Do you get sick every year? Maybe more than once?? Here are 5 great sources to include in your daily diet that naturally helps boost your immune system. This past winter each of my co-workers minus myself and my boss all were sick more than once for over a week. I just got a small cold, but took the proper steps, which included my father's homemade remedy juice, to fight off the cold and keep a strong immune system going.
If you eat the right kinds of foods that provide natural immune boosting nutrients you wont have to get the flu vaccines, which are full of extra toxic chemicals that will harm your body and break down your immune system. Your immune system is fully equipped to thwart off colds, influenza, and other viral diseases naturally on it's own, if you feed it the nutrients it needs in order to maintain homeostasis. Here are five simple ways to strengthen your immune system naturally using simple food choices:
1. Garlic- This is a powerful member of the onion family. It is called a "cure-all" in the world of homeopathic communities. Garlic's high allicin content is largely responsible for its disease-fighting effects, as this powerful antioxidant compound neutralizes free radicals and quells disease-causing inflammation. Allicin is said to have antibacterial action equivalent to 1% of Penicillin.
For thousands of years people have been using garlic as a natural remedy to prevent and treat respiratory, bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections as well. Using garlic every day will keep your nose and lungs clear of mucus and your arteries in good condition, reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol.
2. Homemade Chicken Soup- Who knew that great soup mom's made is so good for you when you're not feeling well. This is one of the most effective, and delicious, natural remedies for preventing and treating viral infections, homemade chicken soup made from whole, pasture-raised chickens is loaded with disease-fighting nutrients such as cysteine, an amino acid released during the cooking of chicken that, according to Prevention.com resembles the bronchitis drug acetylcysteine. Real chicken broth made from whole chickens, bones and all, also contains a host of beneficial fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that support vibrant immunity.
Gelatin, for instance, which is naturally formed in chicken broth, is a food substance composed of broth essential and non-essential amino acids that is critical for regulating immunity, promoting healthy digestion, improving liver functions, and strengthening bones.
3. Sweet Potatoes- These are a rich source of both vitamin A and C. Sweet potatoes are very beneficial for your skin, which just so happens to be your body's LARGEST organ, and the first line of defense against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. This starchy root vegetable contains nutrients that help improve cardiovascular and nervous system health as well.
4. Mushrooms- These are my least favorite of all ( I have never acquired a taste for this fungus). They have been around the Chinese medicine and are known for their incredible ability to stimulate the immune system, mushrooms of numerous sorts may hold the key to keeping you and your family healthy during the winter season. A Study in 2009 out of Arizona State University, revealed that white button, reishi, maitake, shitake and oyster mushrooms (just to name a few) all possess unique immune-boosting properties that make them a worthy addition to a healthy diet.
5. Brazil nuts- These are nature's richest sources of selenium, Brazil nuts are distinctively beneficial in promoting a healthy immune system. Their ability to stimulate the production of antibodies, selenium is involved in most functions of cellular biochemistry, and are absolutely essential for proper immune function. Selenium also plays an important role in the production and function of glutathione which boosts adaptive immunity and promotes the production of white blood cells.
