15 Best Foods to Improve Your Immunity

By Tina McCarthy, EcoSalon. Posted September 1, 2009.


Incorporate these healthy foods into your diet to strengthen your immune system in a way your taste buds can appreciate.

Not in the mood to choke down yet another gritty serving of Emergen-C? Boost your body from the inside out with powerful foods that help your immune system function optimally. Just incorporate these healthy foods into your diet to strengthen your immune system in a way your taste buds can appreciate.

Oysters

oysters

Packed with selenium, this tasty shellfish helps boost your body’s production of cytokines, a protein that’s known to ward off illnesses.

Yogurt

berries-and-yogurt

Yogurt that contains live cultures is rich in lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium lactis (read: good bacteria), which fight bacteria that cause diseases and raise your white blood cell count.

Green Tea

green-tea1

Green tea is a great source of L-theanine, an amino acid that triggers the release of germ-fighting compounds from your T-cells. (Green tea also helps to boost your metabolism.)

Oranges

oranges

One of the best sources of immunity-boosting vitamin C, oranges cause your body to produce higher levels of antibodies and white blood cells.

Crab

crab

Like oysters, crab meat is rich in selenium, a nutrient that strengthens your immune system.

Garlic

garlic

Garlic is loaded with ajoene, allicin and thiosulfinates, compounds high in sulfur that ward off diseases and help battle infections.

Carrots

carrots

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