What to eat to boost immunity

If you want to rely on food to improve your immunity, you really don’t need to follow the Internet celebrity’s “immunity recipe”. The core is to first make up for the nutritional gaps in daily meals, and then specifically supply the immune system with the raw materials it needs to work. It is much more reliable than hoarding high-priced supplements.

Don’t think that eating more of one thing will give you a quick fix. I used to help my cousin who often stayed up late and worked overtime to adjust her diet. She used to order takeout every now and then. She only ate the two pieces of lettuce in the hamburger for vegetables. The meat was either deep-fried or not eaten at all. She got pharyngitis every now and then, and she always had a fever when the season changed. I asked her not to blindly buy immune supplements that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle, but to understand her daily meals first: add a boiled egg for breakfast, and don’t have sweet milk tea with cookies for mid-morning snack. Instead, replace it with a small apple and add about 10 original almonds. You must add a punch of dark green leafy vegetables to dinner, and eat salmon or steamed oysters twice a week. With such a simple adjustment, after more than three months, she has not even suffered from rhinitis during the recent season change, and the previous problem of catching a cold once a month has not occurred again.

In fact, to put it bluntly, immunity is like a security team hired by your body. You have to pay people enough wages and equip them with equipment so that they can protect you from viruses and damaged cells. High-quality protein is the basic salary of the security team, such as eggs, milk, lean beef tenderloin, deep-sea fish, etc. The amino acid composition is almost exactly consistent with the needs of our human body. It is easy to absorb when eaten, and can help synthesize core immune "weapons" such as immunoglobulins and white blood cells. If you can't even guarantee one egg and one cup of milk every day, the security guards will be hungry and how can they have the strength to work.

Speaking of this, I have to mention some of the theories that everyone is arguing about now. For example, some people say that taking large doses of VC can prevent colds and even viral infections. Indeed, clinical studies have proven that appropriate supplementation for people with long-term insufficient VC intake can shorten the course of colds. However, if ordinary healthy people eat more than 1000mg of VC every day, not only will they not increase their immunity, they may also cause stomach problems and increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys, which will actually hinder their progress. There is also the probiotic drink that everyone often buys. Many people think that drinking it can improve immunity. There is no unified conclusion in the academic community. Only probiotics with specific strains and sufficient active doses may be helpful to some people with allergies and people with intestinal flora disorders. If you drink a probiotic drink that adds more than ten grams of sugar, excessive sugar intake may inhibit the activity of immune cells, which is not worth the gain.

If you are busy at work and don’t have time to think of complicated recipes, don’t bother. Just remember not to be picky about food. Eat colorful vegetables. Eat animal liver or deep-sea fish two or three times a week to supplement vitamins A and D. Just grab a small handful of nuts as a snack. Our ancestors said that “five grains are for nourishment, five livestock are for benefit, and five vegetables are for sustenance.” In fact, it is quite right. A long-term balanced diet is more effective than any temporary “immune feast”.