Immunity boosting foods for combating the new coronavirus (COVID-19)

Our immune system is the frontline defense of our body against any infection. It is a result of thousands of years of evolutionary pressures of diseases like the current coronavirus pandemic. This disease too shall pass, like many others before it, but in the meantime, we need to prepare our bodies for a confrontation. Luckily, we don’t have to do much, simply tweaking our dietary preferences (and switching to a generally healthier lifestyle) may lead us towards a safer corner in these hostile times. So here are some immunity-boosting foods that you ought to eat:

Citrus Fruits

Other than having a distinct sour and tangy flavor, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes are a rich source of vitamin C. This vitamin is honed for its immunity-boosting abilities since it helps our body produce white blood cells. These cells are the sentinels of our internal environment – they combat pathogens and prevent diseases.

One thing to note though is that this vitamin is water-soluble, this means that it will leave your systems just easily it will enter them. Moreover, since our body does not produce it and there is no way to store it, it is advisable to take regular doses to ensure that your strength never fails you.

Garlic

Garlic has been the center of almost every cuisine in the world. Its potency has inspired many uses in myths such repelling vampires. I’m not sure about vampires, but disease-causing entities like bacteria and viruses can indeed be sent on a run for their lives with garlic.

Not only does it add that unique zing to your food but it also helps to lower your blood pressure and slows down the loss of elasticity in your blood vessels – which in essence will delay aging of your circulatory system. To spice things even further, garlic contains a vast reserve of sulfur compounds such as allicin which have a direct immunity strengthening effect.

Ginger

Its anti-inflammatory properties and its potential in alleviating nausea have led ginger to be considered as one of the most effective ingredients to turn to when one is down with an illness.

To top it all off, ginger also possesses a unique chemical compound called gingerol with many physiological benefits ranging from curing rheumatoid arthritis to killing cancer cells. Moreover, ginger extracts can render viruses and bacteria obsolete.

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Spinach

Though its rendition in the famous cartoon series Popeye was a bit exaggerated, the underlying point was undeniably valid: Spinach is a miracle plant. Not only does it pack a heavy punch of vitamin C, but it is also loaded with antioxidant compounds that are quintessential for our well-being.

Antioxidants such as beta-carotene which are so abundant in its tissues, help our immune systems in their defensive abilities against pathogens and infections. To get the best results though, Spinach, like many other green vegetables, ought to be cooked lightly – so as not to destroy such precious compounds.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods like yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi are usually teeming with “good-bacteria” – also known as probiotics. If you're buying yogurt from the supermarket, try to look for the ones that read "live cultures" – those are most beneficial.

Not only will these cultures give your immune system a "practice round" to get their motors running, but they will also ensure a healthy micro-environment inside your gut – protecting you from many intestinal infections. Such protection has become especially important during this pandemic where one must avoid any sort of primary infection, lest it weakens our immunity.

Almonds

Almonds contain an appreciable amount of Vitamin E, which just like C is a major immunity booster compound. Although the latter tends to steal the spotlight, the former is no sense inferior. As noted earlier, vitamin C is water-soluble and hence is easily flushed out of our systems, the same however is not true for its cousin.

Vitamin E is fat-soluble and will remain inside our body, in stored form, for a longer time. Almonds also possess a rich fat reserve to help ensure that those vitamins remain inside your bodies. Around 46 whole almonds a day will suffice your daily vitamin E consumption needs and give you a stronger, better immune system.