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January 09, 2005
Nutrition and Immunity
10 tips to boost your immune system:
1. Eat. Not eating enough calories each day can compromise your immune system. This means at least 1300 kcals for women and 1500 kcals for men.
2. Sleep. To keep an abundant supply of your natural killer cells, try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
3. Exercise. Walking 30 minutes each day can increase your number of white blood cells.
4. Aim for 5 a Day! Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day. They are great sources of vitamin C, vitamin A and antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize highly reactive species in our bodies, which could potentially harm the structure and function of our cells.
5. Whole grains. Eat foods like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice to get even more antioxidant power.
6. Zinc. This mineral works to supply key enzymes to help keep your immune system working properly. Red meats, fish, eggs and dairy products are all good sources of zinc.
7. Vitamin E. This powerful antioxidant is found in almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, avocado and canola oil.
8. Yogurt. Yogurt contains live “good� bacteria called probiotics, which can help fend off the “bad� disease-causing bacteria.
9. Low fat. Limit foods high in saturated fat like high-fat red meat, sausage, hot dogs, full-fat dairy products, and cheese. Choose foods like sirloin, 5% fat ground beef, 1% or skim milk, low fat yogurt, and low fat or part-skim cheese.
10. Omega – 3 fatty acids. These immune boosting fats are found in canola oil, nuts, flaxseed and fatty fishes like salmon, herring, trout, swordfish and mackerel.
Posted by Lisa at January 9, 2005 09:04 PM
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