What you eat impacts your overall health. Without proper nutrition, your body doesn’t have what it needs to power your immune system, which fights off infection and disease. Here are the top 5 vitamins and foods that can boost your immune system and keep you healthy.
1. Calcium
Calcium is a messenger to the immune system for when it’s time to ramp up or power down. Milk, yogurt, spinach, and broccoli are all great sources of calcium. But none of those beat tofu — just one cup has more than double the amount of calcium in a glass of milk!
2. Vitamin C
Without sufficient levels of vitamin C, you’re more at risk of infections, especially respiratory infections. This powerful vitamin is found in all fruits and vegetables, but you’ll get the most from oranges, grapefruits, kiwis, bell peppers, and broccoli.
3. Vitamin D
Also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties and helps regulate the immune system. You can get it from eating fatty fish like salmon and sardines. But vitamin D isn’t found naturally in many other foods. To ensure you’re getting enough, it’s best to talk to a doctor about a vitamin D supplement.
4. Vitamin E
Vitamin E helps build T-Cells, which fight germs and protect you from diseases. So start snacking on sunflower seeds, almonds, and peanuts, which are all great sources of vitamin E, and add avocado and spinach into your diet too.
5. Antioxidant-rich foods
Antioxidants improve the immune system by neutralizing free radicals, which damage membranes and DNA. You can get antioxidants by eating beans (red kidney, pinto, and black beans), berries, pecans, and dark, leafy greens.
Along with eating nutritious foods, checking in with a doctor can help you live your healthiest life. As an Advica member, you have unlimited online general practitioner visits on Maple, 24/7.
These tips originally appeared in an article from Maple’s medically-reviewed blog: How to boost your immune system with food
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