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139 Comments
- howdareyou, on 02/18/2009, -1/+86Yogurt
Sweet potatoes
Tea
Chicken soup
Beef
Mushrooms
Fish and shellfish
Garlic
Oats and barley - GeeksSpeakFont, on 02/17/2009, -9/+41well i like all of these foods, but what about bacon?
- pelican2164, on 02/18/2009, -0/+24Killer Immunity?
- SeaMowse, on 02/18/2009, -2/+24I love garlic. I double it in all my recipes. It's the best (and most tastiest) weapon for germs.
- inactive, on 02/18/2009, -5/+24FTA...
Yogurt
Probiotics, or the "live active cultures" found in yogurt, are healthy bacteria that keep the gut and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. Although they're available in supplement form, a study from the University of Vienna in Austria found that a daily 7-ounce dose of yogurt was just as effective in boosting immunity as popping pills.
In an 80-day Swedish study of 181 factory employees, those who drank a daily supplement of Lactobacillus reuteri — a specific probiotic that appears to stimulate white blood cells — took 33 percent fewer sick days than those given a placebo. Any yogurt with a live and active cultures seal contains some beneficial bugs, but Stonyfield Farm is the only U.S. brand that contains this specific strain. Have two 6-ounce servings a day.
Be sure you chose a yogurt that is no more than 200 calories, 4 grams of fat or less, 30 g of sugar or less and at least 6 grams of protein.
Fish and shellfish
Getting adequate selenium (plentiful in foods like oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams) increased immune cell production of proteins called cytokines in a British study of 22 adults. The scientists say that cytokines help clear flu viruses out of your body.
Of all fats, omega-3s--found in fish such as Pacific salmon--created the highest blood levels of flu-fighting T cells and interferon-gamma cytokines in a British study of 150 people.
Sweet potatoes
You may not think of skin as part of your immune system. But this crucial organ, covering an impressive 16 square feet, serves as a first-line fortress against bacteria, viruses, and other undesirables. To stay strong and healthy, your skin needs vitamin A. "Vitamin A plays a major role in the production of connective tissue, a key component of skin," explains Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby, Conn.
One of the best ways to get vitamin A into your diet is from foods containing beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. One of the quickest, most delicious ways to get beta-carotene? Serve candied sweet potatoes (canned are fine). Each 12-cup serving delivers only 170 calories but 40 percent of the daily recommendation of vitamin A as beta-carotene. They're so good, you might want to save them for dessert! Think orange when looking for other foods rich in beta-carotene: carrots, squash, canned pumpkin and cantaloupe.
Tea
Take frequent tea breaks this winter, and you may just get through it without a sniffle. Immunologists at Harvard University discovered that people who drank five cups of black tea a day for 2 weeks transformed their immune system T cells into "Hulk cells" that pumped out 10 times more cold and flu virus-fighting interferon — proteins that defend against infection — than did the immune systems of those who didn't drink black tea. Green tea should work just as well.
"Not just the common cold and flu, but food poisoning, infected cuts, athlete's foot — even diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria — are caused by germs that your body fights with interferon. We think the interferon boosts from tea may help prevent or lessen the severity of all these conditions," says Dr. Jack Bukowski.
While five cups a day may seem like a lot, he thinks fewer cups may still offer some valuable protection. "And the interferon link may explain tea's other health benefits, including its reported cancer-fighting power, since we already know that interferon slows the growth of tumor cells," he says.
Chicken soup
When University of Nebraska researchers tested 13 brands, they found that all but one (chicken-flavored ramen noodles) blocked the migration of inflammatory white cells — an important finding, because cold symptoms are a response to the cells' accumulation in the bronchial tubes.
The amino acid cysteine, released from chicken during cooking, chemically resembles the bronchitis drug acetylcysteine, which may explain the results. The soup's salty broth keeps mucus thin the same way cough medicines do.
Added spices, such as garlic and onions, can increase soup's immune-boosting power. Have a bowl when feeling crummy.
