Super foods to boost immunity

People who have a low immunity are vulnerable to Coronavirus. Despite of the voracity of this virus, there have been cases of recovery, from all age groups. Experts say that people with strong immunity fight it off better, so let’s focus on building our immunity through food, and try and emerge a winner in this time of crisis.

The Coronavirus Pandemic

The world today is reeling with the pandemic of Coronavirus, which is showing unimaginable effects globally. Never would have the modern humans thought that one day they would be the ones holed up inside their homes and the skies, land and water would be once again reclaimed by the animals and plants.

It seems, the Earth is healing itself of the extreme damage being done to it by humans, by keeping us all inside. As of now, there is no medicine for the virus, and only the symptoms and probable vulnerable people have been identified. The most vulnerable people are children and the elderly, and the ones who have health issues like diabetes, heart issues and those suffering from respiratory diseases. All in all,

The best and the most natural way we can build our immunity is through our food.

Here are some super foods to boost your immunity:

Vitamin C

The vitamin is known as an immunity booster. It helps the white blood cells function more effectively to strengthen the immunity. Foods like oranges, amla, bell peppers and spinach are a rich natural source of vitamin C, one our body does not produce.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral which helps the body fight infections and heal wounds. Apart from the supplements, there are foods like nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of zinc. But in trying times like these when the supply of things is rationed, there are other sources of zinc which we may turn to. Milk and dairy foods, vegetables like mushrooms, spinach and garlic, meat and poultry and seafood are a rich source of zinc.

Indian herbs and spices

As we at Diet Insight always say, the Indian kitchen is a complete pharmacy in itself and the spices in there work as the medicines. Ginger, the pungent root is helpful in decreasing inflammation and is anti-microbial in nature. It can be in chutneys, juices and smoothies, and added in vegetables too.

Turmeric, with its curcumin which has anti-viral properties and black pepper, with its pepperin which is also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and has immune system enhancing properties, boost immunity. Other spices like cinnamon, star anise, cloves and green cardamom are also the ones which are beneficial.

Desi Ghee

Desi ghee, or clarified butter is one super food which we need to reclaim. Desi ghee is a saturated fat, which helps in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, K and E. as we all know, vitamin D is important for immunity and our body does not produce it. The most important and potent source of vitamin D is the sunlight.

But as we all are cooped up in our houses these days, to fight this pandemic, we need to turn to other sources, and desi ghee is a potent source. Consuming desi ghee boosts our immunity and makes our bones stronger. Not to mention the other benefits it has like it boosts digestion, balances hormones and is good for heart’s health.

Traditional Indian Food

It is genuine these days if we do not have many ingredients at home to cook lavish dinners, but simple Indian foods go a long way too. The simplest and easiest of the cuisine is our good old khichdi. It is a wholesome dish in itself. It contains all the important nutrients and minerals a whole food has, and eating it with a little desi ghee makes it a complete meal.

All this being said, building immunity is a gradual process which requires lifestyle changes.

There is not a shortcut to it. There is another very important thing to do in the course of keeping the immunity up. Stress and panic release the hormone cortisol which definitely lowers the guard of our body’d immunity. It is the happy hormone, dopamine which keeps our immunity stronger and our mood uplifted. So, take care of yourselves and avoid panic and stress.

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