POWERFUL IMMUNE BOOSTING FOODS

Powerful immune boosting foods that will bulletproof your body against unwanted viruses and harmful bacteria… is this even possible? Let’s take a deep dive. 

To keep you engaged and spare you the pain of having to read a novel I am going to break this up into byte size bits and open the powerful immune boosting foods discussion with some of the most potent ingredients on the planet. 

You’ll be amazed by everything greens can do for you to boost your immune system!

We all know that veggies are the most important foods we can eat. They’re not just rich in fiber, but they provide valuable minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Simply put, they’re the “king” of the food pyramid, especially when it comes to boosting your immunity.

Yes, they’re harder to eat, and yes, they’re not as tasty as other foods. That doesn’t make them any less vital to our health! 

But not all of the greens you eat will come in the usual veggie form. In fact, some of the best greens for your health will be more like “grass” than an actual vegetable.

Sound odd? Good, we’ve got your attention.

Here are some of the best immune-boosting greens on the planet, all of which you should consider adding into your diet to raise your body’s natural defenses:

Wheatgrass

Made from the leaves of the common plant known as triticum aestivum, wheatgrass is one of the most amazing foods on the planet!

First off, it’s loaded with immune-boosting antioxidants, such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It’s also rich in critical vitamins like magnesium, iron, and calcium. It also contains a hefty dose of amino acids, both essential and nonessential.

Wheatgrass can lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, encourage weight loss, and reduce inflammation. That last one is particularly important for your immune system, as chronic inflammation in your body can reduce your natural immune response.

Barley Grass

Made from the soft green shoots that pop up on barley plants, barley grass is another amazing immune-boosting green you can add to your daily diet.

It’s packed with vitamins—A, a whole host of B-vitamins, C, E, and even Vitamin K. It’s also rich in magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and zinc. Loaded with beneficial enzymes, antioxidants, and essential amino acids, it definitely qualifies as a “health food”.

The high antioxidant content of barley grass can reduce free radical damage in your body, protecting you from oxidative stress that could compromise your immune response. It also provides the vital nutrients your body needs to regulate your immune cells, raising your natural resistance to disease. 

Oat Grass

We’re all familiar with oats, but have you ever tried the grass it grows on? Oat grass is the unripened avena sativa plant, and it’s turned into a powder that you can add into your smoothies and health shakes.

Oat grass—also known as oat straw extract—is rich in iron, zinc, and manganese, all of which play vital roles in your body’s production of immune cells. It contains nitric oxide, which can help to improve blood flow and thereby ensure your body’s immune cells can reach infections or disease sites more quickly to respond to threats.

The anti-inflammatory effects of oat grass also help to improve your immune function, as a decrease in inflammation will free up your immune cells to focus on the real threats of disease and infection.

Alfalfa Grass

Traditionally used as feed for livestock, alfalfa grass is incredibly rich in nutrients. Surprisingly, it’s not a true grass—it’s actually part of the legume family, though it’s also considered an herb.

Alfalfa is loaded with critical nutrients: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, thiamin, manganese, folate, copper, magnesium, iron, and riboflavin, to name a few. All of these minerals play a role in your body’s healthy immune function.

Alfalfa can help to lower blood sugar levels, improve your metabolic health, and provides a hefty dose of antioxidants that can protect your body from disease and free radical damage. All in all, it’s an amazingly healthy food to add into your diet!

Kale

Let’s get real: we all know that kale is a superfood—it’s just not a super tasty food

Kale is one of those powerhouse greens we love to hate because of its flavor, but when you see what it can do, you’ll be convinced that it’s worth adding to your daily diet.

First off, kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods, with a TON of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B vitamins, Vitamin K, manganese, copper, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and the list goes on. It’s also packed with antioxidants that can protect your body from aging and raise your natural immunity.

It’s high in Vitamin C, one of the most important nutrients for boosting your body’s internal defenses. Basically, it’s one of the best foods that you can eat to raise your immunity!

Spirulina

Spirulina is a cyanobacteria, a type of algae that grows in salt and fresh water. While it may sound weird, wait until you find out what it can do for you!

It’s rich in immune-boosting minerals, including Omega-3 fatty acids. It’s loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can protect your body. Specifically, it may even be able to reduce allergic inflammation and calm allergy symptoms.

Add that to its many other benefits—lower cholesterol, improved heart function, cancer-fighting properties, lower blood pressure, and improved muscular strength and endurance—and you can see why it’s such an amazing food!

Chlorella 

Similar to spirulina, chlorella is an algae, but one that grows only in freshwater. The single-celled algae is incredibly nutritious, and it can bind to nasty particles (like heavy metals) to help your body detoxify. It’s also able to boost your immune system by encouraging your body to produce more of the antibodies needed to fight off disease.

Astragalus

This herb has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries, thanks to its marvelous abilities to boost your immune system. The plant compounds in astragalus will raise your body’s production of white blood cells, helping your body to more easily fight off invaders on its own. It may also be able to kill off both viral and bacterial infections, making it a highly potent immune booster.

As you can see, these greens can be an amazing addition to your day. Just a few simple ingredients, but they can make a world of difference for your immune system!