Sick of being sick? Eat these 10 essential nutrients.
Your immune system works like an army to fight off bacteria and viruses to keep your body healthy. Give your immune system a boost by eating foods with these 10 essential nutrients that are known to prevent sickness. Plus, to make healthy eating easy, we compiled a list of 40+ yummy Epicure recipes that are packed with immunity boosting nutrients.
1. Vitamin A
Found in leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli) | Orange and yellow vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and other winter squash, summer squash) | Tomatoes | Red bell peppers | Cantaloupe | Mango | Beef liver | Milk
Found in Leafy green vegetables like kale, the Parmesan Pesto White Bean & Kale Soup is packed with Vitamin A to help keep your body functioning properly. Make this warm and hearty soup to fill you up on a cold winter day!
Try these other recipes packed with
vitamin A:
Roasted Chickpea Spinach Salad
2. Vitamin C
Found in citrus (oranges, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit) |
Bell peppers | Strawberries | Tomatoes | Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower) | White potatoes
Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, and lime are great sources of Vitamin C. Try our refreshing Shrimp Citrus Salad to get your daily intake.
Try these other recipes rich in vitamin C:
3. Vitamin D
Found in salmon | Cod liver oil | Swordfish | Orange juice | Dairy and plant milks fortified with vitamin D | Sardines | Beef liver
Sesame Salmon is ready in under 20 minutes and is a super source of heart-healthy Vitamin D.
Try these other recipes with vitamin D:
4. Iron
Found in red meat | Pork | Poultry | Seafood | Beans | Dark green leafy vegetables (spinach) | Dried fruit (raisins and apricots) | Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas | Peas
Boost your iron intake with Seasoned Steak. Don’t forget to add Beef & Steak Seasoning to your lean cuts of beef for an extra kick of flavor.
Try these other recipes as source of iron:
5. Zinc
Found in oats | Oysters | Crab | Lobster | Pork |
Chickpeas | Cashews
Power up your morning and stay full until lunchtime with these oat-filled Powered Up Banana Pancakes.
This delicious recipe only needs four ingredients!
Add more zinc to your diet with these
tasty recipes:
6. Selenium
Found in macaroni | Brazil nuts | Tuna | Halibut |
Sardines | Shrimp
Finally, Mac & Cheese has health benefits! This easy immune boosting recipe is something the whole family will love. Make it tonight!
7. Glutamine
Found in Tofu | Eggs | Beef | Skim milk | Corn
These colourful Tofu Burrito Bowls are a healthy and easy dinner. Top these bowls with corn to get an extra source of Glutamine!
Try these other recipes as a source of glutamine:
8. Arginine
Found in meat (red meat, chicken, turkey) | Fish (salmon, haddock) | Nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds) | Legumes (soybeans, chickpeas) | Whole grains (brown rice, oats) | Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese)
Double down on the health benefits and swap out your meat for extra lean turkey in the Southwest Turkey Burger. A great way to cut down on fat intake without compromising delicious flavour!
Try these options to add more arginine
to your diet:
9. Alanine
Found in all meats and poultry | All fish | All dairy products
Whatever you pair it with the Italian Style Chicken Breast will be packed with protein. This recipe goes with pasta, rice, or you can even add it to a crusty bun for burger night!
10. Omega-3 (DHA and EPA)
Found in any seafood, but salmon is highest in
omega-3s and lowest in mercury
Another kid-friendly dinner! To get a high dose of Omega-3s use salmon as your fish of choice for Mediterranean Fish Sticks. Ready in just 25 minutes!
Garlic
In addition to these essential nutrients, garlic is a superfood immune booster. Try Sweet Garlic Chicken—an easy sheet pan meal with garlicky goodness.
Try these other recipes for more garlic:
Sources
Noor S, Piscopo S, Gasmi A. Nutrients Interaction with the Immune System.
Burr AHP, Bhattacharjee A, Hand TW. Nutritional Modulation of the Microbiome and Immune Response.
Wu HJ, Wu E. The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut Microbes.
Vanegas SM, Meydani M, Barnett JB, Goldin B, Kane A, Rasmussen H, Brown C, Vangay P, Knights D, Jonnalagadda S, Koecher K, Karl JP, Thomas M, Dolnikowski G, Li L, Saltzman E, Wu D, Meydani SN. Substituting whole grains for refined grains in a 6-wk randomized trial has a modest effect on gut microbiota and immune and inflammatory markers of healthy adults.