Our immune system is the primary barrier against harmful pathogens in the environment around us, so fuelling our body with the food that it can benefit from to have it performing at its peak and prevent illness & disease is super important. As we navigate Covid-19 and head into the colds and flu season, there is a large variety of immune fortifying foods you can add to your shopping list to assist with building your body’s immunity. Here are some suggestions:

Lemons, oranges and grapefruit. These fruits pack immune boosting nutrients given their vitamin C content, helping to maintain the body’s defence against bacterial infections.  Including vitamin C in your diet may help to reduce the symptoms of respiratory infections and shorten the duration of illnesses like the common cold and viruses. Other Vitamin C foods include capsicums, Brussels sprouts and capsicums. We love a freshly squeezed lemon in room temperature water first thing in the morning.

Garlic.  A wonderful antimicrobial and anti fungal natural antibiotic, it boosts immune function.  Use it in your cooking like a chicken soup, stir-fry, casserole or curry!  Tip! instead of adding garlic in at the start of your cooking consider adding it towards the end to help retain its vitamin content and avoid lengthy exposure to heat.

Cruciferous vegetables. Studies show the compounds called glucosinolates found in these veggies act as a pre-biotic, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria to encourage a healthy immune system. Think broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.  Try making a freshly prepared vegetable juice with leafy greens, turmeric, ginger, kiwifruit, celery and carrot to pack an immunity boost!

Ginger. The health benefits of ginger are well-documented – it has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years due to its medicinal properties. Ginger is a strong antioxidant and antimicrobial (kills bacteria – including salmonella). The scientific community also recognises ginger as a natural antibiotic. Add fresh ginger to a cup of hot water – magic!

At Own Your Health Collective, we are all about supporting you and your workforce navigating working from home as we head into the cooler weather season. If your employees could benefit from an immunity health online workshop, we can help you do that.  Contact us to have that chat on how we can bring this together for your workplace.