”. Adding black pepper to turmeric increases the effectiveness by 1,000 times.
Nuts, Seeds, & Beans
Almonds
Among the vitamins that are highly useful in supporting the immune system, Vitamin E definitely ranks! Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that plays a role in regulating and maintaining the immune system. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed in the body properly. A half-cup serving of almonds, which is about 46 whole, shelled almonds, provides nearly 100 percent of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin E. Other nuts are also packed with Vitamin E and contain healthy fats to aid with absorption.
Sunflower Seeds
Do not underestimate sunflower seeds just because they’re small! These little guys are packed full of Vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, and Vitamin B6. Just one ounce of dry-roasted sunflower seeds can give you 49 percent of your daily value of Vitamin E!
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are packed with zinc, which helps the immune system control and regulate immune responses. Also, chickpeas contain a lot of protein (as do many beans), which is an essential nutrient made of amino acids that help growth and repair of the body’s tissues. Chickpeas also help synthesize and maintain enzymes to keep our systems functioning properly.
Miscellaneous:
Mushroom
Eating mushrooms a few times each week boosts your immunity, especially for Buffalonians and others who live in cloudy environments. This is because mushrooms are one of the few food sources that naturally contain Vitamin D. (Other foods that naturally contain Vitamin D include fish (salmon, herring, sardines, canned tuna, cod liver oil) and egg yolks.) Vitamin D is required in order for our body to absorb calcium and support bone health, and may protect us from some cancers and respiratory diseases.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut, in simplest terms, is pickled cabbage. The fermentation process of making sauerkraut produces probiotics that can improve endocrine, immune, digestive, and cognitive functions. Sauerkraut is packed full of nutrients, including dietary fiber, Vitamin A, C, K, and B, manganese, iron, sodium, copper, magnesium, and calcium… Holy moly!! One serving of sauerkraut contains 35 percent of your Vitamin C recommended daily intake. Gut health is essential for a strong immune system. Imbalances of the gut microbiota may dysregulate immune responses and lead to the development of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune issues. In addition, we eliminate many toxins through the gut. Due to high fiber content, sauerkraut helps to regulate your digestive system and correct or prevent gas, bloating, intestinal cramping, and constipation. In addition, since sauerkraut is full of probiotics, these good bacterial microorganisms assist with digestion and promote a healthy gut. The probiotics help your body fight infections and lowers your chances of suffering from depression, food allergies, mental illness, digestive diseases, obesity, asthma, diabetes, anxiety, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. This is because these probiotics assist in digestion, prevent excessive inflammation, increase immunity, body detoxification, assist in nutrient absorption, and manage stress.
Kimchi
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with salted, fermented vegetables. It typically contains cabbage and seasonings like sugar, salt, onions, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers… But may also contain other vegetables such as radish, celery, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, spinach, scallions, beets, and bamboo shoots. Kimchi, just like sauerkraut, can contain many vitamins and minerals. Depending on what ingredients are included in kimchi, nutrients will vary, but typically include Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate, iron, niacin, and riboflavin. Also, since kimchi undergoes a fermentation process, kimchi is full of probiotics to support gut and immune health.
Beverages:
Green Tea
Green and black teas are packed with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. However, green tea is thought to be superior in supporting our health because it has high levels of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful antioxidant that enhances immune function. In addition, green tea is a good source of the amino acid L-theanine, which may aid in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells. As a side benefit, green tea has also shown to protect LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation, which contributes to heart disease. In fact, green tea drinkers have up to a 31% lower risk of developing heart disease than non-green tea drinkers! Need more of a reason to drink green tea? A review study of almost 300,000 individuals found that green tea drinkers had 18 percent lower risk of becoming diabetic because green tea has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels.
Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented tea that is full of probiotics, antioxidants, and can kill harmful bacteria and fight off diseases. Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals, which can damage your cells, cause cell mutation and uncontrolled cell growth, and potentially lead to cancer. Because kombucha is made with green or black tea, it has the same health benefits as tea. When kombucha is made with green tea, the antioxidants are especially useful for your liver and can reduce liver toxicity caused by toxic chemicals as much as 70 percent! Kombucha is known as “mushroom tea” because a mushroom-like film (called a scoby) is formed from the bacteria and yeast. A large amount of acetic acid bacteria grow in the mixture, which can kill many potentially harmful microorganisms. Kombucha appears to have strong antibacterial properties against infection-causing bacteria and candida yeasts. Even though kombucha has antimicrobial abilities to suppress the growth of undesirable bacteria and yeasts, this does not impact the beneficial probiotic properties of kombucha, which come as a result of the fermentation process. These probiotics may improve indigestion, decrease inflammation, and assist with weight loss.
Kefir
Kefir is a fermented drink that is typically made by adding kefir grains (grain-like colonies of yeast and lactic acid bacteria) to cow’s milk or goat’s milk. Over about 24 hours, the microorganisms in the kefir grains multiply and ferment the sugars in the milk (called lactose), turning it into lactic acid, resulting in a sour taste similar to yogurt (only thinner). This process decreases the lactose content, which causes digestive problems for many people. Kefir also contains enzymes that help break down the lactose even further, so kefir is generally well tolerated by people with lactose intolerance. For highly sensitive people, kefir can be used with coconut water, fruit juice, or another non-dairy beverage. Kefir contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, Vitamin D, and many bioactive compounds, including organic acids and peptides that contribute to optimal health. Kefir contains more potent probiotics than yogurt, with up to 61 strains of bacteria and yeasts. Some of these probiotics are believed to protect against infections and act as an antibiotic (Lactobacillus kefiri, which is unique to kefir). These probiotics are also believed to reduce tumor growth by stimulating the immune system, while also restoring the bacteria balance within your gut to alleviate digestive problems. Kefir made from dairy is an excellent source of calcium, and full-fat kefir contains Vitamin K2, which helps reduce risk of fractures by 81 percent and improve bone health.
In a world where supplementation is all the rage… We’re actually missing the opportunity to get all the vitamins and minerals you need, in the way we are designed to get them: Through the food we eat. By keeping this list of ingredients in mind the next time you’re at the grocery store, you’ll be positioning yourself, your immune system, and your overall health and wellbeing in a better place.