Natural Plant-Based Foods to Boost Your Immune System!

Plant-based foods are amazing for your health as you already know, but certain

foods have specific properties that have been linked to improving immune system function. These foods contain certain properties as you’ll see below that not only target heart health, but also help improve gut bacteria, which in turn positively affects the immune system. Like nature’s version of antibiotics, these foods make great foods in to include in your diet whether you’re already sick or trying to prevent getting sick.

It’s of course important to remember to eat these foods regularly as a part of a healthy, balanced diet and live a healthy lifestyle. Consider using some of these wonderful natural foods as a way to enhance your immune system, or consume them to kick a cold to the curb as soon as it shows up!

1. Garlic

Garlic and garlic extracts provide protection against free radical damage in the body via allyl disulfide, alliin, allicin, and allyl cysteine, all of which are powerful antioxidants. They have also been linked to better gut health, which improves your immune system naturally. The immune system is largely located in the digestive system, so keeping your good bacteria healthy with foods like garlic (and onions) is a great way to enhance immune function naturally. 

2. Onions

Onions, with the flavonoid quercetin, help to eliminate free radicals in the body by inhibiting low-density lipoprotein oxidation, protecting and regenerating vitamin E, and inactivating the harmful effects of chelate metal ions. Like garlic, they also enhance your digestive system and immune system by feeding good bacteria that keeps your gut healthy. 

3. Cabbage

Phenolic contact, or concentration of flavonoids/antioxidants are the main reason onions are so powerful are for warding off illness, like the cold or a flu. Fresh and pickled red cabbages have the highest total phenolic content of the different types of cabbage. The antioxidant capacity of raw and processed cabbages is highly correlated with their contents of polyphenols like kaempferol, quercetin, and apigenin. 

4. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut, preferably raw, unpasteurized, and free of vinegar, is the ideal fermented food, with loads of beneficial bacteria, probiotics, and lactic acid packed into a single serving. The lactic acid is the main non-toxic and completely beneficial antiviral agent, supplying the sour flavor to the sauerkraut. 

5. Kimchi

Over-ripened kimchi is a humble, yet powerful superfood that has undergone two or more years of fermentation has the highest antioxidant activity compared to short-term fermented (less than seven days) kimchi. These antioxidants can work too as natural antiviral agents just like sauerkraut.

6. Basil

Phenolics, a group of organic compounds found in tea, herbs, fruits and vegetables, account for the majority of basil’s antioxidant properties, and these include vicenin, orientin, eugenol and anthocyanins. Again, to match these antioxidants, there is also antiviral properties that contain DNA protecting flavonoids. Among these flavonoids are estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene which are all capable of restricting the growth of numerous harmful bacteria, including listeria, staphylococcus, E. coli, yersinia enterocolitica, and pseudomonas aeruginosa. 

7. Ginger

Ginger is a well known antibacterial food that has been shown to be more effective against bacterial staph infections than antibiotics, killing cancer cells, having anti-inflammatory, resolving brain inflammations, and easing gut problems. 

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/natural-plant-based-foods-to-boost-your-immune-system/