Foods that help in boosting immunity during winters

Winters are here and while it’s a season of festivals and happiness, it is also home to various diseases and the most common one that most of us experience is the flu. But if we told you that you can include some superfoods in your diet this winter, so that you remember winters for only the joy that they bring? Here is a list of 8 superfoods to boost your immunity in winters:

The saying “every problem has a solution” by Alice Hoffman sits just about right in this scenario. While we are attacked by the flu and cold in winters, the best solution for them, the citrus fruits, are also widely available in winters. Fruits with vitamin C are known to increase the number of white blood cells in our bodies which in turn help cut down the flu virus. Some of the common citrus fruits are Oranges, Grapefruits, lemons, etc.

Bell peppers, especially the red ones are also known to be high in vitamin C along with Beta Carotene which becomes a perfect combination to fight flu virus and in turn, boosts your immunity. Beta Carotene is also useful to keep your skin and eyes healthy.

One of the most used food ingredient, garlic, is not just the best way to make your food taste amazing but also has many medicinal properties. Such as lowering blood pressure down to boosting the digestive system. Garlic is also known to boost immunity as it is rich in concentrated sulphur containing compounds like allicin.

Ginger is another famous food that we turn to when the flu hits us. Its anti-inflammatory properties make ginger one of the best cures for cold but at the same time, ginger is also one of the ways to prevent cold in the first place. The gingerols and shaogals in the ginger roots help kill the rhinoviruses that cause the cold in the first place. So, increasing ginger in your winter diets is a good idea.

Much like broccoli, spinach is also known to be high in Vitamin C and Beta Carotene and numerous antioxidants. Spinach can increase bodies’ infection-fighting ability, resulting in boosted immunity and no falling sick. Another thing that broccoli and spinach have in common is that the less it is cooked, the more nutritious it is. However, even if it is blanched completely, it is healthier than most foods out there.

While broccoli is full of vitamin C, it is also full of vital nutrients like Vitamin A and E which help boost your immunity. Broccoli is also high in fibre and antioxidants and it can be one of the healthiest foods that you can include in your winter diets. You can get the best out of it if you cook it less or not at all.

Yoghurts are known to be high in vitamin D and the bacteria present in low-fat yoghurt are proven to kill the cold viruses by some studies. The bacteria that kills cold is called beneficial bacteria that stimulate the production of immunity to fight diseases in the body.