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Fueling your body means making your plate look extra colourful daily. This is one of the important ways of providing the body with nutrients that help fight infections and also reduce inflammation in your body caused by the activities of free radicals. Especially now in the era of COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to make sure your diets boost your immune system. Fruits play a vital role in protecting and supporting optimum health and wellness.
It is important to eat diversified balanced meals. You can plan your daily meals around the immune boosting vegetables and fruits. The following common vegetables and fruits help support proper functioning of the immune system;
Pawpaw: A single medium size pawpaw provides you with almost a double of a daily Vitamin C requirement for an average adult. Pawpaw also provides a good amount of Vitamin A, potassium, magnesium and folate. The presence of choline an important and versatile nutrient also helps in maintaining or strengthening the outer layer of your cells and reduces inflammation which in turn improves gut health and the immune system function.
Water melon: A cup of water melon provides you with 30% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A and 25% of Vitamin C. It is cheap and easy to inculcate in your daily fruit salad combination or smoothie. Quench your thirst with some fresh water melon juice. The rich potassium content is also helpful in minimizing blood pressure and improving nerve function. It is a good source of Vitamin C to support immune system function and most importantly aids good iron absorption.
Citrus fruits (oranges, lime, lemon and tangerine): They have high levels of vitamin C, which increases the production of white blood cells, very essential in fighting infection and also increases the uptake of iron. Adding them to your home made juices improves the taste, flavour and also improve recovery from common cold etc.
Eating and drinking too much processed sugary drinks may reduce the immune system’s response to fighting infections. Switch to healthy fruits and vegetables daily! Feed yourself good food, stay active and be safe.
Writer
Pearl E. Selormey
Nutritionist (RN)
