Amidst serious pandemics like the COVID-19, the only thing we can do is to have immunity-boosting foods so that our bodies can fight against deadly infections or diseases. In fact, your daily activities can contribute to a strong and healthy immune system. It is how you live, how you take care of yourselves, and what you eat that impacts your health. Building a healthy immune system has to do with your ability to survive in this world. Until we find a coronavirus vaccine, it is your immunity that decides if you defend yourself from such severe diseases or not. However, there is hope at the end of this dark tunnel. The good news is that you can boost your immune system. In fact, there are several natural ways of boosting immunity. Here are some of the home remedies and foods that increase immunity naturally.
Stay till the end to enjoy more tips on boosting your immune system naturally!
21 Ways To Improve Immunity Quickly At Home
1. Hydrate
Stay hydrated, and drinking water will boost your immune system by ensuring your body gets enough oxygen. It also helps the kidneys to eliminate toxins.
Drinking enough water is the key to a healthy body. Experts recommend that you aim for at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Pregnant women, breastfeeding, or exercising women need more water.
Besides water, you can get moisture from other sources, including herbal tea, fruits, vegetables, bone broth, fruit, or herbal infused water.
Other than drinking water, you can also get creative in increasing your immunity with water. Studies show that having a cold shower can increase the white blood cells that fight the body’s disease, thus boosting your immune system.
2. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has an antioxidant know as theobromine, which can boost the immune system.
The cacao found in dark chocolate protects the body’s cells against free radicals produced when your body breaks down food or comes into contact with contaminants.
These free radicals can damage the body’s cells and contribute to disease.
Despite the benefits of dark chocolate, you must consume it in moderation due to its high saturated fat and calories.
3. Oily fish
Salmon, pilchards, tuna, and other fatty fish are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. According to a 2014 survey, long-term intake of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic autoimmune disease.
This condition occurs when the immune system accidentally attacks a healthy part of the body.
Omega 3 foods that increase immunity naturally are:
- Fish and other seafood (especially cold-water fatty fish, in addition to salmon and tuna, are herring and mackerel)
- Seeds and Nuts (such as chia seeds, flaxseed, and walnuts)
- Plant oils (such as canola oil, flaxseed oil, and soybean oil)
- Fortified foods (such as milk, eggs, yogurt, and juices)
4. Consume Ginger
One of the immunity-boosting foods adults must include in their diet is Ginger. It supports the immune system because of the high content of antioxidants. You can find powdered ginger in the spice aisle or root in the product area.
Ginger is also an important ingredient in fire cider.
- You can add to the tea,
- grate it into soup or onto fish,
- or include in baking.
This is one of the cool home remedies to increase immunity.
5. Get Enough vitamin D
Insufficient vitamin D intake has been linked to the malfunction of the immune system.
Therefore, if you are interested in increasing your immunity naturally, you must get enough vitamin D every day. A minimum of 20 minutes of sunlight every day can help your immune system to a great extent. So take your dog out while it’s still sunny outside.
Foods rich in vitamin D are:
- Egg yolk
- Mushrooms
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Cod liver oil
6. Get Plenty of Rest
A lack of sleep can affect your immune system. It is essential to have enough sleep. Between the difficulties of sleeping during pregnancy and the chaos of starting a family, getting enough sleep is not always easy.
Cultivate good sleeping habits to avoid having a lethargic body the next day.
You can avoid the temptation to binge-watch Netflix or concerts late at night, turn off the phone at night to reduce exposure to blue light, set a reminder to sleep on your phone, create your relaxing bed with herbal tea.
But how much sleep do you need?
According to the American Sleep Foundation, adults need at least seven to nine hours per day.
There you go! You just cracked one of the easiest home remedies to increase immunity.
7. Spinach
Yet, one of the foods that increase immunity naturally and strengthen the immune system is Spinach. There are many essential nutrients and antioxidants in spinach, including:
- Vitamin C
- Flavonoids
- Vitamin E
- Carotenoids
Vitamins C and E can support the immune system. Research also shows that flavonoids can help prevent colds in healthy people.
Other sources of these antioxidants are foods that have vivid colors, like kale, carrot, bitter guard, brinjal, etc.
According to sources, flavonoids are substances that were used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.
