How to Use FOOD To Boost Your Immune System * Fight off Infectious Diseases 🍒
- How to Use Food to Boost Your Immune System, CNN, *Nov. 16, 2021. Ed. * FOOD SLIDE SHOW * Below
- Want to fight off infectious diseases this winter? Consider boosting your immune system with nutritious food. - 🍅 🥦 🍋 🍇 🍓
“What we eat is very important in terms of how our immune system responds to pathogens & how well it can defend itself against a pathogen,” said Dr. Simin Meydani, scientist & leader of the nutritional immunology team, Tufts Univ. Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Ctr. on Aging. Micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B complex, zinc & selenium can help “pump up” the body’s defenses against colds, flu & even Covid-19, Meydani said, but you won’t boost immunity by “eating a large amount of one single nutrient or food component.”
Forget focusing on “superfoods.” A large variety of foods are needed to provide the micronutrients the body needs to mount a robust cellular immune response, said Stanford School of Medicine nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner.
“There isn’t any one food or nutrient to rely on here, but rather it is the interplay of ‘harmonious interactions’ between the various micronutrients.” Plan daily menus around a large variety of fresh & colorful red, yellow, orange, blue & green fruits & vegetables, along with some high-quality whole grains, a bit of lean protein & a splash of healthy oils. A wide variety of colorful foods is also the basis of the top-rated Mediterranean diet & DASH diet, which stands for “dietary approaches to stop hypertension,” or high blood pressure.
Numerous studies found the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk for high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression & breast cancer. Meals from the sunny region have also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart & longer life. Oh, and weight loss, too. - The big picture: Just how much you can jump-start immunity with nutrients depends on your age, overall health & stress levels, saic Meydani. In addition to eating well, it’s important to stay at a healthy weight, reduce your stress, get quality sleep & regular exercise to keep those natural defenses in fighting shape. Without that healthy baseline, your body will have to work harder to knock out invaders – & may even lose the match.
“The best defense against the acute threat of the coronavirus is chronically good health,” said Dr. David Katz, founder & president of the True Health Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting evidence-based lifestyle medicine. “If you encounter the virus a week from now, 2 weeks from now, 3 weeks from now, there is a chance you will do better because of what you do with your diet right now,” he said...
- 🫒 Read More + Food Slide Show, https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/16/health/food-boost-immune-system-wellness/index.html
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