With the talk of H1N1 being in the air, everyone is talking about boosting one’s immunity. The best way you can improve your immunity is to eat healthy. Here are some tips and dietary recommendations that will help you boost your immunity.

 

The dietary do’s to boost your immunity includes:

 

Increase your protein intake:
Indian as a whole lag behind in proteins by the virtue of being vegetarians. Thus a conscious effort to increase the intake of milk, curd, paneer, cheese, soybean four or Soya in textured form ,variety of pulses in the form of sprouts,usals should become a daily part of the diet of the vegetarians.Non - Vegetarians can include egg whites, fishes, and lean meats at least three times a week.

 

 

Regular intake of nuts:

   

 

 

 

  Like walnuts, almonds and oil seeds like flax seeds, sesame (Til seeds) in restricted amounts.

 

 

 

Increase Intake of Vegetables and Fruits:
     Three bowls of cooked (mildly) veggies in a dry form (not navratan kurma) and three fruits a day. Opt from one starchy fruit like banana and two others like apple, pomegranate, guava, pear, citrus fruits or juices.

 

 

 

 

Get coarse cereals:
As a part of your diet – opt for bajra, jowar, ragi or a blend of wheat and Soya flour or wheat and channa. Breakfast cereals based on oats, soya, and wheat are healthier alternatives.

 

Get Omega 3 Fatty acids:
In your diet through flax seeds. ( 1 tbsp flax seed powder a day), walnuts, pulses like Soya, black chana,chawli,urad whole, leafy vegetables like methi leaves, coarse flour like bajra and fatty fishes.

 

Increase intake of antioxidants:
Like vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, and minerals like zinc and selenium. These nutrients have a protective effect on the airway tissue as well as protect you from oxidative stress.

Tips to increase Antioxidant intake:

• Consume all the colored vegetables and fruits, which are green,yellow,red and purple in colour.It will in clued all green leafy vegetables, red coloured tomatoes, green, yellow and red capsicum, beetroot ,pomegranate, balck grapes, papaya, oranges etc.
• Increase intake of vitamin C through inputs like amla juice,guava,salads based on fresh lettuce, cabbage, capsicum and tomatoes, all the citrus juices like orange, sweet lime or fresh lime water.
• Get the Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant from tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes, make a thick soup without straining or make a thick paste. Doing so improves the concentration and the availability of this antioxidant. Couple this with a dash of dietary fat for better absorption.

Add Magnesium:
       In your diet as it is a smooth muscle relaxant and anti- inflammatory agent. It plays an important role in maintaining the elasticity of the membrane lining the airways to cope better with respiratory problems like those caused by swine flu.

Tips to add magnesium
Source rich in Magnesium include:

• Coarse cereals like bajre, jowar, maize, ragi, wheat cracks etc.
• Pulses like whole channa.whole urad, chawli, math, rajma, soybean, whole moong etc.
• Nuts and Oil seeds like almond, cashewnuts, garden cress seeds, walnuts.
• Fruits like mango, plums.
• Vegetables like pink and white radish, lotus stem.

 

 

 

 

 

Going low on salt:
Can also be beneficial as it helps prevent triggering of respiratory distress. So go low on pickles, papads, ready-to-eat processed foods, bakery items, etc

 

Select cooking oil high in MUFA and Omega 3:
Opt for rice bran or groundnut oil for MUFA and soybean or mustard oil for Omega 3.Keep the total intake of oil to 500 – 750 gms per person per month depending on your weight.

 

Preventive measures for Children:
Also need to be tailored on the same lines. Make each morsel your child takes nutritious and try incorporating healthy ingredients in food preparations which children like to consume. Opt fro stuffed roti,a healthy veggie or soya burger, cutlet and healthy drinks like salted or sweet lassi,fresh fruit milkshakes or fruit juices.

 

Minimize eating out and observe complete Hygiene:
in food handling and water. Do not inadequately thaw foods and keep them at room temperature for a long time.

 

 

De-stress through Exercise:
      As stress is the big trigger in the inflammatory response of the body. Thus aerobic exercise of desired intensity, yoga, breathing and relaxation regimes can help not only to improve lung functioning but also boost your immunity. Get adequate sleep and rest.