For an easy, tasty way to help out your immune system, try this simple prescription’just eat more fruit & vegetable
What’s better than treating a cold or flu? Preventing illness in the first place’which means, in addition to avoiding exposure to viruses, you need to cultivate a healthy, strong immune system. Regular exercise, quality sleep, frequent hand washing and vitamin D supplementation are all important lifestyle habits to keep you healthy.
Perhaps even more important is maintaining a vitamin-rich diet, including lots of colourful fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruit, in particular, is an easy diet upgrade to make. “Fruit is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and water, presented in a convenient and usually sweet-tasting package. The taste is a major benefit, as most people will like fruit even if they don’t like vegetables’especially children, who can be averse to eating their greens.”
What’s so great about fruit & vegetables? Like all fresh, unprocessed produce, there packed with immune-boosting nutrients, and each variety of fruit & vegetable has its own unique nutritional profile, which is why it’s best to eat a wide variety. It’s also best to eat it as close to its natural state as possible: fresh, especially when in season, and frozen.
Eating just one of these foods won’t be enough to help fight off the flu, even if you eat it constantly. Pay attention to serving sizes and recommended daily intake so that you don’t get too much of a single vitamin and too little of others.
1. Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit is nutrient-dense and full of vitamin C. In fact, just 1 cup of kiwifruit provides about 273 percent of your daily recommended value. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient when it comes to boosting your immune system to ward off disease. One study even found that kiwifruit may support immune function and reduce the likelihood of developing cold- or flu-like illnesses.
2. Red Bell Pepper
If you think citrus fruits have the most vitamin C of any fruit or vegetable, think again. Ounce for ounce, red bell peppers contain twice as much vitamin C as citrus. They’re also a rich source of beta carotene. Besides boosting your immune system, vitamin C may help maintain healthy skin. Beta carotene helps keep your eyes and skin healthy.
3. Blueberries
A classic antioxidant-rich berry, blueberries are easily available frozen for a fraction of the out-of-season price of fresh ones. Blueberries contain flavonoids—a type of antioxidant that can help reduce damage to cells and boost your immune system. In addition, blueberries have plenty of vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese. Blueberries are great on their own or in an immune-boosting smoothie with other healthy ingredients.
4. Broccoli
Broccoli is supercharged with vitamins and minerals. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as many other antioxidants and fiber, broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can put on your table. The key to keeping its power intact is to cook it as little as possible — or better yet, not at all.
5. Mango
One cup of mango provides about a quarter of the daily target for vitamin A, a nutrient that’s essential for proper functioning of the immune system (including the production and activity of white blood cells). On top of this, the same amount of mango provides nearly three-quarters of your daily vitamin C needs.
6. Spinach
Spinach made our list not just because it’s rich in vitamin C. It’s also packed with numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which may increase the infection-fighting ability of our immune systems. Similar to broccoli, spinach is healthiest when it’s cooked as little as possible so that it retains its nutrients. However, light cooking enhances its vitamin A and allows other nutrients to be released from oxalic acid.
7. Raspberry
As a good source of vitamin C, they also help the immune system. Raspberries are also a really rich source of naturally occurring flavonoid and phenolic compounds. These valuable micronutrients have an antioxidant effect, which helps neutralise changes in cells that might lead to illness and disease.
Juice Plus+ provides nutrition from fruits and vegetables, as well as grains, plants, to help you bridge the gap to a healthy lifestyle.
Juice Plus+ utilises nutrients from 30 different fruits, vegetables, berries, and grains to help boost immune systems and reduce common cold symptoms. Regular consumption of Juice Plus+ capsules provides the body with a mixture of nutrients that support key immune system functions and strengthen the body against the cold and flu viruses. This has been proven through a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, which supports Juice Plus+ as a tried and true addition to your daily regimen and overall immune system support. Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, really is the key to overall optimal health and an easy way to do that is with Juice Plus+
