A steady supply of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants will give your immune system the tools to fight infections and disease. Fruits and vegetables are essential for maintaining a nutrient-rich diet. When browsing the produce section this summer, choose these top immunity-boosting summer foods.
1. Blueberries
Warm summer days ripen these luscious berries that you can eat raw or bake into pies and muffins. A flavonoid known as anthocyanin within blueberries has been shown to support the immune system within your respiratory tract. Studies about blueberry consumption reveal that people who eat them regularly catch colds less often.
2. Garlic
Unless you're a gardener, you may not know that garlic is harvested in the summer. Although this member of the allium genus is prevalent in stores year round, adding it to your summer menu is easy. You could roast a whole bulb with indirect heat on the barbecue and spread the aromatic contents on toast. Garlic marinades for your meats and vegetables deliver outstanding flavour and help you consume more of this beneficial food.
Multiple cultures have traditionally treated garlic as a medicinal plant in addition to its culinary uses. Researchers have linked the consumption of garlic extracts to catching fewer colds.
3. Melons
Melons mean summer because they are so satisfying to eat on a hot day. Watermelons, honeydews and cantaloupes replace water that you sweat out in the heat. Proper hydration is basic to immune system health, but melons supply plenty of great nutrients too. They provide potassium, manganese, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C.
4. Tomatoes
The list of immunity-boosting nutrients in tomatoes is long. Tomatoes contain lycopene, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein. These substances are known collectively as carotenoids, and they reduce the chance of infections and could even shield the body from cancer. You can also trust tomatoes to add vitamins A, C and E to your diet.
5. Strawberries
Strawberry plants thrive in hot weather, and that means a dependable supply of strawberries all summer at the store. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is widely known for giving your immune system a helping hand. Vitamin C helps the body make the antibodies necessary to nip infections in the bud.
You can always shop healthy in Vancouver at Famous Foods. We stock an abundance of fresh produce. Visit the store today.
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