Foods that boost immune system – part 1

foods that boost immune systemInternet abounds with tips on foods that boost immune system. Unfortunately most of those are incomplete and hugely misleading. No, you cannot boost your defenses and get significantly healthier just by adding a pinch of a garlic powder to your daily routine.

Your immune system is a huge machine and there are many forces at play that keep it healthy. The effect of your proverbial pinch of garlic on the body defenses is the equivalent to just pumping tires while forgetting oil change, gasoline top ups and rust proofing.  If you are truly interested in boosting immune system you need to do more than just browsing photos of glorified vegetables on the internet.

Recurrent colds or maybe ear infections?

Having recurrent colds is not the same as having recurrent ear infections. Colds make the body cold and ear infections result in fever. Although both illnesses involve body defenses they require a very different approach because of the thermal phases the body goes through. You will use different foods that boost immune system when you are chilly and completely different when you have a fever and inflammation. If you mix them up you will not be happy with the  results.

Foods that boost immune system for recurrent colds

If your system is in stuck in a chilly mode with cold hands and feet, poor circulation, low blood pressure topped up with fogginess, hypoglycemia, fatigue and possibly light-headedness you need a meal that can warm you up. Warming foods increase metabolic rate, improve circulation, and strengthen immune system response lacking in a low metabolic chilly phase.

Common cold virus loves cold body and anything that makes the body more cold will make you more prone to recurrent colds.  Therefore it is logical to conclude that people with frequent colds should focus on warming foods.

Everything that we eat carry a thermal signature. Some items are cold and when eaten can make body even more cold. Other items are warm and can make body warmer. If you are prone to frequent colds you need to know energetic rules of the foods, so you don’t end up with a wrong combination on your plate.

Foods to avoid during chills and frequent colds

Here is a list of what to avoid for people on a chilly side. The super cold food group is especially cooling and should be avoided during chilly phases. However, you do not have to avoid cool foods entirely if you are threatened with frequent colds. You should at least neutralize cold energy by adding heat or warming spices.

For example you have just come back from a cold outdoors and your kitchen is empty. Only a few old apples sit on the counter. Instead of eating it and adding more chill to your body (apple is cold) you should bake it and add a dash of cinnamon to it. This is a simple way to change a cooling apple into a warming delicacy beneficial for warmth-craving bodies.

  • Cold grains: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, millet, wheat
  • Super cold grains: wheat germ
  • Cold vegetables: artichoke, cucumber, kelp, lettuce, radish, spinach, swiss-chard
  • Super cold vegetables: asparagus, bamboo shoot, dandelion leaf, plantain, seaweed, tomato, water chestnut
  • Cold fruits: apple, avocado, black current, orange, pear, strawberry, tangerine
  • Super cold fruits: banana, cranberry, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mango, melon, mulberry, rhubarb, watermelon

It would take up too much space to include a list of cold spices, condiments, beverages, beans, nuts, seeds, fish, meat, and dairy, so if you want the details download DrD fridge chart now.


DrD Cold Foods | DOWNLOAD


Foods that boost immune system for recurrent colds


Now you know what to avoid not to further chill yourself, but you should also know what to eat to experience the greatest warming effect. For that you will have to trade your banana for a peach and instead of wheat bread reach for oatmeal. Using warm food in a cold phase may feel life-saving. Using warm foods on a daily basis can increase your body temperature and stop the vicious cycle of frequent colds.

Here is a short list of warmers:

  • Warm grains: oats, quinoa, spelt
  • Warm vegetables: kale, leek, mustard, onion, parsnip, pepper, squash, sweet potato, watercress
  • Warm fruits: blackberry, cherry, date, lychee, peach, quince

For a complete list download DrD Warm Foods Fridge Chart


DrD Warm Foods | DOWNLOAD


Foods to reduce inflammation

Warm and hot foods warm the body. They are good for promoting circulation however, they can also fuel inflammation. Inflammation is a body response to an injury and is not to be limited unless feels unbearable. Inflammation is the way body defends, cleans, and repairs itself.

However, excessive inflammation can be very uncomfortable resulting in pain and fever. Inflammation is hot and adding hot foods to hot body may make things worse. For example, black pepper may cause acne flair up in susceptible individuals.

Do not think, however, that hot foods are on the forbidden list and are to be avoided entirely. Sometimes adding hot foods during inflammatory phase can be beneficial. This is especially true in case of low grade chronic inflammation which is present in weight gain and minor aches and pains.

Foods are a fantastic tool to boost immune system. They can provide exactly what the defenses needs day in and day out.  It is not difficult to understand which foods do what, but it requires more experience to know what foods are needed when. For now just use the foods in a simple manner: when cold use warming foods and when in pain or uncomfortable fever stick to cooling foods.

Part 2 and 3 will explain which foods should be used to strengthen the immune system, which foods improve its effectiveness and which foods provide the best year-round maintenance for the body defenses. Three-part article “foods that boost immune system” will soon make you an expert in food choices so you can stop staring at glorified vegetable photos posted randomly on internet. For health tests and all your ImmSystem needs visit Our STORE


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