Nutrition tips to keep your immune system tough through the flu & winter season

While we all have a good idea that what we eat affects how we feel. It can be easy to forget that before the pharmaceutical industry, our medicines came from natural sources.

At the time a lot of these things were consumed as food or drink, and we can still receive the benefits of imbibing them now. Read on to find out what they are.

Vitamin C

There are plenty of things that contain a good dose of Vitamins C like carrots and bell peppers. But did you know that Brussel Sprouts also have lots too?

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Well, if you are a sprout fan, then you should definitely start eating them on more than just your Christmas dinner. This is because getting enough Vitamin C can help boost your immunity to disease. It acts as a natural antibiotic killing off harmful bacteria in your system. I love grilling Brussel sprouts but in the winter, I often steam them.

Antioxidants

We hear a lot about antioxidant and free radicals these days but does anyone known what they actually are? Well, free radicals are the nasty things that our cells produce when they take in and use oxygen.

These can be harmful your systems so we don't want too many of them hanging around in our body. That is where antioxidants come in.

As we don't want too many oxidants or free radicals in our system eating foods like sweet potatoes and oysters are a good idea. They release molecules that attached to the free radicals making sure that they don't get reabsorbed by the body and cause harm. Oysters are also high in magnesium & zinc, which help boost immunity.

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Calcium

It is not only important because it feeds your skeletal structure, but also because it helps our blood to clot. Calcium is also a vital component of sending muscle and nerve messages through the body.

We all know that dairy contains a large amount of calcium. But did you know that Chinese bird nests ( available from online stores like premium bird nest ) also contain lots of calcium too? I had never heard of those before but I have cousins-in-law in Australia and will have to try these when I visit. Or you could try a few extra cloves of garlic & sauté some calcium-rich kale, bok choy, or broccoli too!

T Cells

T cells are a big deal in our fight for health. This is because they are what attacks any disease or infection in our bodies.

If our T -cell count is high, it can mean one of two things. One can be that we have a good diet full of things like salmon, and so our bodies are building up a good resistance to any infections. The other scenario is that we are already fighting off an infection and that our body has created more T-cells to help us overcome it.

Probiotics

With digestive health being such a big deal, you've probably heard a lot of about the benefits that probiotics can have. Basically taking probiotics puts all the natural flora and fauna back into your gut. This is a good thing as sometimes these can be diminished by a poor diet, medication or illness.

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We don't have to take supplements to get our probiotic fix either. Live yogurt is an excellent way of getting more probiotics into our system as is miso soup.