9 Unexpected Food to Boost your Immune System!!!!

SUNFLOWER SEEDS
Tasty seeds native to North America deliver in two tablespoons a third of your daily requirement of Vitamin E. This vitamin helps you resist flu and upper respiratory infection by boosting production of T-cells, an immune cell that fights infection.

ELDERBERRY
Used in Jams and even lemonades, this berry is packed with one of the most powerful antioxidants, quercetin, which possesses both antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties. It is native to Europe, Asia and North American. In a new study published in the journal Phytochemistry, test-tube experiments found that compounds extracted from the herb attached to H1N1 (swine flu) particles and stopped the virus from infecting host cells! Another study from Jerusalem’s Hadassah University Hospital discovered that elderberry extract boosted production of cytokines (the proteins that jump start your immune response). Elder flowers can also induce sweating, which may help reduce fever (often in a tea).

HONEY
A new study from the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, has found that manuka honey (from flowering New Zealand manuka bush) may fight antibiotic resistant bugs. In the past it was believed that honey soothed mild burns because of the sugar, but now it has been revealed that the honey robs bacteria of proteins they need to grow. For sore throats a little honey with tea has always been what Mom has recommended. Now we have the science to get excited about!

SHITAKE MUSHROOMS
Cultivated for more than 1,000 years in Shi trees in China, (only found in America the past 20 years where they are grow on felled oak trees) these meaty, tender mushrooms have long served as both food and ancient medicine. They are loaded with beta-glucans, which, unlike other immunity nutrients, beta-glucans don't create or regulate cells within your immune system. Instead, they act as a kind of decoy, boosting your body's immune response! They “fake out” your body into thinking it’s under attack, and responding with boosted immune function. In a 2004 animal study of swine influenza virus, the group given beta-glucans before infection developed a much milder case of the flu than those untreated. While the swine flu virus studied was not the same strain as the human H1N1 virus, the results show promise for beta-glucans' ability to prevent and treat the flu. Other foods loaded with immune boosting beta-glucan are yeast, maitake mushrooms, barley, and oats (particularly the bran).

GARLIC
In a 2001 a study of people who took a garlic supplement daily from November to February were less likely to get colds. It has long been regarded as one of the most potent flu fighters combating bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, thanks to the presence of Polysulfides, a class of sulfur compound. Allicin lies dormant in a clove until cut, chewed or crushed so maximize it’s benefit by eating raw, or mince a clove and let sit for a few minutes before cooking.

SWEET POTATOES
If you want a “side” with immune punch, sweet potato is one of the best. It is a bets-carotene powerhouse! The lining of your lungs and digestive system -- the front lines of the infection war -- depend on this antioxidant (which your body converts to vitamin A) to function properly. In addition, vitamin A protects the thymus gland, the body's production site for T-cells in children. Roasted, pureed, or fried (as pictured here), there's no need to hold back: For the most part, the body converts the amount of A it needs. Other foods that give you the beta-carotene benefit are: carrots, spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, pumpkin, apricots, papaya, and mango.

BRAZIL NUTS
A single Brazil nut has 95 mcg of selenium, nearly double the amount you need in a day. The body uses selenium to produce T-cells which attack bacteria and viruses. Studies also demonstrate that this antioxidant also instigates the good bacteria in our intestines to attack bad bacteria and parasites like E.coli. A small handful of nuts is all you need. Selenium also abundant in cod, tuna, oysters, crab, beef, chicken, turkey, whole wheat flower and garlic.

KIWIS
Brown and fuzzy on the outside, green and luscious on the inside, kiwifruit takes the prize for vitamin C. Considered the go-to resource for staving off illness, C can help increase your resistance to disease and keeps your defenses strong. But don’t close the barn door after the animals got out! You should have a diet rich in C in order to boost your immune defense and strengthen the cartilage lining of the sinus. Studies show that taking large doses of C once a cold begins does not shorten its length or severity, but a regular dose of 75 to 90 mg per day might. Vitamin C is easily damaged by heat and water. Try to consume foods with high C content in their raw or barely cooked state. Even oranges left out in the sun for a short period of time lost some of their vitamin C content! Other foods rich in C are papaya, peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, citrus, strawberries, leafy greens, and cantaloupe

OYSTERS
High in protein, iron, and calcium, and one of the most environmentally friendly types of seafood you can buy, oysters also stand out when it comes to zinc. Six oysters provide 32 mg of this essential mineral, four times the recommended daily amount. Zinc is so crucial that a deficiency in this mineral causes your body to function as if it's older than it really is. A true anti-aging regimen - on a plate. That’s the way all “supplementation” should be wrapped. Zinc is in abundance in other foods such as beef, crab, pork, chicken, cashews, beans, fortified cereals, and other grain products. What's truly amazing about these foods (and so many others) is that we can get the best vitamins, in their most potent form (including the anti-oxidants and procyanadins that support our immune system). No pill or potion can beat Mother Nature's "wrapper" and delivery system

These sources are from “Dr. Jack Barnathan”