Immune-Boosting Diets Burlington VT

The Immune-Boosting Diet

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By Wendy McMillan

Everyone’s always sayingwhat an amazingly efficient immune system we have, but if that’s so true, why do we catch colds in the winter or suffer from allergies in the spring? The answer lies in ourselves. We don’t keep our immune system in fighting trim. Instead, we do all sorts of things that make it weak in the knees. We smoke, drink alcohol, burn ourselves out with stress, and eat diets filled with immune-system saboteurs.

Nutritionists agree that what we eat plays a big role in fighting off germs. “Our immune system is like a finely honed, intricately choreographed dance,” says Beth Reardon, RD, an integrative nutritionist at Duke Integrative Medicine, North Carolina. Every cell has a specific role, she says, and requires key nutrients to survive and work properly. That’s why the standard American diet—desperately lacking in important nutrients—puts the immune system at risk. The best way to maintain a healthy body? You got it: Eat well. These nine power foods can help you beat the best of the bugs.

Garlic
Known as one of nature’s more potent remedies, garlic has “antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties,” says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a physician and nutritionist in Sarasota, Florida. And for those who think medicine should smell bad, its effectiveness may be linked to allicin, the sulfurous chemical compound responsible for crushed garlic’s unmistakable, pungent odor. Gerbstadt says studies show that allicin not only inhibits the growth of bacteria, it can even kill some germs on contact. In one study at Boston City Hospital, garlic successfully killed 14 strains of bacteria taken from the noses and throats of children with ear infections. Now for the tricky part: To experience the full benefits of garlic in combating colds and flu, you’d have to eat an entire bulb—raw—every day. However, softening garlic by roasting or sautéing will subdue the strong flavor and lend a more palatable sweetness while still retaining most of its immune-boosting potency. What’s more, eating any amount of garlic will provide some benefit, says Gerbstadt.

Shiitake mushrooms
Long revered in China for both culinary and medicinal reasons, shiitake mushrooms add more than their rich flavor to a dish. Research shows that shiitake help produce a type of white blood cell called natural killer cells, which release a type of protein into the infected cells that causes them to self-destruct. Research also attributes the powerful effect of shiitake mushrooms to their unique complex sugars—called lentinan. Structurally similar to bacteria, lentinan “tricks” your body into feeling threatened, which kicks the immune system into a higher gear.

Tea
This comforting beverage does an admirable job of soothing the throat and relaxing the senses, even as it helps build up your resistance behind the scenes.

Author: Wendy McMillan

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