Building a strong immune system is one of the easiest ways to safeguard yourself from falling sick. While a good immune system does not guarantee that you won’t fall ill, it significantly lowers the chances of your body succumbing to potential diseases and infections. 

This is especially important in light of the ongoing pandemic, as a healthy, nutritious & balanced diet can help strengthen your body’s resistance to unwanted germs and bacteria.

But before we get into what kinds of foods you should be eating to boost your health, it’s crucial to understand why certain foods are better than others when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. What benefits do these ‘healthy’ foods provide that other kinds of food can’t?

The answer lies in one word: Antioxidants. Antioxidants are the key to promoting your body’s natural defence against illness and infection, as they help your immune system work properly. 

For those interested, here’s a quick biology lesson: Every day, our body releases electrons as part of our metabolic process. However, every once in a while, a few of these electrons go rogue and break away from their normal path, hence becoming what’s termed as “free radicals”. These rogue electrons are dealt with by the body’s immune system with the use of substances like vitamin A, C & E which can bind with these free radicals and neutralise their harmful effects.

Now that we’ve understood why antioxidants are one of the key components of a strong immune system, here are a few examples of antioxidant-rich foods:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is most commonly found in milk, yoghurt, eggs and fish. You can also get vitamin A by including good sources of beta-carotene in your diet, which is converted to vitamin A by your body. Some of the main food sources of beta-carotene are yellow, red and orange fruits and vegetables (such as carrots, bell peppers, mangoes and papayas), and green, leafy vegetables (such as spinach and broccoli).

Our Swabhiman Desi brand Ghee is made by hand churning A2 milk from Gir cows belonging to South Gujarat, true to the ancient Vedic method of ghee production “Bilona Padathi”. Ghee is a great source of fat-soluble vitamins, one of which is Vitamin A.

Vitamin C

Another key contributor towards boosting your immune system is Vitamin C. Some common foods which are a good source of vitamin C are citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges & amla, green vegetables like broccoli, kale and green bell peppers, and a variety of berries such as strawberries and black currants.

Besides being an excellent source of vitamin C, our Whole Dried Cranberries, imported from California are also rich in antioxidants and great for treating UTI and other infections. 

Our Dried Blueberries, also sourced from the USA, are a low calorie, antioxidant-rich superfood. Some other varieties of berry products we have to offer are Dried Black Currants, Goji Berries and our Mixed Berries bag, which contains all of the berries listed above + raisins. 

Vitamin E

Another good immunity boost can come from Vitamin E. Besides being found in plant oils, it is also found in nuts and seeds.

Our Berri Nutty line also has a bunch of antioxidant-rich nuts to offer, which help with the immune system’s response to free radicals. Some of these include Hazelnuts, Pecan nuts and our Super Trail Mix, which is a blend of Almonds, Cashews, Cranberries and Raisins.

Others

While food with Vitamin A, C & E are some of the most potent sources of antioxidants, there are other sources of antioxidants that you can incorporate into your diet to aid the functioning of your immune system. But having a healthy, balanced diet is key to ensuring your body gets all the nutrients it requires to functioning properly.

One of the ways you can do this is by ensuring the food you eat undergoes minimal processing and is as unadulterated as it can possibly be. Our Swabhiman33 brand offers a range of organic products which are sustainably sourced and naturally produced. 

Some products from our Swabhiman33 line which are rich in antioxidants are Black Rice and Black Flour but rest assured, all of our products are natural and organic and will help your body build a strong natural defence mechanism in the long run.