Which fruit boost immunity and can be added to almost every food?
Huh, interesting question I found on a Q&A site. It got me thinking what food can boost immunity but then I thought even if I find one, it won’t be possible to eat it every day. So why not find a fruit or a vegetable that can be easily incorporated in every food and is a good immunity booster too. With this whole Covid-19 pandemic going on, it is crucial to have a strong immune system. Let’s find out what it is.
Abstract: All these measures are just to build up your immunity. This is not a proven treatment for the novel coronavirus. If you think you’re having symptoms of the disease, we advice you to visit your nearest physician.
Lemon
Yes, lemon is one of the fruits which boost our immunity and can be added to almost every food. If you’re a keen lover of that fresh citrus taste, lemon works wonders when added in the right amount.
How does adding lemon to food helps to boost our immunity naturally?
It does so because of Vitamin C. It is the most essential vitamin present in lemons which is important for various benefits regarding skin health and immune system.
Other important nutrients present in Lemon are:
Potassium: It helps in keeping the blood pressure low and is good for heart health.
Vitamin B6: Responsible for converting food into energy.
Fiber: Main fibre present in lemons is pectin. It’s a soluble fibre which reduces the blood sugar levels by slowing down the digestion of sugar and starch.
What happens to your body when you take lemon?
- Vitamin C present in lemon helps encourage the production of lymphocytes and phagocytes which are the primary cells for fighting foreign pathogens.
- It also improves the function of natural killer cells which helps to eliminate infection.
- It is a powerful antioxidant and strengthens body’s natural defenses. Antioxidants protect the cells from harmful molecules like free radicals.
Different ways to incorporate lemon in food
- Squeeze a lemon onto your salad and use it as a salad dressing.
- Few drops of lemon in warm water acts as a detox drink you can have every morning. This lemon juice boosts your immune system and is so easy to make.
- Add zest of lemon to the batter to give it that tangy flavor and make a pudding or even a lemon cake out of it.
- Make lemon ice cubes and put them in any drink you want.
- Bake it up. Lemons bring up a certain kind of sweetness and tanginess to baking.
Related: Is Dark chocolate as healthy as they say?
How much to consume?
The FDA’s recommended daily value (DV) for vitamin C is 90 mg.
The value might vary according to the physiological condition or age of the person.
Other advantages of lemons
1. May manage the high blood pressure
Antioxidants present in lemon may help relax the blood vessels which carry blood from the heart and thus help in lowering the blood pressure.
2. May reduce the risk for heart disease
It may help in reducing risk factors like high blood pressure, high triglyceride or LDL cholesterol levels thereby lowering the risk for heart disease.
One analysis found that taking a vitamin C supplement significantly reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol by approximately 7.9 mg/dL and blood triglycerides by 20.1 mg/dL.
3. May help prevent gout attacks
Gout symptoms are seen when uric acid accumulates in the body which is actually a waste product.
For example, a study including 1,387 men found that those who consumed the most vitamin C had significantly lower blood levels of uric acid than those who consumed the least .
4. Skin benefits
Lemon benefits for skin by boosting collagen production so that skin can act as a physical barrier to harmful microbes entering the body. And since it’s promoting collagen production, it may also shrink the size of pores and act as an anti-aging agent.
5. Helps prevent anaemia
Anaemia is caused due to lower levels of haemoglobin in blood. Now anameia can be classified into various other types and one of them is iron deficiency anaemia.
Vitamin C has been seen to improve the absorption of iron from the diet and there by reducing the risk of iron deficiency anaemia.
Other sources of Vitamin C
- Sweet potatoes
- Cantaloupes
- Citrus fruits
- Cooked broccoli
- Red cabbage
- Green peppers
- Red peppers
- Kiwi fruit
- Tomato juice
- Spinach
- Asparagus
Recipes including lemon
1. Blueberry pie muffin bread with lemon glaze
2. Lemon almond poppyseed quick bread
Conclusion
Adding Vitamin C to your diet is important as our body doesn’t naturally produce it. Also it’s a water soluble vitamin so it’ll mostly pass out in urine. And that’s what makes it so important for us to consume it daily. Lemon benefits our health by building up our immune system and is seen to be really effective for sore throat and cold.
We never would have thought that a time would come when we would be locked up in our homes. But unfortunately it did. So now it’s more important than ever to boost up our immunity through the food and exercise and make our body ready to fight against any infection or virus now and in future.
Share with us in the comments below for more ways to boost our immune systems!
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Holy crap. I had no idea lemon had so many benefits
I know right. We’ve been ignoring a precious little fruit for so long!