Beef
Zinc deficiency is one of the most common nutritional shortfalls among American adults, especially for vegetarians and those who've cut back on beef, a prime source of this immunity-bolstering mineral. And that's unfortunate, because even mild zinc deficiency can increase your risk of infection. Zinc in your diet is very important for the development of white blood cells, the intrepid immune system cells that recognize and destroy invading bacteria, viruses, and assorted other bad guys, explains William Boisvert, Ph.D., an expert in nutrition and immunity at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
A 3-oz serving of lean beef (enough to make a respectable, but not decadent, roast beef sandwich) provides about 30 percent of the daily value for zinc. That's often enough to make the difference between deficient and sufficient. Just can't stomach beef? Try zinc-rich oysters, fortified cereals, pork, poultry, yogurt, or milk.
Mushrooms
For centuries, people around the world have turned to mushrooms for a healthy immune system. Contemporary researchers now know why. "Studies show that mushrooms increase the production and activity of white blood cells, making them more aggressive. This is a good thing when you have an infection," says Douglas Schar, director of the Institute of Herbal Medicine in Washington, D.C.
Shiitake and maitake mushrooms, now available fresh in U.S. supermarkets, appear to pack the biggest immunity punch. They're easy to use too. Just add a handful to pasta sauce, saute with a little oil and add to eggs, or heap triple-decker style on a frozen pizza. Good news for absent-minded chefs: "Basically, you can burn them, and they will still powerfully stimulate the immune system" says Schar.
Fish and shellfish
Getting adequate selenium (plentiful in foods like oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams) increased immune cell production of proteins called cytokines in a British study of 22 adults. The scientists say that cytokines help clear flu viruses out of your body.
Of all fats, omega-3s--found in fish such as Pacific salmon--created the highest blood levels of flu-fighting T cells and interferon-gamma
Garlic
Garlic contains the active ingredient allicin, which fights infection and bacteria. British researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or a garlic extract for 12 weeks; the garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. Other studies suggest that garlic lovers who chow more than six cloves a week have a 30 percent lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50 percent lower rate of stomach cancer. Two raw cloves a day and add crushed garlic to your cooking several times a week.
Oats and barley
These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than echinacea, reports a Norwegian study. When animals eat this compound, they're less likely to contract influenza, herpes, even anthrax; in humans, it boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better. At least one in your three daily servings of whole grains. - Goda90, on 02/18/2009, -0/+16like pennies?
- Namaha, on 02/18/2009, -1/+15Except for all those healthy things in it, like Iron, Zinc, etc.
- Goda90, on 02/18/2009, -0/+14vitamin pills do far less for you than naturally vitamin rich food.
- CoD4, on 02/18/2009, -1/+15if by germs you mean females then yes
- darknecross, on 02/18/2009, -1/+13No blueberries? What a crackpot list.
- slvrbullet87, on 02/18/2009, -0/+12So i supose when i eat a ribeye with sauted mushrooms and garlic, with a sweet potato with yogart as desert i am being healthy... doesnt sound right but i read it on the internet it must be right
- ghunda, on 02/18/2009, -2/+14What about brains? I saw a movie about that and those dudes had plenty of stamina to keep walking around all day... err, night.
- Boing, on 02/18/2009, -2/+13No baconator?
- smacksaw, on 02/18/2009, -0/+10Infection?
NO MERCY! - Tirpack83, on 02/18/2009, -2/+12Finally! A list that tells me it's ok to eat beef!
- KSUdesigner, on 02/18/2009, -0/+9Eventually, yes.
- iceman0113, on 02/18/2009, -0/+9I prefer this list:
http://www.tqnyc.org/2006/NYC063364//beneficial.ht ... - inactive, on 02/18/2009, -2/+10Everyone knows you got to have vitamin B
- MillionsLivio, on 02/18/2009, -2/+10Tea ftw.
- grow, on 02/18/2009, -0/+7I got up to slide three and quit. Thank you for this.
- smacksaw, on 02/18/2009, -1/+8Just add bacon to all of them. Now it's your favourite medicine!
- Leprince, on 02/18/2009, -1/+8Proteins and stuff too, y'know?
