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Top 12 Foods for Healthy Immune Response and Where to Find It

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Top 12 Foods for Healthy Immune Response

By Dr. Mercola, December 08 2009

The 2009 flu season is upon us. Staying well while those around you sniffle and sneeze requires that you extract as much nutrition from your diet as you can, loading up on the foods that pack the biggest nutritional punch. Avoiding processed foods, grains and sugar will go a long way toward strengthening your immune system. However, you can do even more by selecting foods that are loaded with specific immune boosting nutrients. Eating a diet rich in the following foods will be far better for your health than loading up on handfuls of supplements, or worse yet, falling victim to vaccines that expose you to health risks far worse than influenza. Below, I have outlined what I consider to be the absolute best foods you can eat to help protect yourself this season, although the list is certainly not exhaustive.

1. Unpasteurized Grass-Fed Organic Milk


2. Whey Protein

Even if you don’t have access to raw milk, you can use a high-quality whey protein that comes from grass-fed cows to receive much of the same health benefits. The protein in milk is whey protein. Whey is the liquid that separates from the curd during the production of cheese. When the liquid dries into powdered whey, the nutrients become concentrated, and it can be packaged and used in that form. Whey protein can help you fight off colds and flu because it contains beta-glucans and immunoglobulins, which protect your immune system and support your body’s natural detoxification processes.

3. Fermented Foods


4. Raw Organic Eggs from Free-Range Chickens


5. Grass-Fed Beef or Organ Meats

This recommendation is only valid if you are a protein or mixed nutritional type as carb types really should not be eating beef. Grass-fed beef comes from cows that eat what they were meant to eat–grasses, not corn or grains. This results in far greater health benefits for you and for the environment . Grass-fed beef is very high in vitamins A and E, omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, zinc and CLA. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid) is three to five times higher in grass-fed animals than grain-fed animals and is an immune system enhancer. Don’t confuse “organic” with grass-fed, since many organically raised cows are still fed organic corn, which you don’t want.However, most grass-fed cows are raised organically. And if you can find organic AND grass-fed, that’s ideal.

6. Coconuts and Coconut Oil

Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin. Monolaurin is the actual compound found in breast milk that strengthens a baby’s immunity. A great deal of research has been done establishing the ability of lauric acid to enhance immunity. This medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) actually disrupts the lipid membranes of offending organisms. When selecting coconuts and coconut oil, make sure you choose organic ones that are unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and are non-GMO.

7. Locally Grown Organic Vegetables Appropriate for Your Nutritional Type


8. ORAC Values




7. Blueberries and Raspberries


8. Mushrooms

Mushrooms strengthen your immune system because they are rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium and other minerals, and even vitamin D — one of the only foods that can provide you with this essential immune strengthener. Mushrooms make up a large part of the fabric of the earth. According to Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading authorities on the health benefits of mushrooms, one cubic inch of soil can contain eight miles of mycelium.[ii] Mushrooms also contain powerful compounds called beta glucans, which have been long known for their immune enhancing properties. The beta glucans in medicinal mushrooms (especially Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake) are notable for their ability to activate/modulate your immune system.

9. Chlorella


10. Propolis


11. Teas

The two best types of tea for fending off microinvaders are Matcha, green tea, and tulsi tea. Matcha is the most nutrient-rich green tea and comes in the form of a stone-ground powder, completely unfermented. The best Matcha comes from Japan and has up to seventeen times the antioxidants of wild blueberries, and seven times more than dark chocolate. Green teas are rich in polyphenols, in the form of natural chemicals called catechins. The most powerful catechin in tea is epigallocatechin (EGCG), which was found in one study to be 25 to 100 times more potent than antioxidant vitamins C and E. And Matcha is more than 100 times as potent in EGCG as regular brewed green tea. Tulsi tea, coming from the holy basil herb, has been used for thousands of years in the Ayurvedic medicine of India. Not only is this tea loaded with antioxidants, but it has multiple positive health benefits, including supporting your immune health, memory, heart health and vision.

12. Herbs and Spices



13. Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice

Immunity from common infections involves not only preventing pathogens from taking hold, but also moderating your immune response to invading pathogens. Complications arise when you experience an over-response to the infection, which is why H1N1 is taking its toll on healthy young adults. Their bodies are over responding — something called a “cytokine storm.” It’s basically a severe inflammatory response.[vi] One wonderful thing about plants (and herbs especially) is that they don’t all stimulate your immune system–some modulate it, or act as a buffer. Here are some of the best herbs and spices for building a strong immune system that functions correctly:

  • Honeysuckle and chrysanthemum: good antivirals
  •  Artemisia: antimalarial
  •  Andrographis, aka “King of Bitters”: antiviral, helps modulate inflammatory response
  • Licorice: buffers inflammatory response by increasing steroid output by the adrenal glands; good buffer if immune system is over responding to the flu.
  • Turmeric: ORAC score of 159,277; general immune system booster due to its high antioxidant capacity, anticancer agent; turmeric is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamins C and E, and even strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical, which is considered by some to be the most reactive of all oxidants
  • Black Pepper: Increases bioavailability of just about all other foods–herbs and other things
  • Cinnamon: ORAC 267,536; powerful antimicrobial agent__found to kill E. coli and many other bacteria; also has anti-inflammatory compounds
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