With the widespread coronavirus pandemic affecting a large number of people, we have been reading a lot about how to boost your immunity to protect yourself from catching the infection or seasonal flus and viruses. Even though a personas internal body system defines the immune system of the body, there are ways to strengthen the immunity by following natural home remedies and eating certain types of immunity boosting foods. Vitamin c is widely known as the immunity vitamin as it is one nutrient that greatly helps in strengthening the immune system. Most people take vitamin c supplements to get that extra dose. However, some foods work better than these supplements.
How Vitamin C directly supports your immune system
Vitamin c, which is scientifically known as ascorbic acid, has shown to support your body’s immune system in many ways. Vitamin C and immunity go hand in hand. One of the most important component of the immune system is the white blood cells (WBC) or leucocytes. When the count of WBC drops, the body’s ability to resist or fight back infections drops considerably. As a result, you fall sick easily. Vitamin C helps to stimulate the production of these WBCs and improves it functions. It also helps create antibodies in your body that are so important to neutralize invading microbes. As we, all know vitamin is a powerhouse of antioxidants; therefore, it helps to protect white blood cells from the poisonous compounds that they release when they combat the pathogens. To put it briefly, vitamin C is a vital nutrient to keep your vitamin c immune system healthy and strong.
Five common foods that are rich in vitamin C –
- Bell Peppers- bell peppers are loaded with vitamin c. one medium sized bell pepper provides enough vitamin c for your daily fix of this nutrient. It is one of the richest source of this essential nutrient and therefore you must include it in your daily meals.
- Papaya-per 100 grams of papaya, you benefit about 62 mg of vitamin C. what makes papaya an extremely nutritious fruit is that it contains an enzyme called ‘papain’ which not only strengthens the immunity but also improves digestion of the body.
- Broccoli- raw or cooked, broccoli is one of the best sources of vitamin c. the high vitamin c content of this green vegetable makes it good for the heart. Per 100 grams, it contains 89 mg of vitamin c. it is also rich in vitamin k and helps improve immunity and lowers your risk for inflammatory diseases.
- Cauliflower- it contains high percentage of vitamin c, which acts as an antioxidant. It is known for its anti-inflammatory effects that strengthens the body’s immunity .You can also use cauliflower as an alternative to rice.
- Spinach- this leafy green vegetable is great for one’s health. It provides 200% of the daily dose of vitamin C. You can use it as a vegetable or a salad or even include it in your smoothies.
Therefore, if you want to improve your immunity naturally, you can try the above vitamin c rich foods instead of relying on the supplements.
