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Mar 15

The best foods to boost your immune system and how to get more of them into your diet – Telegraph.co.uk

Diet Comments Off on The best foods to boost your immune system and how to get more of them into your diet – Telegraph.co.uk

No, eating mountains of broccoli or garlic galore will notprotect you from Covid-19. There is no quick-fix for the immune system genetics, age and exercise are all contributing factors and no one single addition to your diet will protect you from infection.

But wait! Anumber of foods garlic included have remarkably good antimicrobial properties, and while they should not be scoffed insteadoffollowing measures already advocated by the World Health Organisation (washing hands thoroughly;covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing), it certainly won't hurtto get a few more of these nutrient-richfoods into your daily diet.

The last word in immune-bolstering micronutrients is vitamin C, whichanyone who has been told to up their intake of oranges to fight off a cold will be familiar with. Consider also seeking out foods high in vitamin E, D and A, plus iron, zinc and selenium. And if your local supermarket is running low on fresh produce, frozen fruit and veg is just as beneficial.

Whatever the crisis, eating a healthy balanced diet makes a lot of sense, so get stuck into these.

Broccoli is rich in vitamins A, C and E, as well as containing a number of antioxidants like sulforaphane (meant to be good for heart health and digestion). Readily available all year round, broccoli is perhaps one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get extra vitamins into your diet. Treat it with care, though the more you cook it, the less nutritious it will be. Lightly steam, boil or microwave to lock in its immune-boosting properties.

The best broccoli recipes:

Browse more of our broccoli recipes here.

Red peppers contain three times the amount of vitamin C as citrus; in fact, it might surprise you to know that they are the most vitamin C-dense of any fruit or vegetable, as well as being a great source of beta-cerotene (which the body converts into vitamin A. Interestingly, red peppers have 11 times more beta-cerotene than green peppers, and one and a halftimes more vitamin C.

The best red pepper recipes:

Browse more of our red pepper recipes here.

Blueberries contain anthocyanin, a flavanoid with antioxidant properties that play an essential role in the respiratory tract immune system.

The best blueberry recipes:

Browse more of our blueberryrecipes here.

Rich in vitamin B6, manganese, selenium and vitamin C, garlic has long been regarded as useful for helping tofight infections and viruses. Allicin, the sulphur-containing compound that gives it its distinctive smell and taste, has been proven to have antibacterial affects; crushing and bruising garlic cloves supposedly stimulates the production of allicin, however, cooking the cloves will inevitably inhibit some of its medicinal properties.

The best garlic recipes:

Spinach is rich in flavanoids, cerotenoids, vitamin C and vitamin E, and is believed to supportthe immune system and even help to fight some cancers. Other leafy greens such as cavolo nero, spring greens and kale have similar health benefits.

The best spinach recipes:

Browse more of our spinach recipes here.

The trendy fermented drink known for its benefits to the gut biome is also thought to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergenic effects. Consume it regularly as a drink or with breakfast.

The best kefir recipes:

Read more here:
The best foods to boost your immune system and how to get more of them into your diet - Telegraph.co.uk

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