Foods that Boost Immunity

Taking care of your body with the foods you eat is important for anyone, but doing so correctly can be hard for many people. The body's immune system keeps infection and disease away, or at least fights to do so. You can build it up simply by eating a few key foods.

Mushrooms

• Mushrooms help increase the production of white blood cells in your body. Mushrooms like shiitake also help white blood cells act more aggressively against harmful bacteria.

Beef

• Red meat should be eaten in moderation, and a good three-ounce piece of beef will add much needed zinc to the body. Zinc also helps make more white blood cells.

Orange Vegetables

• Sweet potato, pumpkin and carrots are high in vitamin A. This is great for maintaining healthy skin, which is the body's first line of defense against disease.

Green Tea

• Green tea is full of polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. These help to clean up the body, boost the immune system and protect specifically against DNA-damaging free radicals.

Garlic

• Garlic contains allicin, ajoene and thiosulfinates, which are three compounds that help the body fight off bacterial, viral and fungal infections. It's also known that eating garlic at the onset of a cold will make it easier to recover from being sick.