Foods Boosting Immunity

Lemons harvested from orchards are amongst secret ingredients for healthy immunities.

"Delicious Meyer Lemons" by alasam is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Lemons harvested from orchards are amongst secret ingredients for healthy immunities.

E. Nguyen, Staff Writer

 

As schools are keen on the return to accommodating students on their campuses, eyebrows are raised about how to foster a safe environment amidst the pandemic. It is crystal clear that precautionary measures like facial coverings and keeping an adequate distance from others are the primary steps to ensure disease prevention. Yet, there are smaller steps boiling down to efforts on the individual level, augmenting the ones pertaining to the general audience. As a triumphant topic from time to time, nutrition and what we fuel ourselves with is imperative to how satiated we feel and function. 

 

It is no lie that you are what you eat, but take this with a grain of salt, as being too picky could pave the way for chronic disorders. In the moments of today’s realities, nutrition is of the utmost importance for students to focus on. Charging our health to its potential for full battery would enable us to safeguard ourselves against the virus. Little efforts of energy exerted into this goes a long way. If we each get on top of our nutrition, then we would in turn keep our society cleaner as the clock ticks forward. 

 

While a few foods are ahead of the pack in announcing their presence in our minds, there is much more to further scratching the surface. To touch base on prior knowledge, there has always been a consensus around citrus fruits being the magical antidote for alleviating illnesses. These branch out to a multitude of foods, from the ordinary oranges and zesty lemons, to the more exotic pink grapefruits and tropical kumquats. The line of reasoning behind their effectiveness derives from their vigorous vitamin content. They provide an abundance of Vitamin C. This nutrient went under speculation to stimulate the production of white blood cells, from which mobilize to cure infections. Picky eaters do not have to fret, as consuming citrus fruits is fairly simple. If you were to dislike the taste of eating these fruits by themselves, you could incorporate them into more elaborate dishes, or squeeze them into a juice like fresh lemonade. 

 

Next up in the pecking order are bell peppers, preferably the red variety. These are valued for possessing more Vitamin C than oranges. In fact, they carry three times more per ounce. Other options to notice while shopping for groceries are berries, broccoli, kiwis, papayas, tomatoes, and watermelons. 

 

Switching gears, we enter the realm of spices. Garlic and ginger are amongst the favorites to avoid being prone to sickness. Thanks to their anti-inflammatory compounds, allicin and gingerol respectively, both come to the rescue by reducing the stress on the immune system from invasive microbes. 

 

Next up are foods fortified with Vitamin D. These include dairy as well as dairy-free yogurt, for those sensitive to lactose, and aids in regulating the body’s natural mechanism versus foreign microorganisms. The influx of beneficial probiotics in yogurt further dials into improving the gut microbiome, and springboards the retention and efficiency of immune responses entailing functional depletion, inflicted upon them by detrimental bacterial colonies. However, the simplest approach for accumulating Vitamin D is to enjoy the sunshine outside. You could go for a rewinding stroll in the scintillating morning hours to fulfill this, without putting much effort or thought into it. 

 

Arriving at a subsequent destination in this quest, we encounter delicacies rich in B Vitamins and the mineral Zinc. They tend to belong to either seafood or whole grains. Salmon and oatmeal tend to pop up right away in this regard. The former reinforces our cells, the building blocks of our physiological composition. The latter keeps our DNA intact in addition to enhancing our body’s power to ward off pathogens. While everyone could stress over the frugal aspects of purchasing these foods, there should be no worries at all, as long as you shop in season and have a diligent conscience about mediocre deals. The awareness of prioritizing the pattern of picking natural foods should do the tricks to keep you on the right track. 

 

Staying in the proper aisles would draw parallels to mitigating pain in the heat of the Covid-19 crisis. The tides are on board with the trajectory to be turned when living up to the expectations. But aside from these considerations, it is still most important to bear in mind other essential aspects when weathering the storm to let necessities prevail. Maintaining adequate sleep and checking in with activity levels are no more or less pertinent to get on the cusp of hitting the ground running. With this pragmatic attitude, steady functioning at peak health is secured, rather than curtailed astray as a caveat.