Add these foods to your diet to boost your immune system – says Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Founder and Chairman, Sami-Sabinsa Group - Sami-Sabinsa Group

Add these foods to your diet for better immune system

You can boost immunity with certain foods. Several fruits and vegetables are loaded with nutrients and compounds which can ensure a healthy immune system. Try these foods that can help boost immunity.

HIGHLIGHTS

Citrus fruits can help boost immunity
Add turmeric to your diet for better immunity
These food sources can help boost immunity

You might have heard about immunity many times. Simply put, immunity is the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin. It is generally assumed that from early years till about the teenage years, immunity is in its building up phase. At the other end of the spectrum are the older people who have low immunity. As age advances, the ability of the body to fend-off infections reduces as the body weakens with age. With age one has to be careful about what to eat, what not to eat, medications and much more.

Right diet is a great source of nutrition as well as should be loaded with excellent immunity builders. The magic lies in the ingredients that are present in these foods which are highly effective in building immunity.

Foods to boost immunity

Honey
Honey is rich in antioxidants with anti-bacterial activity that make it a powerful immunity booster. Key ingredients present in honey - the carbohydrates present in the monosaccharides.
Garlic
Being rich in multiple vitamins and minerals, garlic is not only a great flavour-adding agent to the food, but also a rich source of immune booster owing to its nutritive, antifungal and antiseptic properties.
Turmeric
The golden spice turmeric contains a compound called Curcumin. The role and effectiveness of Curcumin goes beyond building immunity, it's also effective in reducing inflammation, diabetes, arthritis, colds and even cancer.
Cabbage
Cabbage is packed with valuable nutrients such as sulforaphane, a chemical that enhances the body's production of enzymes. Ingredients found in cabbage include antioxidants, choline, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin as well as the flavonoids, kaempferol, apigenin, and quercetin.
Probiotics
One of the most powerful immunity building factors has to do with your gut. Therefore, it is essential to ensure your gut is clean as possible, often times, it can be done with yogurt that have live and active cultures or by taking probiotic supplements. They help prompt your immune system to fight off diseases as well.
Over and above meat, nuts, eggs, dairy products, whole grains are some of the other natural foods which are high in zinc, especially zinc citrate and zinc picolinate which are tried and tested sources for immunity building.