Some of the benefits of flavonoids are:
8. Try Ginseng
Like ginger, ginseng is a root that supports the immune system by supporting the different types of cells in your immune system. There are supplements, but it’s easy to use this root in your daily cooking.
If you are not sure how to boost your immune system naturally using ginseng, try the below method.
Cut some dried ginseng root into boiling water and let it infuse as tea, or you can add it into the soup broth. Or simply drink herbal tea. Now you’re a pro in cracking easy home remedies to increase immunity.
9. Take Probiotics
A more significant percentage of the immune system of your body is in your gut. So it only makes sense to support healthy gut function for the immune system to work.
You can eat probiotic foods like:
- kimchi
- kombucha
- and homemade sauerkraut
- or consume some probiotic supplements
Most probiotics are safe, even for babies.
Remember, before trying home remedies to increase immunity, it is always good to consult with your physician. The same goes for starting to consume any supplements.
10. Eat Turmeric
Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but it can also help support a healthy immune function.
Studies also show that consuming spicy food can be healthy for you. Turmeric is often used as a supplement, but it is used worldwide, especially in Asia, to support healthy immune function.
11. Eat Garlic
Garlic is another immune booster, but you don’t need to eat garlic bread all year long.
In fact, there are many delicious diets with garlic.
To boost your immune system naturally with garlic, try smashing a clove and mix it with raw honey, roast an entire onion: cut the top, mix with olive oil or coconut oil and bake until smooth, or you can eat homemade pesto hummus.
12. Take Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most popular immune boosters on the market. A study from the University of Helsinki found that a dose of 6-8 grams a day helps reduce the duration and severity of the common cold.
Don’t drink too much orange juice or take a mega-dose of vitamin C in one sitting. This is because Vitamin C is water-soluble, which means your body removes the excess.
Here’s how to boost your immune system naturally with vitamin C:
- Skip the artificially flavored vitamin C packages and look for the real C vitamin.
- Try Camu Powder – This is the highest form of vitamin C based food with 50 times the vitamin C in oranges.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, oranges, spinach, and kiwis.
13. Get Lots Of Zinc
Zinc is likely to be found in most prenatal vitamins or multivitamins. You can still boost your immune system by choosing foods high in zinc.
Oysters are the key source of zinc. A 3-ounce serving contains a whopping 493 percent of its recommended daily value.
Other zinc sources include 3 ounces of beef, 1 ounce of cashew, one serving of oatmeal. You can also find zinc in supplement form.
| Food | Milligrams (mg) per serving |
Percent DV |
| Beef chuck roast, braised, 3 ounces | 7.0 | 64 |
| Crab, Alaska king, cooked, 3 ounces | 6.5 | 59 |
| Beef patty, broiled, 3 ounces | 5.3 | 48 |
| Lobster, cooked, 3 ounces | 3.4 | 31 |
| Porkchop, loin, cooked, 3 ounces | 2.9 | 26 |
| Baked beans, canned, plain or vegetarian, ½ cup | 2.9 | 26 |
| Breakfast cereal, fortified with 25% of the DV for zinc, 1 serving | 2.8 | 25 |
| Chicken, dark meat, cooked, 3 ounces | 2.4 | 22 |
| Pumpkin seeds, dried, 1 ounce | 2.2 | 20 |
| Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 ounces | 1.7 | 15 |
| Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce | 1.6 | 15 |
| Chickpeas, cooked, ½ cup | 1.3 | 12 |
| Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce | 1.2 | 11 |
| Oatmeal, instant, plain, prepared with water, 1 packet | 1.1 | 10 |
| Milk, low-fat or non-fat, 1 cup | 1.0 | 9 |
| Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce | 0.9 | 8 |
| Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup | 0.9 | 8 |
| Chicken breast, roasted, skin removed, ½ breast | 0.9 | 8 |
| Cheese, cheddar, or mozzarella, 1 ounce | 0.9 | 8 |
| Peas, green, frozen, cooked, ½ cup | 0.5 | 5 |
| Flounder or sole, cooked, 3 ounces |
14. Eat Mushrooms
Maybe you have seen the explosion in products related to mushrooms?
Mushrooms are good for a healthy immune system because they have a compound known as beta-glucans, which boosts your immune system.
This means that the fungi contain a special compound that stimulates the killer cells to function and kills the invading cells.
