Top Foods to Support Your Immune System

In the midst of the holidays is the dreaded flu season. No one wants to ruin their holiday by catching a cold or the flu! The best way to keep these infections away is to use food to strengthen your immune system. These five foods can be used to prevent viruses from invading your body and to keep anything you do catch at a minimum.

1 Soup – Soup is one of my favorites in the winter months and when I'm feeling sick and run down. Turns out there is a very good reason for that want, research shows that chicken soup can help you get rid of a flu or cold by decreasing the mucous production that often makes you feel so awful. When you add vegetables such as carrots, celery, onions and garlic, soup can be a great way to get many healthful vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

2 Mushrooms – Medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, or even common mushrooms like button, can work wonders on your immune system. Mushrooms boost the activity of natural killer cells, which are part of your immune system. They help rid your body of viruses and bacteria in the body, preventing them from causing illness. Mushrooms also improve gut immunity, which is very important for your overall health. Mushrooms are one of the only good food sources of vitamin D, which has been shown to strengthen your immune system. I love adding mushrooms into soups, stews, and salads.

3 Oysters – Zinc is crucial for the healthy functioning of our immune system, including the innate immune system, neutrophils, NK cells and T and B cells. Because of this, zinc deficiency is one of the top 10 causes of death in developing countries. You can get zinc in many protein sources, including meat, beans, seafoods, and nuts. Oysters are one of the best sources of zinc. So pass the hot sauce!

4 Fish – Fish helps your immune system in three ways. It is rich in vitamin A (retinol), which is necessary for the immune system to function well. It also contains selenium, which aids in glutathione production, a very important antioxidant and detoxifier. Fish is full of omega-3 fats which help reduce inflammation in your body. Choose smaller fish like sardines and wild-caught salmon over large fish that can contain high levels of mercury, such as tuna, swordfish, and king mackerel.

5 Citrus – First food to come to mind when you think of vitamin C is usually citrus but did you know that spinach, broccoli and tomatoes are also high in vitamin C? Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for humans, which means that we can’t make it in the body and need to consume it regularly for our body to function properly. Vitamin C helps the functioning of many immune cells in the body, helping them gobble up and get rid of unwanted invaders. It also supports the epithelial barriers in the body, which are one of the first lines of defense against infections.

These tips could very well be your ticket to avoiding the flu season altogether!