With the winter bug floating around, it is important to do everything you can to avoid getting sick. Vitamins and minerals are part of the picture, but let us share with you  foods that could boost your immune system!

Fermented foods

We’ve talked about gut health a while back, and just a quick recap: your gut health is your personal bodyguard - 70% of your immune system is in your gut. And here’s an easy equation to add to your books - keep your gut healthy to keep your immune system healthy. 

Your gut loves fermented food such as kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir. And such fermented foods are linked to reducing the length of a cold and can lessen your chances of getting sick.

Just in case you’ve missed our piece on gut health, here it is!

Zinc-rich foods

Did you know zinc is one of the key ingredients in flu and cold medications? Zinc helps boost immune systems, keeps inflammation away, and shortens the duration of a cold. Zinc is also found in various foods that can help keep your immune system at its finest, such as such as oysters, lobsters and crabs. Aside from seafood, beef, pork and chicken are also amazing sources of zinc! Here’s the breakdown: 

A 3-ounce serving of chuck roast will give you 47% of your daily recommendation, a 3-ounce beef patty offers 25%; meanwhile a 3-ounce serving of pork chop offers 19%, and chicken (dark meat) is 16%. 

Vegetarians, we also got your covered! Legumes are one of the top vegetarian sources of zinc. A cup of baked beans offers 38% of your daily needs, and a cup of cooked chickpeas offers 18%. Pumpkin seeds and cashews are also a great source of zinc;  an ounce of pumpkin seeds will give you 15% of your daily zinc recommendation, and an ounce of dry-roasted cashews will give you 11%.

vitamin c foods

Did you know zinc is one of the key ingredients in flu and cold medications? Zinc helps boost immune systems, keeps inflammation away, and shortens the duration of a cold. Zinc is also found in various foods that can help keep your immune system at its finest, such as such as oysters, lobsters and crabs. Aside from seafood, beef, pork and chicken are also amazing sources of zinc! Here’s the breakdown: 

A 3-ounce serving of chuck roast will give you 47% of your daily recommendation, a 3-ounce beef patty offers 25%; meanwhile a 3-ounce serving of pork chop offers 19%, and chicken (dark meat) is 16%. 

Vegetarians, we also got your covered! Legumes are one of the top vegetarian sources of zinc. A cup of baked beans offers 38% of your daily needs, and a cup of cooked chickpeas offers 18%. Pumpkin seeds and cashews are also a great source of zinc;  an ounce of pumpkin seeds will give you 15% of your daily zinc recommendation, and an ounce of dry-roasted cashews will give you 11%.

Now that we’ve shared the three main foods to boost your immune system, to give you a quick start, here’s a grocery list for the weekend!