Worried About a Weak Immune System in These Troubled Times? A Complete Guide on How to Build Immunity and Protect Yourself From Diseases in 2020

• The skin is the first barrier that prevents germs coming inside your body, tears and saliva also protects your body since they are anti-bacterial and fight with the germs that try to invade your body.


• Mucus is the anti-bacterial, sticky lining that lines your lungs and nasal passage, it stops the germs from getting into your bloodstream.


• Your gut holds around 80% of the immune system's cells. It kills the harmful bacteria that enter your stomach.


• Lymph plays an important role as it carries water, food and oxygen to your cells and get rids of the waste in your body. Lymph is made of bone-marrow, spleen, thymus and lymph nodes.


• The bone-marrow has white blood cells like leukocytes and produces antibodies to fight particular bacteria and viruses. The major white blood cells are granulocytes, lymphocytes (T-cells and B-cells) and monocytes.


• Your spleen removes damaged cells and circulates blood in your body and the thymus gland helps the T-cells in maturing. It is behind your breastbone and at the front part of your chest.


• The lymph nodes recognise the bacteria in the cell fluid and removes them. You may experience swollen lymph nodes when it fights for the protection of your body.

• Citrus fruits are good when it comes to building your immunity. Vitamin C increases the production of white blood cells. Since your body does not produce or store vitamin C you need to acquire it from external sources. Some citrus food you can eat are:
  • Grapefruits
  • Oranges
  • Tangerines
  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Clementine


• Broccoli is loaded with vitamins and minerals. It has a great amount of vitamin A, C and E as well as antioxidants and fibre. The best way to eat broccoli is to steam it or eat it raw, if you overcook it you will end up killing its nutritional values.


• Red bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as any citrus fruit. They are high in beta carotene and help to maintain a healthy skin and eyes. Include red bell peppers in your salads, sandwich or saute them with your vegetables to gain maximum benefit from them.


• Garlic is a very important ingredient and is used in almost all the dishes around the world. It enhances the taste of the dishes and keeps you healthy. It also helps in lowering your blood pressure and slows down the hardening of your arteries. Garlic has heavy concentration of sulphur compound known as allicin which makes it a great immune boosting food.


• Ginger is commonly used as a home remedy especially in India. It works wonders during a sore-throat and inflammatory infections. You can use ginger in desserts or your daily dishes.


• Remember Popeye the sailor man eating spinach? Spinach is loaded with vitamin C, beta-carotene and antioxidants which help in boosting your immune system. It is best to eat spinach when cooked as little as possible. Light cooking of spinach releases nutrients from oxalic acid.


• Yogurt is great for your gut. It has vitamin D which regulates the immune system and strengthens the body's natural defence system. Find yogurt with live and active cultures like the Greek yogurt. It stimulates the immune system and fights diseases. Avoid eating flavoured yogurt which is high in sugar. You can add different fruits and honey to it to enhance its taste.


• Turmeric is used daily in almost all the dishes in India. It is a little bitter in taste but works great as an anti-inflammatory substance and helps in treating osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It also has high concentrations of curcumin which gives it a bright yellow colour.


• Vitamin E plays an important role in keeping your immune system healthy. Vitamin E needs fat to be absorbed properly in your body, therefore it is also called a fat soluble vitamin. Almonds are packed with vitamin E, eating 40 to 50 shelled almonds gives about 100% of the vitamin E needed per day.


• Tea in general is packed with flavonoids which is a type of antioxidant but green tea is packed with epigallocatechin gallate also known as EGCG. EGCG plays a major role in boosting the immune system. Since green tea is steamed not fermented, the EGCG is preserved in it and you can get maximum benefit of the nutrients present in it. It also has amino acid L-theanine which helps in producing T-cells in your body.


• You must have heard about the goodness of chicken soup when you are sick with flu. Chicken soup helps in improving the symptoms of cold and flu. Chicken and turkey are high in vitamin B-6 and 3 ounces of chicken and turkey meat has about 40-50% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin B-6.


• Papaya is loaded with vitamin C. Eating one papaya can give you the daily recommended dose of vitamin C and it has a good amount of digestive enzyme called papain which works as an anti-inflammatory. It also has a great deal of potassium, vitamin B and folate which is good to stay healthy.


• Kiwi is another healthy fruit which is packed with folate, potassium, vitamin K and C. It boosts your white blood cells to fight infections.


• Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E, phosphorous, magnesium and vitamin B-6 which makes it a great source for boosting your immune system. You can use sunflower seeds on salads or simply munch on them with tea.


• People who are looking to boost their immunity like to eat shellfish. It is packed with zinc. Zinc is not very popular but it is very much needed for your immune cells to work properly. The recommended dose of zinc for men is 11 milligrams and 8 milligrams for women. Excessive zinc can harm the function of your immune system. Other sea foods you can eat which are high in zinc are:
  • Crabs
  • Clams
  • Lobsters
  • Mussels


• Eating button mushrooms is also great for your immune system. They are packed with selenium, riboflavin and niacin. These are important minerals and vitamins which help in boosting your immune system. Button mushrooms also have polysaccharides which are sugar-like molecules that boost the immunity function.


• Watermelon is a great immune boosting fruit. 2 cups of watermelon has 270 mg of potassium, 30% of the daily value of vitamin A, and 25% of the value of vitamin C and just 80 calories. So if you are looking to boost your immunity and not gain weight, start eating watermelons.


• Wheat germ is the innermost part of the wheat kernel and is the richest part of the grain. It is packed with vitamin B, E and zinc. You can eat wheat germ as a yogurt topping, sprinkle it on cereals or put it in your favourite shake.

1. Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 200 – 250 gm of yogurt
• 100 gm of any fruit of your choice
• 1 tbsp flax-seed powder

• Simply blend them together and drink it whenever you feel like snacking.
  

2. Vegetable Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 small carrot
• 2 leaves of lettuce
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 4 – 5 florets of steamed broccoli
• 50 gm (green, yellow or red) finely chopped bell peppers
• 3 chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp boiled peas
• 1 tbsp grated beetroot
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 50 gm of tofu

• Vegetable salads are healthy and give you an opportunity to eat raw vegetables. Simply add all of the ingredients together and squeeze a tablespoon of lime juice. You can also add apple cider vinegar to enhance its goodness.

3. Fruit Shake:

Ingredients:

• Fruits of your choice
• Soya or Almond milk
• Honey (optional)

• Everybody likes fruit shakes and it is a great refreshing drink when the sun hits you hard. Simply take a mix of your favourite fruits, add soya or almond milk and blend it in a mixer. You can add honey if you like and serve it chilled to your family members in the evening.
  

4. Orange Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 2 oranges
• 100 ml fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 cup yogurt
• 3 – 4 Dates (pitted)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tbsp ginger, grated
• ½ tbsp coconut oil
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

Method:
• Orange is known for having high amounts of vitamin C which is very good for building your immunity. Just add all the ingredients and blend them in a mixer and serve it chilled.