How to build immunity — Food for thought

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What exactly does immunity mean? It’s a system built into the human body to resist invasion of inimical viruses and diseases. Immunity cannot be built up overnight. It will take at least six months to one year to develop fully. In fact, there is no exclusive medicine for toning up your immunity as it depends on your food habits and lifestyle.

Among foods conducive to immunity building, the most prominent is garlic, a staple in our kitchens. Garlic contains allicin, a pungent oily liquid with anti-bacterial properties, which spurs the growth of leukocytes or white blood cells vital for fighting infections. Garlic helps fight ordinary cold, fever and flu successfully.

Recently a study was conducted in which 143 persons were fed foods containing garlic and the changes happening in their bodies were observed. It was revealed that 63 per cent of infections causing fever, cold and flu had considerably reduced. The results of the survey were published in the Journal of Nutrition Science.

You can feed your children milk with two cloves of garlic soaked in to boost their immunity. Immunity can also be boosted through foods rich in Vitamin-C such as lemon, amla (gooseberry), orange, guava and so on.

Also Read: Take a daily walk in the sun for free supply of Vitamin-D

Vitamin-C triggers growth of a type of white blood cells called neutrophils — the first line of defence in the immune system — which ward off infectious bacteria. Long festering wounds can easily be healed if you have foods rich in Vitamin-C. The essential vitamin can also help cure lung infections and other pulmonary diseases.

Vitamin-C need not be obtained from drugs or supplement foods. A guava can give you up to 250 mg of Vitamin-C. So, better to eat the fruit or drink its juice. Adequate Vitamin-C absorption also prevents anaemia.

Similarly, ginger is anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant qualities. It helps in easy digestion. So, you can take a couple of small ginger pieces mixed with a little crystal salt in the morning for regulation of digestive functions.

The most common and familiar fixture in the kitchen’s ‘anjarai petti’ (box of various spices and condiments) is turmeric. Its main constituent is curcumin, a bright yellow phenolic compound that helps in food colouring and flavouring. Our ancestors discovered turmeric’s inbuilt properties that keep infections at bay and so used to make it a point to wash their doorsteps with a turmeric water mix. Turmeric paste is applied on wounds or scratches on the skin. It is also an age-old practice to drink turmeric milk before going to bed at night.

Turmeric keeps cholesterol under control and improves heart health.  It can be taken raw in small pieces so that the menstrual cycle is regulated.

Fresh vegetables and fruits build up a strong immune system, as they possess antioxidant properties. Following a colourful diet which has a variety of fruits and vegetables is beneficial because the various pigments are antioxidants which protect the body from molecules called free radicals that may cause heart disease and cancer.

Also Read: Plant the seeds of good health in your diet

Veggies and fruits also have lots of fibre content, making them ideal for weight loss as well.

Junk foods and glucose-rich foods must be avoided as they interfere with the building up of immunity.

A proper dietary practice, a good lifestyle and a sufficient sleep cycle lead to a strong immune system.

Instead of going to bed around 1 at night and getting up at 9 in the morning, which seems to be common nowadays, we must cultivate the practice of going to bed about three or four hours after sundown and getting up one hour after sunrise. Every day, doing a half hour workout or walking will keep your body brisk and immune to diseases.

Read in : தமிழ்