Boost your Immune System with These Mineral and Vitamin Supplements
Your immune system plays a key role in preventing the effects of disease-causing pathogens. Apart from taking food supplements, you can include many types of ingredients in your diet to naturally supplement your diet.
We do not mean that food supplements are harmful, but you can spare yourself the extra cost and naturally include the supplements in your cooking. Consuming these nutrients directly in your diet does not only improve your overall health, but you also avoid the costs of getting a weight loss treatment due to poor dieting.
For you to have the vitamin boost, however, you need to observe a healthy diet constantly. You cannot eat an orange, maul a pineapple, then pop a vitamin pill to boost your body’s immune function. You need to continually eat fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your body’s immune system in check anytime a virus attacks.
Discussed below are the vital immune health vitamins and foods that contain them.
Vitamin C
The role of vitamin C is to prevent infections or slow down their progression. Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are packed with vitamin C, but did you know that there are other options?
Woodway Rehab and Wellness recommends the following:
- Spinach
- Kales
- Bell Peppers
- Brussel Sprouts
- Strawberries
- Ripe Papaya
Vitamin E
Just like vitamin C, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that effectively fights off body infections. This vitamin is essential because it’s part of about 200 biochemical body reactions. This makes it critical on how the immune function works. To concentrate vitamin E in the body, consider high-fat plants like:
- Almonds
- Peanuts/Peanut butter
- Sunflower seeds
- Soybean oil, Sunflower, and safflower oil
- Hazelnuts
Vitamin D
This is also called the sunshine vitamin. It’s among the most crucial and powerful vitamins that support the immune system. Food sources are inadequate but include:
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Tuna
- Sardines
- Vitamin D fortified diets like milk and orange juices
Generally, it’s best to get your vitamins from food, but we have an exception with Vitamin D. Visit the rehabilitation center in Houston to determine whether a supplement is needed.
Folate/Folic Acid
These are the same thing, but folate is in natural form, while folic acid is synthetic. Do add more beans, lentils, and leafy vegetables to your meals regularly. Avocado is another excellent source. Folic acid can be found in fortified edibles like enriched pasta, enriched bread, and enriched rice.
Iron
Iron helps your body to carry oxygen to various body cells. By that, it’s a role player in the processes of body immunity. Your body quickly absorbs heme iron, abundant in these animal products:
- Red meat (take in moderation)
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Canned sardines
- Oysters
- Clams
- Mussels
- Canned light tuna
Vegetarians don’t have to panic. Iron is still found in:
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Iron-fortified cereals
Selenium
Medical researchers have found selenium to have a powerful effect in fighting body infections. A great source of selenium is animal products, except for Brazil nuts. Brazil nut provides more than 100% of selenium daily amount in one nut. An overdo can cause problems, so make sure you take no more than two nuts in a day.
Source selenium in:
- Seafood
- Meat and Liver
- Poultry
- Cottage Cheese
Zinc
Our bodies need zinc for the production of new white blood cells. It’s primarily available in animal foods but can be found in plant products as well. Here is a list:
- Oysters
- Crab
- Lean meats and poultry
- Baked Beans
- Yogurt
- Chickpeas
Other Methods
Apart from diets and nutrition, there are other ways you can enhance your body’s response to pathogen attack. These are more physical and are equally effective. They include:
- Get Enough Sleep – Sleep is closely tied to immunity. Lack of sleep can increase the susceptibility to sickness. Adequate sleep strengthens your immunity. Sleeping when sick gives your body time to fight off infections.
- Chiropractic Care – The chiropractor in Memorial can help boost your body’s pathogen-fighting ability. After a chiropractic session, you feel more relaxed, and your spine is relieved of any stress. This way, your immunity is more efficient.
- Moderate exercise – Prolonged and intense exercise may suppress your immunity, but an average exercising session boosts it. One session of moderate exercise can even increase the effectiveness of an administered vaccin
- Manage your stress – by relieving stress and anxiety, your immune gets healthier. Prolonged stress leads to inflammation and imbalances of protector cell functions. You can visit the chiropractor in Memorial for treatment or engage in stress managing practices like yoga, meditation, and journaling.