When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to vitamin C. However, this powerful antioxidant is key to a healthy immune system.
IT’S A FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN, WHICH MEANS IT REQUIRES THE PRESENCE OF FAT TO BE ABSORBED PROPERLY. NUTS, SUCH AS ALMONDS, ARE PACKED WITH THE VITAMIN AND ALSO HAVE HEALTHY FATS.
ADULTS ONLY NEED ABOUT 15 MG OF VITAMIN E EACH DAY. A HALF-CUP SERVING OF ALMONDS, WHICH IS ABOUT 46 WHOLE, SHELLED ALMONDS, PROVIDES AROUND 100 PERCENTTRUSTED SOURCE OF THE RECOMMENDED DAILY AMOUNT.
9. SUNFLOWER SEEDS
SUNFLOWER SEEDS ARE FULL OF NUTRIENTS, INCLUDING PHOSPHOROUS, MAGNESIUM, AND VITAMINS B-6 AND E.
VITAMIN E IS IMPORTANT IN REGULATING AND MAINTAINING IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION. OTHER FOODS WITH HIGH AMOUNTS OF VITAMIN E INCLUDE AVOCADOS AND DARK LEAFY GREENS.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS ARE ALSO INCREDIBLY HIGH IN SELENIUM. JUST 1 OUNCE CONTAINS NEARLY HALFTRUSTED SOURCE THE SELENIUM THAT THE AVERAGE ADULT NEEDS DAILY. A VARIETY OF STUDIES, MOSTLY PERFORMED ON ANIMALS, HAVE LOOKED AT ITS POTENTIAL TO COMBAT VIRAL INFECTIONS SUCH AS SWINE FLU (H1N1).
10. TURMERIC
YOU MAY KNOW TURMERIC AS A KEY INGREDIENT IN MANY CURRIES. THIS BRIGHT YELLOW, BITTER SPICE HAS ALSO BEEN USED FOR YEARS AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY IN TREATING BOTH OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
RESEARCHTRUSTED SOURCE SHOWS THAT HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF CURCUMIN, WHICH GIVES TURMERIC ITS DISTINCTIVE COLOR, CAN HELP DECREASE EXERCISE-INDUCED MUSCLE DAMAGE. CURCUMIN HAS PROMISE AS AN IMMUNE BOOSTER (BASED ON FINDINGS FROM ANIMAL STUDIES) AND AN ANTIVIRAL. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED.
11. GREEN TEA
BOTH GREEN AND BLACK TEAS ARE PACKED WITH FLAVONOIDS, A TYPE OF ANTIOXIDANT. WHERE GREEN TEA REALLY EXCELS IS IN ITS LEVELS OF EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE (EGCG), ANOTHER POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT.
IN STUDIES, EGCG HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ENHANCE IMMUNE FUNCTION. THE FERMENTATION PROCESS BLACK TEA GOES THROUGH DESTROYS A LOT OF THE EGCG. GREEN TEA, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS STEAMED AND NOT FERMENTED, SO THE EGCG IS PRESERVED.
GREEN TEA IS ALSO A GOOD SOURCE OF THE AMINO ACID L-THEANINE. L-THEANINE MAY AID IN THE PRODUCTION OF GERM-FIGHTING COMPOUNDS IN YOUR T CELLS.
12. PAPAYA
PAPAYA IS ANOTHER FRUIT LOADED WITH VITAMIN C. YOU CAN FIND DOUBLETRUSTED SOURCE THE DAILY RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF VITAMIN C IN A SINGLE MEDIUM FRUIT. PAPAYAS ALSO HAVE A DIGESTIVE ENZYME CALLED PAPAIN THAT HAS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS.
PAPAYAS HAVE DECENT AMOUNTS OF POTASSIUM, MAGNESIUM, AND FOLATE, ALL OF WHICH ARE BENEFICIAL TO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH.
13. KIWI
LIKE PAPAYAS, KIWIS ARE NATURALLY FULL OF A TON OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS, INCLUDING FOLATE, POTASSIUM, VITAMIN K, AND VITAMIN C.
VITAMIN C BOOSTS THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS TO FIGHT INFECTION, WHILE KIWI’S OTHER NUTRIENTS KEEP THE REST OF YOUR BODY FUNCTIONING PROPERLY.
14. POULTRY
WHEN YOU’RE SICK AND YOU REACH FOR CHICKEN SOUP, IT’S MORE THAN JUST THE PLACEBO EFFECT THAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER. THE SOUP MAY HELP LOWER INFLAMMATION, WHICH COULD IMPROVE SYMPTOMS OF A COLD.
POULTRY, SUCH AS CHICKEN AND TURKEY, IS HIGH IN VITAMIN B-6. ABOUT 3 OUNCES OF LIGHT TURKEY OR CHICKEN MEAT CONTAINS NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF YOUR DAILY RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF B-6.
VITAMIN B-6 IS AN IMPORTANT PLAYER IN MANY OF THE CHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT HAPPEN IN THE BODY. IT’S ALSO VITAL TO THE FORMATION OF NEW AND HEALTHY RED BLOOD CELLS.
STOCK OR BROTH MADE BY BOILING CHICKEN BONES CONTAINS GELATIN, CHONDROITIN, AND OTHER NUTRIENTS HELPFUL FOR GUT HEALING AND IMMUNITY.
15. SHELLFISH
SHELLFISH ISN’T WHAT JUMPS TO MIND FOR MANY WHO ARE TRYING TO BOOST THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM, BUT SOME TYPES OF SHELLFISH ARE PACKED WITH ZINC.
ZINC DOESN’T GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS MANY OTHER VITAMINS AND MINERALS, BUT OUR BODIES NEED IT SO THAT OUR IMMUNE CELLS CAN FUNCTION AS INTENDED.
VARIETIES OF SHELLFISH THAT ARE HIGH IN ZINC INCLUDE:
OYSTERS
CRAB
LOBSTER
MUSSELS
KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO HAVE MORE THAN THE DAILY RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF ZINC IN YOUR DIET:
11 MG FOR ADULT MEN
8 MG FOR MOST ADULT WOMEN
TOO MUCH ZINC CAN ACTUALLY INHIBIT IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION.
MORE WAYS TO PREVENT INFECTIONS
VARIETY IS THE KEY TO PROPER NUTRITION. EATING JUST ONE OF THESE FOODS WON’T BE ENOUGH TO HELP FIGHT OFF THE FLU OR OTHER INFECTIONS, EVEN IF YOU EAT IT CONSTANTLY. PAY ATTENTION TO SERVING SIZES AND RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE SO THAT YOU DON’T GET TOO MUCH OF A SINGLE VITAMIN AND TOO LITTLE OF OTHERS.
EATING RIGHT IS A GREAT START, AND THERE ARE OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FROM THE FLU, COLD, AND OTHER ILLNESSES.
START WITH THESE FLU PREVENTION BASICS AND THEN READ THESE 7 TIPS FOR FLU-PROOFING YOUR HOME. PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, GET YOUR ANNUAL FLU VACCINE TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS.
TOA HUNTER GATHERER
Owen Boynton shares the traditional knowledge and techniques that have been lost since using modern ways to source kai, or traditional Maori food.