How to Boost Your Immune System with Food This Winter

With winter rapidly approaching, it’s that time of year to start to think about ways to protect ourselves from catching colds and the flu. Everywhere you go, you’re hearing that the key to staying healthy is to wash your hands thoroughly and regularly and to boost your immune system through the right nutrition. While this does sound obvious, when it comes to taking action, the steps to take may not seem quite as apparent.

After all, being able to boost your immune system by way of the right foods isn’t exactly the same as simply eating healthful foods. Instead, you need to know the right healthful foods. There are some that are considerably better than others.

Check out the following fantastic options to help you to boost your immune system this winter and reduce your risk of getting sick.

Garlic – Virtually every culture around the world uses this simple but incredible bulb to not only add a burst of flavor to meals, but also to help to increase the body’s infection fighting ability. That said, the faith in garlic for enhancing the immune system isn’t just based on tradition. Studies have backed this up, pinpointing the source of the benefits as coming from the allicin contained within the plant.

Ginger – Another flavorful ingredient, ginger is great for helping to keep you healthy. While many people increase the amount of ginger they eat in order to help to get over a cold or the flu more quickly, eating it on a regular basis can help you to prevent getting sick in the first place.

Spinach – Although many people may turn to citrus fruits to receive a boost in their vitamin C, as it turns out, spinach is even higher than most citrus fruits in that amazing infection-fighting nutrient. What’s more, it is also a great source of beta-carotene, which is also believed to be an infection fighter. Eat baby spinach raw or cook mature leaves for as short a time as possible in order to preserve the maximum nutrient levels. If spinach isn’t your cup of tea, then you’ll get the same benefits from broccoli. If you like both, even better!

Almonds – The vitamin E in almonds doesn’t tend to get the recognition it deserves when it comes to its ability to promote healthy immune function, but the truth of the matter is that it can make an important difference in your body’s ability to work at its best. A small handful of all is all you need every day.