In a time where our health is of constant discussion, doing whatever we can to boost our immunity is extremely important and advantageous! There are so many gorgeous whole foods that are full of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants needed to help do just this.
Check out these nine superfoods that we love and are sure to make your body happy too!
Turmeric 
Turmeric, the aromatic yellow spice, is well-known for a whole plethora of health benefits, but especially its powerful anti-inflammatory effects due to the qualities of curcumin found in the spice. It is often used in cooking delicious curries, but you can do so much more with it. Add it to your rice, a smoothie, scrambled eggs? Hey, isn’t there such thing as a turmeric latte?!
Citric Fruits
A very well known source of vitamin C are old reliable citric fruits. Vitamin C is often a go-to when you come down with a cold due to it often being said to reduce the duration of symptoms and for its high immune-boosting capabilities. Oranges are of course a crowd favourite, but grapefruit, tangerines, lemon and lime are all great sources too! Papaya is also a fruit extremely high in vitamin C levels, and also contains anti-inflammatory properties.
Colourful Veggies 
Have you heard the saying that the more colourful the vegetable is, the better it is for you? It turns out this is very true when it comes to these veggies! Red capsicum, broccoli and spinach are packed full of the good stuff. All three have a plethora of vitamin C. Spinach and broccoli also contain vitamin E which is an antioxidant and damage protector when it comes to your body converting energy to food, known as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules created when this process happens and can have potential damage to the body, contributing to disease.
Nutrients are kept as powerful as possible in these vegetables when they are not cooked too much! Better yet – are eaten raw.
Dark Chocolate
We bet you didn’t think chocolate would be on this list, right? Dark chocolate is packed full of antioxidants, one called theobromine in particular. This also helps protect against free radicals, which have been mentioned above. But remember – eat this superfood in moderation…
Garlic
Garlic is an essential ingredient when it comes to cooking in almost all cuisines! The fragrance is arguably one of the best when it comes to cooking, sure to get the stomach rumbling. As a bonus, it is also great when it comes to your health.
Garlic has been long known to be an infection fighter and its immune-boosting properties seem to come from a concentration of allicin, a sulfur-containing compound, which is most poignant when crushed or chopped. It offers antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Blueberries
Blueberries are packed full of antioxidants. The main antioxidant present is called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid. Researchers found in a study that individuals who consumed foods rich with flavonoids were less likely to get an upper respiratory tract infection or a common cold. For the current climate, this is extremely positive news!
Green Tea 
The amount of goodness that is packed into green tea when it comes to positively affecting your immunity is huge. Similarly to blueberries, green tea contains flavonoids – and we know how beneficial they are! Green tea also has very high levels of another antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. EGCG has been shown to enhance immune function. If this wasn’t impressive enough, green tea is also a good source of L-theanine, an amino acid. L-theanine has been found to aid in the production of germ-reducing compounds in your T-cells.
Kombucha
Kombucha – the wonder super drink that is very trendy right now, is so, for a number of great reasons! The fermented fizzy drink is full of probiotics which help in the aid of gut health. This, in turn, helps digestion, body detoxifying and increased immunity. Impressive, huh? Probiotics can be found in natural yoghurt also.
Poultry
Ah, our good old high protein sources. But aside from just protein, did you know that poultry such as chicken and turkey contains a crucial vitamin, B6? Vitamin B6 is a crucial vitamin when it comes to many of the chemical reactions that happen throughout the body. It’s also vital to the formation of healthy, new red blood cells.
Homemade chicken broth also contains many great nutrients that help in the aid of gut health and immunity, including gelatin and chondroitin.
Add all or some of these delicious superfoods into your diet for an added boost to help your body fight off the bad guys!
