What are the best immune boosting foods for the entire family?
There are lots of immune boosting foods you can enjoy on a regular basis to improve your health and reduce your changes of severe illness. Depending upon who you talk to and what you read, there are different lists of these foods. I’ve personally found that too many of these lists include dairy products and grain products.
While your body may be able to handle small amounts of these, many people cannot tolerate them and they are not what I consider immune boosting foods for the entire family. If you aren’t sure about the how and why of a healthy immune system, check out this article from Harvard Health about how to boost your immune system.
However, my list only includes foods that are paleo and allergy free for most people.
- Apples- You’ve no doubt heard the famous statement. An apple a day keeps the doctor away and there really is some truth to it. Full of Vitamin C and other nutrients as well as fiber. You can’t go wrong by eating an apple every day. You do however, want to avoid apple juice as it is full of sugar and can have the opposite effect.
2. Anything with cinnamon in it. cinnamon is great for lowering blood sugars, helping with a healthy immune system, and more. I like to add it to fruit, to green smoothies, to my gluten free pancake batters and more.
3. Oranges- These are also great for more Vitamin C but also Vitamin D and calcium as well. In fact oranges have more calcium than milk. This is a little known fact that many people don’t realize when thinking they need dairy products to get enough calcium.
4. Spinach- Another great food. This green vegetable that most people either love or hate also has a lot of calcium in it along with other nutrients. If you have children who don’t like it, you can sneak a small amount of it into a fruit smoothie, into spaghetti sauce, into pizza and more.
5. Garlic- a must for anytime you have a cold or any of the sniffles or just for good immune health period. I like to cook with garlic anytime I cook chicken, fish, or cooked vegetables. I’ve also found it adds a great flavor to a lot of soups.
6. Berries- These highly anti-inflammatory yet sweet little fruits are very good for you. I like to eat a variety of them. The best place to get them is to buy them frozen at Costco.
7. Elderberry- This super berry is great for your immune health. I like to rotate between the syrup and the dummies. You want to double check that there isn’t added sugar in them though as added sugar defeats the purpose of it. I’ve found the Vitacost brand to be the least expensive.
8. Anything with Vitamin D in it- Most of us are deficient in vitamin D and in may need a supplement in addition to foods. I personally have to take one. However, you want to find out from your doctor if you need one before you just start taking one. Most fruits and vegetables have some vitamin D in them.
9. Anything with zinc in it- Examples of healthy foods with zinc include Brazil Nuts, and most seeds like sunflower seeds. Again I have to take a zinc supplement so it’s worth finding out if you need one of those as well.
10. Echinacea- Another supplement you can’t really easily find foods with this in it, other than tea. This is my favorite way is to drink an all herbal echinacea tea.
Not sure about this list? Want some other ideas? Check out this list of immune boosting foods from the Cleveland Clinic.
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