Top Immunity Boosting Foods for Great Health

Consuming certain foods helps keep the immune system strong, keeping an individual healthy. However, one must be aware of the specific immunity boosting foods for that.

This article gives a detailed account of immunity, its role in the body and the various food sources that act as immunity boosters to ease this task for every individual. Besides, you will also get to know the foods that weaken the immune system.

Read on to know all about them!

Immunity is defined as the ability of our system to prevent the invasion of pathogens. It is a complex biological mechanism having the ability to differentiate existing bodily microbes from foreign particles and reject the latter.

Wondering how to increase the immunity of your body?

The following sections will make you aware of what to eat to increase immunity.

Incorporating certain immunity foods into one’s diet helps strengthen the immune response. Listed below are some top immunity booster fruits -

1. Blueberries

Blueberries consist of a kind of flavonoid known as anthocyanin. This contains antioxidant properties that help boost an individual’s immune system.

2. Oranges

Oranges are undoubtedly a food source to consider for all those wondering “which fruits increase immunity”. It is packed with vitamin C that boosts the formation of white blood cells (WBCs) or lymphocytes. These cells act as the frontline for defence against infections. All varieties of this immunity boosting food contain over 100% of an individual’s recommended daily amount.

3. Grapefruit

Similar to oranges, grapefruits are among the best immunity boosting foods. These are loaded with vitamin C, which is a reason for their immunity boosting properties. Besides, these fruits contain significant amounts of vitamin A and fibre. They are also low in calories and consist of 88% water.

4. Apples

Apple peels are composed of quercetin, which is a type of plant pigment flavonoid that helps boost an individual’s immune system and lowers inflammation. Moreover, this immunity boosting food is a rich source of natural sugars and fibres.

5. Pears

Along with an adequate amount of potassium and fibre, pears consists of anti-inflammatory flavonoids in their peels.

6. Papaya

A single medium-sized papaya contains almost double the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. It also contains a digestive enzyme known as papain that has anti-inflammatory effects. Along with these, this immunity boosting food contains significant amounts of folate, potassium, and magnesium.

7. Kiwi

Kiwi contains vitamin K, potassium, folate, and vitamin C like papayas and other fruits that boost immunity. Vitamin C helps boost the production of lymphocytes, which fight infections.

8. Pineapple

Pineapple is another immunity fruit loaded with manganese and vitamin C. It also contains an enzyme known as bromelain, which controls diarrhoea, helps the body absorb antibiotics, and fights heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

9. Watermelon

Watermelon contains plenty of nutrients like copper, potassium, vitamin B5, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Additionally, this immunity boosting food consists of an adequate amount of citrulline.

10. Avocado

Avocado contains significant amounts of iron, vitamin E, and potassium. This immunity boosting food is also high in monounsaturated fat that helps reduce cholesterol and promotes a healthy immune system. In addition, there are other nutrients in this fruit required by an immune system to keep an individual healthy. These include vitamins C, D and B6.

Wondering “which vegetables increase immunity”?

Scroll through!

Given below is a list of some high immunity vegetables:

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in vitamin C and also consists of potent antioxidants like sulforaphane.

2. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta carotene, which is a kind of antioxidant. It is also responsible for the orange colour of the skin of potatoes. Beta carotene is also a source of vitamin A that helps make skin healthy and might offer some protection against skin damage from UV rays.

3. Spinach

The presence of carotenoids, vitamin C, flavonoids, and vitamin E helps boost the immune system.

4. Carrots

Carrots contain significant amounts of vitamin A and antioxidants that help fight inflammations, infections, and cell damages.

5. Ginger

The antioxidant compounds present in ginger root contain potent anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties.

6. Garlic

Garlic has antiviral, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties. Additionally, its bulbs comprise high amounts of antioxidants that quench free radicals.

7. Tomatoes

Regarded as a top home garden vegetable, tomatoes are rich in vitamin C. This vitamin is an integral part of the strength of t-cells and phagocytes - two major components of a body’s immune system.

Apart from immunity boosting fruits and vegetables, there are several foods that increase the immunity of an individual. 

Listed below are some foods to increase immunity -

1. Almonds

Almonds are packed with fat-soluble vitamin E, a potent antioxidant necessary for a healthy immune system.

2. Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds contain magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins B-6 and vitamin E. Out of these, vitamin E helps regulate and maintain immune system function.

3. Green Tea

Being rich in flavonoids, green tea is certainly an immunity rich food source. Besides this, it also consists of significant levels of another potent antioxidant - epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Plus, this immunity boosting food is a rich source of the amino acid L-theanine which might aid in the production of germ-fighting compounds in an individual’s T cells.

4. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is one of the best immunity booster foods. This is because it contains an antioxidant known as theobromine which might help in boosting the immune system by protecting the cells from free radicals.

5. Turmeric

Turmeric consists of a potent anti-inflammatory compound known as curcumin. As per a study published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology, curcumin helps activate the production of T-cells.

Illustrated below are some essential immunity boosting vitamins that are highly beneficial for a body -

1. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that helps the body to fight off infection.This vital vitamin is a part of almost 200 biochemical reactions in an individual’s body and is also critical in the way the immune system functions.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is regarded as a crucial vitamin for immunity.It helps prevent infections or shortens their stay in the body. It raises the body’s antioxidant activity and helps absorb other nutrients such as iron. Plus, it is required for collagen synthesis.

3. Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is vital in supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system. This, in turn, keeps this system in top-notch condition.

4. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an infection fighter and is available in two forms - performed as in animal foods like meat, fish, and dairy or from plant carotenoids.

Contrary to immunity boosting foods, certain foods weaken a body’s immunity. Given below are some of these:

1. Processed Foods

There are several processed foods consisting of additives and unhealthy fats. These components can enhance the taste, texture, and shelf life of a product but can also weaken the immune system.

A few processed foods having high amounts of additives are:

• Microwaveable meals
• Chips
• kes and cookies
  
• Canned foods

2. Foods Rich in Refined Carbohydrates

Processed foods and those with high levels of refined carbohydrates like refined sugar and white flour are associated with an increase in oxidative stress and inflammation that can harm the immune system.

Some of these foods include -

• Sweets, cookies, and cakes made with white flour
• White rice
• White bread

3. Foods Containing High Amounts of Sugar

Maintaining a diet rich in sugar might limit the immune system's ability to combat diseases by increasing inflammation and lowering the effectiveness of WBCs. 

Some of these foods include -

• Sugary breakfast cereals
• Cookies and cakes
• Flavoured milk and sweetened dairy products
• Sugary drinks like soda
• Preserves, sweets and marmalades

A body achieves immunity towards any disease using certain antibodies specific to that disease, present in the individual’s system. These antibodies are basically proteins that a body produces to destroy or neutralise toxins. 

Knowing the various kinds of immunity will help in better understanding the role of immunity in a body.

Immunity can be of 3 types – 

• Adaptive or Acquired: Individuals develop this kind of immunity from immunological memory. An individual’s system can develop adaptive immunity following an individual’s exposure to any infection leading to diseases. This kind of immunity also forms after an individual gets vaccinated. In this case,the vaccine mimics a specific disease-causing agent, resulting in an immune response in the vaccinated individual without making the person sick. Acquired immunity can last for an individual’s entire lifetime.
• Innate: It includes barriers, such as the mucous membranes and skin. These help keep harmful substances from invading a body. These act as an immune system’s first response towards a foreign substance.
• Passive: This type of immunity is a body’s ability to resist pathogens by “borrowing” antibodies. The most common form of this passive immunity is the one that an infant acquires from a mother. The protection acquired from passive immunity is immediate, but lasts for a short period of time.