Chances are high you’re looking for immunity-boosting food this year.

It’s the year everyone wanted to click, but all they got was plenty of isolation and very distanced social circles.

But with vaccines around the corner, you might have made a little peace with the virus. Didn’t you?

With eased lockdowns across the world, you may have started to live with a lesser fear.

But it’s always an excellent choice to have immune building foods until you have the vaccines injected in your body, especially when you have easy accessibility to the best immune-boosting foods around you.

So here we are, covering healthy foods to build the immune system.

Ten immune-boosting foods

#1 Citrus fruits

There’s a direct correlation between citrus fruits and the immune system.

Ask yourself: where do you switch to when you’re suffering from a cold? Civilizations after civilizations, cultures after cultures have relied on citrus fruit to boost immune power.

You might as well be turning to these fruits stuffed with a crazy pool of vitamin C.

Reason being? The vitamin helps build white blood cells, the frontline soldiers of your body.

So when the next virus shows up, these cells get aggressive with foreigners and keep you safe. Now, what if you’re not a big fan of oranges or lemon? Shouldn’t you have Vitamin C at all?

Fortunately, citrus fruits come in various forms. So it’s never going to be a challenge for you.

  • Grapefruit
  • Oranges
  • Berries
  • Tangerines
  • Clementines
  • Limes
  • Lemons

#2 Red bell peppers

If you think citrus fruits are the only vitamin C source, good luck assuming because red bell peppers are the daddy of any citrus fruits.

In fact, they have more vitamin c than citrus fruits, three times the oranges and lemons per ounce.

In case you have an unexplained irritation towards citrus fruits, you know where to stop your car by and have red bell peppers for your meal. An adult human body only needs 90 grams of vitamin c to recover, but an ounce of red bell pepper has 127 mg of vitamin C.

Moreover, these bright red looking balls have beta carotene, which later converts into vitamin A. So you have Vitamin C and A playing side-by-side for immune and healthy skin, respectively.

#3 Broccoli

Green veggies don’t make to many plates easily as they taste weird. But would you have them if they laid a robust immune foundation? I doubt that.

But to your surprise, broccoli is a tasty, vitamins, and nutrients-packed food that’s a part of most salad dishes these days. What else do you need when taste and nutrients blend at a single point?

Vitamin A, C, and E, along with antioxidant properties, should be enough to convince your ears how effective the broccolis are. If you want to max out their benefits, have them steamed or raw. Avoid cooking to keep the nutrients active.

#4 Garlic

We wonder why there’s no quote “a garlic a day keeps the illness away,” because honestly, it’s damn effective in fending off those microbes looking to push you to bed for another week.

The zingy-taste garlic has been a part of history and present, and barely any culture misses it.

It has three strong pillars that shape its immune-boosting properties: antiseptic, anti-fungal, and nutritional properties. If you’re wondering what makes these tiny cuisines immuno-blasting food within your body, it’s the amount of sulfur they have.

#5 Ginger

You know how forgetting gingers in subcontinent beverages calls for war at home.

Not because you’ve only missed the warm, spicy taste of tea, but also because you missed useful herbal nutrients for balancing the caffeine intake.

The ginger roots have been a part of folk medicine for ages, and its anti-inflammatory properties still make the mark at top circuits. Health experts believe the heating agent in ginger, gingerol, has cholesterol-lowering properties and fights off chronic pain.

Some evidence suggests the low cholesterol in the body transfers an added weight to your immune system.

#6 Spinach

No immune-boosting food list is complete without Popeye’s favorite food, spinach. The green-leafy vegetable is almost as hated and revered food item at the same time.

You may not like it, but you can’t keep it out of the picture in case you’re trying to collect multiple vitamins from a single source.

As with broccoli, spinach has a lot to it than just vitamin C. Beta carotene (read vitamin A), vitamin K, iron, magnesium, calcium, and the list is endless. Again, if you want to hit the Everest of effectiveness, cook it as little as possible.

The idea is to preserve the nutrients. Go for steamed recipes to deal with the superman of immunity-boosting foods.

#7 Almonds

Don’t be surprised reading almonds in the list. Yes, they don’t have vitamin C to fight cold and flu. Not the superheroes everyone wants.

But they excel in something none of the above food items have: vitamin E.

Vitamin E is a well-known protein to drag off the immune system to a whole new level. Trust us! She’s the wonder woman among dry fruits if not among those green-natural herbs.

You only need 15 mg of vitamin E to keep the virus and bacteria at bay. Not saying you’ll develop an anti-sickening shield, but vitamin E with other nutrients and minerals will manage your system’s immunity.

#8 Sunflower seeds

Right from the wombs of sunflowers, these seeds are a fantastic immunity building tool for your body.

Sunflower seeds have two main ingredients: zinc and selenium. Both ensure your defense system controls cell damage and prevents viruses from attacking your body. In fact, they not only control cell damage but promote cell development for healthy beings.

Studies on animals have shown sunflower seeds staving off swine flu. As an adult, your immune system should function with 120 mcg of selenium.

#9 Turmeric

Curries favorite daughter, turmeric, has severe anti-inflammatory properties to hijack arthritis soreness caused in joints.

Much used as an additional spice in subcontinent milk, the bright yellow, bitter ingredient is key to decreasing exercise-induced muscle damage. This spice has curcumin on a microscopic level, the very reason for giving the bright, distinctive color to it.

The same chemical has shown positive signs in boosting immunity systems and making turmeric what it’s best known as antiviral spice.

Sure we need a little more research on humans, but that doesn’t mean we lag research. Findings beyond animal models are concrete so far.

#10 Kiwi

Swear we are not leaving the immune-boosting food list without kiwi for two reasons: One. It’s rich in vitamin K. Second. A single kiwi gives you 273% of the recommended vitamin C dose.

Massive. Isn’t it?

It doesn’t fold here. Folate and potassium in kiwi keep you hydrated, making sure you don’t catch infections easily.

So vitamin c and other nutrients work synergistically to keep your body moving. Not to discount its taste. The refreshing tartness in the fruit complements well with the sweetness. It’s a great fit for tropical kick and immune built-up.

More ways to keep away from infections

Look! There’s no denying these foods are second to none. But the times when you need to be more aware of your nutritional intake, foods in bits and pieces, don’t give you the cues on exact values.

Of course, there are ways to measure them per serving. But it’s time taking. With work getting on track and busy lives, you’d want a quick fix to your daily recommended immunity dose.

NTV-syrup is such a mixture of natural ingredients that manage the immunity system without you having to worry about the knack of foods. You’d want to have this syrup to stay fearless and bold against infections.