6 Vitamins and Minerals that will Boost your Immune System

With all the craziness in our world right now, a strong immune system is more important than ever. By consuming a varied and colorful plate of immune supportive foods, you can help to protect yourself from harmful infections this winter. 

While there is no way to fully prevent illness or infection, there are ways to naturally strengthen your body's immune system. Our immune systems are composed of organs, cells and biological compounds that fight off infection. Habits such as exercise, getting enough sleep and stress reduction help provide your immune system with the building blocks it needs to function optimally. Additionally, a quality diet is essential for our immune system to function properly. The following nutrients, as part of a balanced diet, are essential to the health of our immune cells. 

Vitamin A 

Vitamin A supports our skin and body tissue creating a barrier to keep out diseases from our body . Foods high in vitamin A include sweet potato, carrots, eggs, dairy milk, yogurt, and fortified non-dairy products such as store bought nut milks and plant-based yogurt.

Vitamin C  

Vitamin C is great for overall health and immunity as it encourages the production of white blood cells. White blood cells are key players in your immune system. They move thorough your body detecting and getting rid of germs such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Foods rich in vitamin C include; citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers, kale, and spinach. 

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help to protect your body from damage caused by harmful pollutants. Vitamin E also activates immune cells that assist in fighting infection. Good dietary sources of vitamin E include foods such as leafy greens, seeds such as hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds, avocados and nuts such as pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts.

Vitamin D 

Vitamin D helps to control the body's immune response. Our skin produces vitamin D from sunshine. If you are not exposed to sunshine often, you can get vitamin D in certain foods. Foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, mackerel, canned sardine, fortified cereal, egg yolk, dairy products and mushrooms.

Vitamin B-6 

Vitamin B-6 aids the immune system by helping to make new, healthy cells to replace  the older cells. Foods high in vitamin B-6 include cold water fish such as salmon or tuna, chickpeas, bananas, and nutritional yeast. 

Zinc

Zinc is incredibly important for the normal function and making of immune cells. Without adequate zinc, our bodies are more likely to get an infection. Nuts, legumes, seeds, oysters and fortified cereals are great dietary sources of zinc.

References

Childs, C. E., Calder, P. C., & Miles, E. A. (2019). Diet and Immune Function. Nutrients, 11(8), 1933. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081933

Huang, Z., Liu, Y., Qi, G., Brand, D., & Zheng, S. G. (2018). Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System. Journal of clinical medicine, 7(9), 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm7090258

Lewis, E. D., Meydani, S. N., & Wu, D. (2019). Regulatory role of vitamin E in the immune system and inflammation. IUBMB life, 71(4), 487–494. https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.1976

Linus Pauling Institute (2021). Vitamin B6. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-B6

Linus Pauling Institute (2021). Vitamin D. Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D

Shankar, A. H., & Prasad, A. S. (1998). Zinc and immune function: the biological basis of altered resistance to infection. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 68(2 Suppl), 447S–463S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/68.2.447S