INGREDIENTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN CAN HELP YOU BUILD A STRONGER IMMUNITY AGAINST ALL VIRAL INFECTIONS!

The most centric unanswered question in these times of distress and isolation is how does one live a life without getting down with viral infections around? Moreover, can your body functions really fight the cause at hand today? As far as we know, with better immunity, we can keep these concerns at bay!

Apart from social distancing, opting for work from home, self-isolation, and hand-sanitizing there is only one measure that can help you build a better immunity against major viral infections and that is the food you are eating.

Our body at times of stress, pressure, and toxicity to keep the immunity strong is under a constant need for certain foods for handling the wear and tear. The immunity system work on not just one but various factors like the intake of vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients to keep our system healthy round the clock deficiency of any one of these can lead to nutritional imbalance and autoimmune conditions. If we are looking at ways to protect ourselves from winter cold and flu-like symptoms, our first step should be to certain that we include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential oils in our diet and daily routine.

Holy Basil or Indian Tulsi

Ayurveda, Naturopathy, and Functional Medicine all recommend the use of Indian Tulsi or Holy Basil which is a powerful adaptogenic herb that can modulate the immune system and protect you from environmental toxins. High on antioxidants, Tulsi can help protect your body against infections. Include it in your daily diet either by normally chewing the leaves of the plant or sprinkling it over your salad or broth-soup.

Star Anise 

Star anise is rich in antioxidants and Vitamin-A and C. Suggested for respiratory tract infections, inflammation, cough, the flu, and certain digestive tract problems. Star anise is considered as a culinary spice and used in flavoring. It is a good source of shikimic acid (a compound with strong antiviral capabilities) and is used for manufacturing Tamiflu. In functional medicine, it can be boiled and mixed in tea for intake.

Raw turmeric 

Raw Turmeric contains bioactive compounds with powerful medicinal properties. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. It helps your body fight foreign invaders and has a role in repairing the damage. For practitioners of functional medicine turmeric a popular anti-microbial agent, not only boosts digestion but has anti-inflammatory properties and acts as a blood purifier directly linking to the immunity of the body. It can be added to a salad(s) or as flavor to curry and butter.

Inhaling Eucalyptus & Peppermint oil

Apart from respiratory disinfection, inhaling essential oils or taking aromatherapy also helps in decongestion and has psychological benefits. A substantial amount of respiratory conditions along with the seasonal flu can be treated by inhaling essential oils.

Micro-nutrients – Vitamin-C & Vitamin-D

Functional medicine practitioners prompt to increase the intake of Vitamin-C if we catch the common cold or seasonal flu for the simple reason that it helps build our immune system. Micronutrients like Vitamin-C and Vitamin-D have a direct correlation to how strong our immunity will be. Our body does not produce Vitamin C but it is directly related to increasing the production of White Blood Cells which is the key to fighting infections.

Key sources of Vitamin C include grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons, bell peppers, and clementine. Since our body does not store vitamin C and we require it daily for better health immunity it is better to squeeze a quantity of it into any of our meals. Oral Vitamin-C is suggested to people who do not get an ample quantity of it from their diets.

Unlike Vitamin C, Vitamin D is fat-soluble and apart from direct sunlight being a key source of Vitamin D, exposure to high temperatures also helps in balancing Vitamin D in our body. In some cases, Vitamin D3 is given orally to boost immunity functions in our body. A low amount of Vitamin D can lead to residual and frequent infections.

Essentials Minerals

Like Vitamins, our body is not able to store minerals naturally. Zinc, Selenium, and Magnesium are few of the essential minerals that are required by the body to stay healthy and can be taken in sufficient quantity from high sources of minerals like potatoes, kale, and green beans,  legumes, dairy and from nuts, peanuts, flax seeds, pistachios, and almonds.

Load up on Antioxidants – Garlic & Ginger

Vitamin C and Selenium are potent antioxidants that help in building strong immunity. The sources of Vitamin C and Selenium can be easily found in the kitchen. Garlic and ginger when crushed/pounded/graded and used shows various benefits to our immune system. Alliin is a natural constituent of fresh garlic and is a derivative of amino acid cysteine. Garlic has been used forever in therapeutic remedy for certain conditions and it shows strong antioxidant property relating to the presence of alliin which also affects the immune response of blood.

Similarly, raw ginger (gingerol) when crushed and used in tea preparations, broth boosts anti-inflammatory effects along with anti-oxidative stress effects. Raw and crushed Ginger oil along with coconut oil has been found of great use in boosting immunity. Coconut oil is one of the most loved ingredients of functional medicine experts and apart from its use in cooking, coconut oil can be consumed daily. Simply take a teaspoon of it or mix it in your coffee, commonly known as bulletproof coffee or mix it in any of your routine meals. Coconut butter can be used as an alternative since it retains the fibers found in coconut along with the essential oil.

Resveratrol foods

One must already be consuming a good amount of resveratrol foods but now is the time to up its intake in balanced quantities. Includes a fair number of peanuts, pistachios, grapes, berries, cocoa, and dark chocolate in your diet as these help in fighting fungal infections, stress, anxiety, and depression.

Work on your gut health

For a strong immunity maintaining your gut health is highly important. Out of all the mandates, avoiding sugar, eating foods mostly fermented and taking probiotics and pre-biotic fibers can promote a healthy gut. One great way is to reduce stress and avoid taking unnecessary antibiotics with regular exercise and balanced sleep cycles. Take high fiber foods such as legumes, beans, peas, oats, bananas, berries, asparagus. Garlic and onion have immune system enhancing properties linked with the primary functions of the gut. Fermented food such as yogurt, miso is great sources of probiotics. Add collagen enhancing foods to your diet.

Bottom line checklist: 

In these critical times, sticking to the following will help you overcome your immunity problems:

1) Maintaining proper hygiene and avoiding secondary infections.

2) Ensuring traditional methods of cooking like boiling and sautéing instead of excess frying foods before eating.

3) For anybody to heal it is important to have lower or decreasing stress levels with balanced and proper sleep cycles.

4) Restoring your gut health with a proper meal plan can help you fight against all infections and have strong immunity.