- ligyron, on 02/18/2009, -1/+8Meh. I've been eating better-than-average for about 5 years, taking a multivitamin and omega 3679 supplement every day and I'm no super-human. I don't get sick any less than anyone else I know
- wildgilbert, on 02/18/2009, -0/+7*Girl not included with yogurt.
- MacEnvy, on 02/18/2009, -0/+6I've been doing the same as you since diagnosed with hypothyroidism 3 years ago, and now I never get sick. I used to get colds several times a year, but since I started eating more fruit, whole grains, and generally better stuff I never get sick now.
But anecdotal evidence isn't proof of anything, of course. - Etyplt, on 02/18/2009, -1/+7Cute girl eating yogurt.
- isorfir, on 02/18/2009, -0/+5FTA: Sweet potatoes - "Each 12-cup serving delivers only 170 calories but 40 percent of the daily recommendation of vitamin A as beta-carotene."
I hope you don't mind eating 12 cups of sweet potatoes... - Jincopunk, on 02/18/2009, -0/+5and for vampires
- smacksaw, on 02/18/2009, -0/+5Eat some dirty kleenex tissues out of a public wastebasket and give us the results. We'll only know for sure if you take one for the Digg team.
- YoThisBAlec, on 02/18/2009, -0/+4All those foods are delicious.
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+4Two words: breath-mints.
- johnson67th, on 02/18/2009, -0/+4RTA. It tells you why it is healthy and how much you should eat, however, I am sure it isn't considering McDonald's as the beef you want to eat to be healthy.
- groo68, on 02/18/2009, -0/+4Actually if you only have these foods (and fruit/veggies ect.) you wont really.
- dimension, on 02/18/2009, -0/+4"Boosting immunity" is a marketing propaganda weasel word. It is designed for you to buy one product over another. Do you know what doctors call a boosted immune system? Inflammation. There is no evidence that eating one food versus another will do anything to your immune system. Healthy people will have a healthy immune system. If you are starving in Africa, you won't have a healthy immune system.
- walt100, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3Buried as lame. I hate stories that tell me "a study once showed that if you eat 8 blueberries a day for 10 years, you may reduce you chance of catching a cold by 10%."
I mean, how many of these "studies" can be forced into stories by lazy writers and editors? Can't you fill the first 50 pages of Men's Health with something else? - smacksaw, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3To really get the benefits of Allicin you've got to find a way to get invited upstairs for coffee after your date.
- MacEnvy, on 02/18/2009, -2/+5You're right, oysters or bran flakes are a much healthier way to get zinc than beef.
- coyote1284, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3If you eat all 9 at once is it an "ULTRA COMBO"?
- inactive, on 02/18/2009, -2/+5wow im gonna be fat
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+3Yep, it's a matter of absorption: the pill may contain 3000% of the recommended daily allowance of whatever vitamin you're talking about, but afaik only a small fraction of that is absorbed by the body. Sublingual drops (like the ones you get with many homeopathic medications) should, in theory, have a much better and quicker absorption rate, but I have no idea if you can even deliver vitamins that way (probably, but I've never looked).
- NiftyG, on 02/18/2009, -6/+9Beef? Give me a break.
I love eating beef, but not because it's a health food. There are much healthier ways to get zinc into your diet. - seventhc, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3I love mushrooms, but I think they are illegal.
- Biscuitz, on 02/18/2009, -1/+4Buried for ***** UI.
*waits for digg down* - pilot3033, on 02/18/2009, -0/+2How much ribeye are you eating? Balance is key, eating too much beef isn't good for you, but having some for dinner is a pretty good option. A filet, or a strip with 'shrooms, garlic and sweet potatoes isn't so bad. I'd say balance out by starting with a green salad (dressing on the side).
- springboks, on 02/18/2009, -4/+6Not sure why you're being dug down. Beef is the last thing I have on my mind when I think immunity foods.
- Biscuitz, on 02/18/2009, -0/+2Why should we have to do that? Why not make it one page instead?
- ProphetTheRebel, on 02/18/2009, -1/+3So does poptarts count for anything?
- andyb747, on 02/18/2009, -0/+2I did not see bearded clam on the list
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