Modern medicine as well as alternative medicine both agree when it comes to the role of diet to improve immunity.
Rest and medicine plays a big role,but the role of a well balanced diet cannot be stressed enough.
Food has been a large part of nature’s arsenal to fight various disease from ancient times.
Improving your overall nutrition is a way to fight all the pesky viruses and bacterias which lurk around like villains , waiting for your natural defences to become weakened.
The micronutrients(essential nutrients in your diet which are required in micrograms for normal metabolic functions of your body), in your diet like vitamins ,minerals , can help to improve our body’s defence mechanism.
They help prevent disease as well as heal your body when you fall ill.
Deficiencies of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients, not only make you susceptible to infections, but also increases the chance of complications.
Micronutrients are critical for your immunity.They help you fight against the microbes and produce an effective immune response.
How nutrients in the flu diet help?
- Interferon production and improves action of phagocytic cells.
- Anti-microbial barriers of skin, mucus membranes, tears, saliva, gastric juice.
- Antibody response and optimized cell-mediated immunity.
- Micronutrients such as vitamin C, A, B-5, B-6, B-12, and folic acid trace elements such as iron, zinc, selenium, copper and others are essential for optimizing white blood cell production and immune function.
Infections in turn make the deficiencies worse by decreasing absorption,assimilation and increasing losses .
So does this mean you will never fall ill if you are having vitamin supplements?
The answer now becomes tricky.
It has been seen that children with malnutrition, often suffer recurrent episodes of cold,stomach problems .They seem to be specially susceptible to all germs that affect people in their immediate environment. Contagious diseases are often spread by touch ,respiratory droplets.In order for our body to fight invasion by germs, the body’s defence mechanism should be sufficiently primed to fight an assault.But when everyday functioning of the body is compromised by nutritional deficiencies ,it becomes difficult to cope during infections. Since prevention in a holistic manner is the goal of modern medicine. A well balanced diet comprising of all the super powerful anti-inflammatory food groups ,will definitely help keep you healthy even during the dreaded flu season.
Top 10 food to fight flu and improve immunity
- Fruits and vegetables, truly these are miracle food.Read my post , Fruits and vegetables..nature’s multivitamins for a quick idea about how they are helping you everyday
- Green Tea or its active ingredient, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), are natural anti-inflammatory molecules,affecting both innate and adaptive immunity
- Walnuts,Almonds:Rich in omega 3 fatty acids,they help in increase the good fat (HDL) in our body and decrease inflammation
- Other sources of omega 3 fatty acids:chia seeds,flaxseed,fish
- Drink plenty of water about 4 to 6 litres in warm climates.Water helps to flush the toxins from our system,and is essential for most bodily functions.
- Ginger :popular for its medicinal properties offers relief from congested nose and throat when added to tea, soups etc.
- Onion
- Garlic:The pungent odour of these helps to clear blocked nose.Add crushed garlic cloves chopped onions in soups,dal for a soothing mouthful when you have a cold.
- Spices from the Indian kitchen like turmeric helps to bolster your immunity.Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow component of turmeric (Curcuma longa),having anti-inflammatory effects. Curcumin has a potent immunomodulatory agent and can modulate the activation of our innate and adaptive immune functions.
- Chicken soup for the cold:old’s wives tale,but true!Chicken soup with crushed garlic, chopped onion and ginger, with black pepper to garnish.Chicken is a popular source of the semi-essential amino acid Cysteine.Cysteine has powerful antioxidant properties.It is a major constituent of glutathione ,the body’s natural antioxidant enzyme ,helping to fight the oxidative damage from diseased condition.
What else can you do to improve immunity
- Boost up your immunity with multivitamin supplements(after consultation with your doctor),when you are feeling low.
- Get plenty of sleep
- Avoid stress
- Think positive
- Pray..the power of prayer is the secret ingredient which makes the doctors work easier.
Take care and stay fit.
Also, read
Reference
Featured post
How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!
Sharing is good Karma!
Discover more from Healthwealthbridge
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I couldn’t agree with you more, actually. I think the things we eat factor into a lot of things that go on within the body. As far as the chicken soup thing, I always thought it was just kind of hokey, but I made a big pot of homemade chicken soup once when I was coming down with a bad cold and it knocked it right out. No kidding! I had to sweat the chicken and everything LOL! I also take a variety of supplements and I think they help a tremendously. Loved your post. Chock-full of really good info!
Thank you so much Kristi .Yes chicken soup does very well.
I ams o glad to have this. So informative and helpful. Autumn and winter season bring about cases of the flue and this is so important for not only battling the flu but improving immunity.
Thanks, Sheri.Glad you found it helpful.
Green Tea increases my acidity so that is out for me but I do agree with all your other tips. Recently I had a bad cough and cold but no fever. So instead of popping some anti biotics, I coughed it out taking just a cough linctus at night to stop the PND and the cough that disturbs my sleep and my husband’s. I also did a lot of turmeric + Salt water gargles. And that helped. I hope I’ve beaten the ‘flu this winter before it beats me!
A year and a half ago, I contracted the flu, despite having had a flu shot. My doctor prescribed tamiflu, and I recovered relatively quickly. I slept almost nonstop during my illness but still managed to do six loads of laundry.
These look like great suggestions for avoiding the flu. Sometimes, it is hard to avoid. The flu shot is based on a hope that it will protect against this year’s strain of influenza. That is not always the case.
Very true .the flu virus mutates quickly .The problem starts because of that.Glad you found this useful.
These are great tips. Considering Bangalore has a very flu prone weather, I’m going to practice some of these tips. Thanks for these.
Glad you found these helpful.
Looks like the ingredients we use in our Indian cuisines are extremely beneficial. Very informative post Amrita ????
Oh yes.Bang on Rajlakshmi.
Another awesome and informative post from your bucket! Healthy food and lifestyle can create so much difference! Though I’m traveling a lot these days, so have taken a flu shot just for the precaution!
Thanks Ana so glad you liked it.
My go to remedy for the flu is my grandmother’s recipe of Rum/Vodka, Honey + Lime. One shot upon waking and another before bed. It works every time.
With the cold season is here, this post is so timely. Thanks for this health guide
Thanks Eve
I need to stop in to the health food store tom. and pick up some of these things. Thanks for the reminders.
Thanks for your tips. When I have flu, I always rely on traditional medicines coz it works!
This is right on time! Everyone around me is getting sick and I’m trying my best to not catch the bug. Thanks for sharing!
These are incredibly helpful tips! I know the power of garlic! It tastes awful but it really helps improve immunity.
Natural remedies are always best! They come with no side effects!
I love using my essential oils to get me through flu season! My oil blends really make a huge difference!
I think that nutrition places a very important role in health. I work hard at it but am not dedicated to it. However I have gotten better then I have been in the past.
Great tips! I love almonds and drink green tea every morning to wake up. I had no idea it was keeping me healthy!
We’ve just had our first bout of colds come through the house. Never fun- we definitely need to focus on eating well to keep the bugs at bay.
YES! I love that you’ve talked about this! I am all for modern medicine but it can’t do much for a cold or flu, even I’ve shown up at the Doctor with the Flu and they’ve said, “there’s nothing we can do for you!” boosting your own immune system so it can fight off colds and bugs before they take hold is so important.
Great to know! I certainly do NOT have time to get sick, so I’ll keep all of these in mind.
I sure could have used this a couple months ago. I got two different strains of the flu this year, AND I did have my shots! Miserable year…
Oh that’s tough.But it’s a good thing you read this.You will be prepared to fight the virus next time!
These are such great tips. I always think that eating well really help too.