Top 5 immune-boosting foods

Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Hello Wellness on Oct 12 2010 6:02PM

Much of what your body needs to fight off infection can be found in foods. Only, you don't eat enough. Poor diet can make you susceptible to a host of diseases and it takes more than an apple to keep the doctor away. Here are five foods and ingredients that boost your body's immunity:

• Vitamin C: This vital nutrient tops the list of immune boosters. Available naturally in many fruits and vegetables, vitamin C increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies and increases levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses. As an added perk, persons whose diets are higher in vitamin C have lower rates of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
• Garlic: Known more for its pungent flavour, garlic stimulates the multiplication of infection-fighting white blood cells, boosts natural killer cell activity, and increases the efficiency of antibody production. Some research suggests it may have anti-carcinogenic properties.
• Tea: Have it white, black or green, the popular beverage has an anti-microbial affect. A 2003 study by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School showed that immune system blood cells from tea drinkers responded five times faster to germs than did the blood cells of coffee drinkers.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: The omega 3 fatty acids in flax oil and fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) act as immune boosters by increasing the activity of phagocytes, the white blood cells that eat up bacteria. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and, therefore, may be useful in the management of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
• Yoghurt: Studies have shown that consumption of lactic acid bacteria in yoghurt increase the production of interferons and interleukins that are important members of our body’s immune response system. Lactic acid bacteria also cause increases in the numbers and activity of natural killer (NK) cells that kill virus-infected cells.

Trace elements such as Selenium and Zinc found in beef, pork, and lamb are vital to the production of powerful anti-oxidant enzymes - superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase - that are part of the body's defence mechanism.  Add zinc and selenium supplements to your diet, if necessary.

While you do need to feed your immune system to boost its fighting power, just eating right is not enough. Supplement your diet with some exercise and you'll be fit and fine as a fiddle!