15. Get Your Beta-glucans
Beta-glucans are great immunity-boosting foods for adults. Mushrooms are a great source of beta-glucans. But if you don’t like eating mushrooms, no worries! You can find beta-glucans in many foods other than mushrooms.
Other sources of Beta-glucans are:
- Nutritional yeast or yeast additive
- Seaweed
- Oats
- Barley
- Whole grains
- Seaweed
16. Exercise
Exercise is another beautiful way to boost your immune system. A 2017 survey found that the body only needs 20 minutes of exercise before the immune system reaps the rewards. There are dozens of ways to incorporate more exercise into your life.
To strengthen your immune system with exercise, you can try a family walk after dinner, do yoga or strength training exercises at home. Or just integrate daily safe activities during your pregnancy.
17. Broccoli
One of the best foods that increase immunity is Broccoli. It has potent antioxidants such as sulforaphane. And for these reasons, it is a nice choice for vegetables that are eaten regularly to boost your immune health.
18. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene that gives the potato peel its orange color. Beta carotene is a source of Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are one of the immunity-boosting foods for adults to be included in daily diet due to its numerous health benefits.
It assists in keeping skin healthy and may even offer some protection against skin damage from UV rays.
19. Green Tea
Green tea has only a small amount of caffeine, so that people can enjoy it as an alternative to black tea or coffee. There can be several negative effects of caffeine when consumed a lot.
But since it’s loaded with antioxidants, drinking green tea regularly boosts your immune system. Like blueberries, green tea contains flavonoids, which can reduce the risk of cold and flu.
Drinking green tea first thing in the morning or after work in the evening is one of the effective home remedies to increase immunity.
20. Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk that contains live bacterial cultures that are beneficial to your health. It is one such food that increases immunity naturally. Initial research suggests that drinking kefir regularly may boost the immune system.
According to a 2017 study, regular kefir intake can help fight bacteria, reduce inflammation, and increase antioxidant activity.
Other benefits of consuming this probiotic are:
- Improved digestion
- Anti-bacterial effect
- Tolerance to lactose
- Control of plasma glucose
- Anti-hypertensive effect
- Anti-carcinogenic activity
- Anti-allergenic activity
- And healing effects
Most of the research that supports it has been done in animals or a laboratory. Researchers need to do additional studies to understand how kefir can prevent disease in humans.
21. Sunflower Seeds
One of the easiest ways to include immunity-boosting foods for adults is by adding sunflower seeds to your diet. Sunflower seeds can be a tasty addition to breakfast bowls or salads. They are rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant. Like other antioxidants, vitamin E enhances immune function.
Fighting free radicals that damage cells help increase immunity. Enjoying these foods that boost the immune system can boost people’s immune systems and enhance their ability to fight infections.
Concluding thoughts,
However, it is important to remember that the immune system can be complex to understand. Consuming immunity-boosting foods for adults; a healthy and balanced diet is just one way to support our immunity and good health.
It is also essential to consider other lifestyle factors like physical exercise, drinking, or smoking habits that may affect the immune system’s health. Anyone who has frequent colds or other illnesses and is concerned about their immune system should talk to a doctor.
Your thoughts,
What are your thoughts about the situation now? Are you doing enough to help yourself and others in your family? Do you know of any more foods that increase immunity? Share your thoughts in the comments section. We love to hear from you!
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Key Takeaways on Immunity-Boosting Foods For Adults
- Staying hydrated is the key to boosting your immunity naturally.
- Studies also show that having a cold shower can increase the white blood cells that fight the body’s disease, thus boosting your immune system.
- Beta-glucans are great immunity-boosting foods for adults. Mushrooms are a great source of beta-glucans.
- One of the easiest ways to include immunity-boosting foods for adults is by adding sunflower seeds to your diet. They are rich in Vitamin E, an antioxidant.
- Exercise is another beautiful way to boost your immune system. A 2017 survey found that the body only needs 20 minutes of exercise before the immune system reaps the rewards.
- Like ginger, ginseng is a root that supports the immune system by supporting the different types of cells in your immune system.
- Adding turmeric, green tea, and loads of Vitamin C to your diet are some of the home remedies to increase immunity.
- Other foods that increase immunity are broccoli, kale, probiotics, kefir, etc.
