In today’s time, there is a greater need to support our health and well-being, primarily our immune system, at different stages of our life. These concerns regarding immunity have become more important, given the periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and now the coronavirus pandemic.

The key to building a good immune system is focusing on our gut health because 85 per cent of our immunity lies in the gut. Hence the health of our gut and billions of gut bacteria that lives within it is extremely vital. The food of our gut bacteria is fibre, so when we eat more fibre, which is only found in plant foods, we improve the health of our gut and thereby boosts our immunity. I am sharing with you a few natural immunity boosters that can help protect our health and assist us in fighting an infection.

When it comes to boosting immunity, these four habits — right food, good sleep, physical activity and taking less stress — will play a vital role. Ultimately it is our habits that will help us create long-term good health, reverse diseases and build immunity.

Drumsticks

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One of the superfoods when it comes to immunity is drumsticks. Not only it helps in boosting our immunity, but also acts as a shield for any virus to grow. The antibacterial properties in it can keep you away from common cough, cold and other infections.

Pumpkin seeds

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Pumpkin seeds are a great source of plant-based zinc, fibre and magnesium — three nutrients that are essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. They are packed with tons of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, including antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.

Broccoli

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Broccoli is also packed with phytochemicals and antioxidants. Phytochemicals in broccoli are good for the immune system. They include glucobrassicin; carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and beta-carotene; and kaempferol, a flavonoid.

Red Capsicum

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Vitamin C is one of the vital nutrients for boosting our immune system. This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that can prevent infections by helping our body form beneficial antibodies. A half-cup of red bell peppers has over 150 per cent of your total vitamin C needs for the day. Apart from vitamin C, red peppers have tons of phytonutrients that can help boost our immune system.

Turmeric & Onion

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These two are natural superfoods that will help kill the bad bacteria that thrive within us. Onions also help in clearing the mucus in our lungs while turmeric is very anti-inflammatory. Hence adding them in your meals on a regular basis can help a long way in boosting immunity.

Coconut Water with lemon

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Intake of coconut water should always be fresh. When you add half a lemon to fresh coconut water, vitamin C shoots up by 10 times. Once every day, for a few days, having coconut water with lemon can help boost immunity to a great extent. (Note: Kidney patients should not have coconut water.)

Karan Kakkad is a nutrigenomics and disease reversal expert. His passion in medical nutrition led to the birth of Reverse Factor, which is backed by an extensive research in nutrigenomics — the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes.