Keeping Your Immune System Strong

"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food."
                                                                                                                      - Hippocrates
 What we eat can have a great influence on our immune system.
 Based on research studies,  these foods have a  strong immune-boosting  effect:

•  Yogurt 

                - Can kill and disable bacteria 
                - Simulates production of gamma interferon, boosts activity of natural killer (NK) cells
                - Revs up production of antibodies

• Shiitake mushrooms

                - Contain antiviral substance called lentinan that exhibits strong  immunostimulating activity
                - Stimulate macrophages (important in fighting cancer cells and microbes)

• Fruits and vegetables 

                 - Boost immune defenses against bacterial and viral infections and cancer:
                    spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli sprouts, carrots, blueberries,  strawberries, raspberries, onions..

• Garlic

                  - Has a strong anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-cancer  effect
                  - You can eat raw garlic or  a cold-pressed garlic extract
                  - When you feel sore throat coming on, eat some garlic or onion to scare off the cold or flu.

• Food rich in zinc

                    - Stimulate production of T-cells that fight off infections
                  -  Oysters (raw and smoked), crabmeat, pot roast, calf's liver, turkey (dark meat), pumpkin and squash seeds
                  -  You can take also zinc supplements
                  
Foods that can weaken immune system:

•  Sugar
• Fat (wrong type of fat)

             - Fish oil which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids has a beneficial effect on immune system
              - Vegetable polyunsaturated fats (omega-6 fatty acids)  such as in corn, sunflwer and safflower seed oils
                can inhibit formation of lymphocytes