Maintain winter wellness with foods that boost your defenses
It’s cold and flu season again. Time to remember that your diet can have a big impact on your immune system and your ability to fight respiratory viruses. To maintain maximum winter wellness, get your flu shot, wash your hands often, and follow these immune-boosting eating tips from Los Angeles based dietitian Misti Gueron, MS, RDN.
Pick plant foods. Pack your meals and snacks with fruits and vegetables full of phytochemicals, the natural substances in some plant foods that give them built-in immune boosters. Dark, leafy greens and red or yellow vegetables are some of the best sources of phytochemicals. Beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are, too.
Eat healing foods. Improve your diet by including more foods that may boost immunity, including: lemon, garlic, yogurt or kefir, turmeric, oregano, green tea, ginger, pumpkin, and chicken soup. Many of these foods “have medicinal properties” in addition to being warming and full of flavor, Gueron says.
Drink lots of water. “Proper hydration keeps the immune system strong,” Gueron says. Eat fruits and vegetables that help hydrate, like lettuce, cauliflower, celery, melon, and berries.
Keep blood sugar stable. Immunity is at its best with steady blood sugar,” Gueron says, because when blood sugar gets too low, the body can go into “fight or flight, increasing adrenaline and stress hormones.” That can make you more susceptible to infection. Avoid foods that the body absorbs quickly by increasing (and then decreasing) blood sugar, like juices, sodas, candy, and heavily processed snacks.
Avoid juicing or fasting. “Our bodies function best when we eat whole foods that break down slowly for steady blood sugar control,” Gueron says. “Again, stable blood sugar equals a happy body,” which in turn helps prevent colds and flu.
Eat your vitamins. Plenty of people swear by supplements like zinc, iron, vitamin C, and echinacea in the winter to help boost immunity, but Gueron says unless you have a deficiency, they may be unnecessary. Ask your health care provider for a more specific recommendation. Continue to seek out foods naturally rich in vitamins and phytochemicals, Gueron recommends. “Food has so many ways that increases immunity, not just by isolated compounds.” Pursuing your vitamins through whole foods is a primary step toward good health.
Moderate alcohol. Heavy drinking can suppress your immune system and make you more prone to infection. Drinking alcohol also dehydrates you.