Nutrition & Vitamins Vital To Your Immune Health

Would you like to have a healthy immune system?  Of course you would!  Are you aware how vital of a role your diet plays in your immune protection?  If not, that's quite okay!  It's never too late to learn about how what you eat matters beyond your cravings.

Healthier foods provide plenty of vitamins and minerals vital to our daily health.  As an added benefit, they often taste amazing too!  A well balanced diet is life changing, and Bevko has the tools to help supplement your diet too!

Vitamin C

Vitamin C may help prevent infections or actively fight infections and help remove them from the body. Some reliable nutritional sources include:

• Spinach.
• Kale.
• Bell peppers.
• Brussels sprouts.
• Strawberries.
• Papaya. 

Vitamin E

Like vitamin C, vitamin E can be a powerful antioxidant that helps your body fight off infection. This important vitamin is critical in how your immune system functions. To get your vitamin E, think high-fat plant foods such as:

• Almonds.
• Peanuts/peanut butter.
• Sunflower seeds. 
• Oils such as sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil.
• Hazelnuts.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an infection-fighter and comes in two forms derived from meats or plants. Tuna is a great source of preformed vitamin A. When it comes to carotenoids, try: 

• Carrots.
• Sweet potatoes.
• Pumpkin.
• Butternut squash.
• Cantaloupe.
• Dark green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin D

Known as the sunshine vitamin, it’s one of the most important and powerful nutrients for supporting the immune system. Food sources are limited but include:  

• Salmon. 
• Mackerel.
• Tuna.
• Sardines.
• Vitamin D fortified like milk, orange juice and cereals. 

In general, it’s best to get most of your vitamins from food, but vitamin D may be the exception to that rule. You can absorb vitamin D from the sun as well!

Folate/Folic Acid

Folate is the natural form and folic acid is synthetic, often added to foods because of its health benefits. To get more folate, add more beans and lentils to your plate on a regular basis, as well as leafy green vegetables. Avocado is another tasty source. You can also get folic acid in fortified foods:

• Enriched pasta.
• Enriched bread.
• Enriched rice.

Iron

Iron, which helps your body carry oxygen to cells, plays a part in many of the immune system processes and comes in different forms.  Iron is abundant in:

• Red meat.
• Chicken.
• Turkey.
• Canned sardines.
• Oysters.
• Clams.
• Mussels.
• Canned light tuna.

If you’re a vegetarian, have no fear. You can still find iron in:

• Beans.
• Broccoli.
• Kale.
• Iron-fortified cereals.

Zinc

Zinc is needed for the production of new immune system cells. It’s found primarily in animal foods but can be also found in some vegetarian food like.  

• Oysters.
• Crab.
• Lean meats and poultry.
• Baked beans.
• Yogurt.
• Chickpeas.