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Garlic

Before you wrinkle your nose in distaste know this.

Garlic contains certain powerful minerals that help the immune system to defeat bacterial, viral and even fungal infections. A teaspoon of garlic in your daily diet would do the trick of keeping you healthy.

Dates

They are a great source of energy boosting iron. Daily recommended intake is four to five in numbers. It can be had in both ripe and dried form. However, as far as possible avoid the packaged ones as they are dipped in sugary syrup and have lost most of its nutritive value.

Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor a day. They are a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Eating at least one to two apples a day will help to boost your energy levels, immune system and reduce high blood pressure.

Peaches

It contains carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, vitamin C and vitamin A. It also contains boron, known to boost estrogen levels in postmenopausal women and prevent osteoporosis. It is recommended to have two to three in numbers per day.

Are Ready made Health Boosters Effective?

"Supplementing your diet with vitamin pills is good, as we don’t tend to eat all the foods that are rich in all essential daily nutrients. However, there are no studies to prove that having packaged health boosters that are available in market helps to boost your immune system," states Sushila.

According to Mumbai based Ayurvedic Doctor Anand Warrier, a health booster like Chyavanprash is definitely good for your immune system.

"However, it is better to buy it from an authentic Ayurvedic manufacturer like Kottakal Ayurvedashala than go for packaged and branded items," he informs.

Poor nutrition is the common cause of a weakened immune system. The next time you feel a cold or a fever coming get a dose of these immune boosting foods.

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Have you been taking sick leaves over and above your monthly limit? Are constant medical bills leaving you feeling exhausted?

Then blame it on your weak immune system.

Cold, fever, flu, allergies, fatigue, lethargy are all signs that your body’s immune system is functioning below par.

If you happen to be falling ill with every passing infection, then it is time to take stock of your immune system. Here are some immune boosting foods that you can add to your daily diet.

The Immune Boosters

"The overall upkeep of your health will depend upon how healthy you are and how much you eat. Basically, for a healthy adult, her diet should contain foods from all food groups. However, there are certain foods that contain potential nutrients and minerals to boost your body’s capacity to fight diseases," explains dietician Sushila Sharangdhar, wellnessdiet.com.

These immune boosting foods help you increase the white blood cells in your body and thus help fight diseases.

Vitamin C

Foods rich in vitamin c help you counter attack viruses and repair your body’s immune response to infections.

Since your body cannot store or form vitamin c, it has to rely on your dietary intake. Some of the best sources of this vitamin are tomato, potato, kiwi, orange and bell peppers.

Zinc

It helps white blood cells and other antibodies reproduce more quickly. Zinc deficiency, even if moderate, can suppress immune system function. Severe deficiency can shut the immune system down completely.

Some of its food sources are: seafood, eggs, red meat, yogurt, milk, beans etc.

However, remember an excess of it can also be dangerous. An excess of it can suppress your body’s absorption level of copper and iron, thus making you anaemic.

Yogurt

Eating at least a cup of fresh yogurt a day will help fight the bad bacteria in your digestive tract.

Cleaning your digestive tract of infections can give you immunity from stomach disorders like upset stomach and illnesses like fever, lethargy and cold.

Carrots

Carrots contain beta carotene, which boosts the immune system’s production of infection fighting cells. It protects our bodies from cancer.

It also contains vitamin B6 which boosts the production of antibodies. Some other food sources of vitamin B6 are bananas, sunflower seeds, lentils etc.

Try to add at least half a cup of fresh carrots to your diet daily. Although cooked carrots are good for you, the heat from cooking can destroy some of the beta carotene in it.

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