We hear all the time about how good food is for the immune system. When you follow a healthy and balanced diet, you get the perfect balance of nutrients for your needs. What we don’t hear is just which foods are the best.
Many of us want to know how to boost our efforts at staying healthy and fighting off infections. We want to know the best types of foods that will help support everything little thing that our bodies do.
I’m here to share all the foods that you should eat to improve your immune system. At the same time, I’ll share just how they are so good for fighting off illnesses and diseases. Some are better than others at very specific types of ailments. Some of these are great for holding back illnesses, while others are perfect when you’re ill, and you need a pick-me-up.
Here’s a look at seven foods that you need to include in your diet to boost your immune system.
Pull Out the Chicken Soup When You’re Ill
There’s nothing like chicken soup when you’re under the weather. It doesn’t matter if you have a slight cold or whether you’ve suffered the stomach flu. It’s one of those powerhouses that has been shared from generation to generation.
There are a few reasons why this soup is so good. The first is the heat. Anything warm will start to make you feel good. When you’re curled up on the couch, shivering away despite it being 30C outside, all you want is something that will keep you warm from deep within. We reach for the likes of hot tea and soup.
Our bodies can relax and reduce the amount of cortisol released. This will instantly help to boost the immune system since the hormonal imbalance isn’t suppressing it.
At the same time, the heat will help to clear any congestion in the nasal passages. You can breathe in the steam, helping to thin the mucus, so you feel like you can breathe better.
On top of this, there are various health benefits to the chicken. Let’s start with the protein. Our bodies need protein to help the connective tissues repair. This includes the cells. The body can hold back ailments easier, meaning your immune system can simply get to work.
Meanwhile, there are some anti-inflammatory properties. While the heat helps to thin the mucus, the chicken also works on the inflammation within the nasal area and the rest of your body. This natural immune system response is lessened to help you feel more like yourself.
There’s no need to make your own chicken soup. Just condensed soup in the can or some chicken broth is good enough to get many of the immune system benefits. Studies have shown that it’s the process of cooking chicken, which even the store-bought options need to do, that helps to improve immunity. The cooking process releases an amino acid that is like acetylcysteine. This is a drug that treats bronchitis by clearing out the mucus in the tubes.
However, if you do make your own, remember to throw some onion and garlic in. We’ll get onto why they’re important next.
