Which foods should be consumed for the immune system in winter?

Medical Park Gebze Hospital Nutrition and Diet Clinic Dyt. Barış Yüksel made statements about the foods that will strengthen our immunity during the winter months. Expressing that keeping our immunity high in every season and period will protect us by increasing our resistance against diseases, Dyt. Barış Yüksel said, “Therefore, making sure that our diet includes all 5 basic food groups makes the greatest contribution to immunity.”

Mentioning that it is very important to have 5 basic food groups in our daily menus, Dyt. Barış Yüksel listed the food groups as follows:

“Milk and dairy products, meat, eggs, pulses, bread and cereals, vegetables, fruits.”

Emphasizing the importance of vitamin and mineral intake especially in winter, Dyt. Expressing that it is very important to keep the immune system strong, Yüksel listed the vitamins that strengthen the immune system as follows:

Vitamin A: Animal foods: Milk, cheese, eggs, butter, liver, fish, etc.

Plant foods: Grapefruit, orange, carrot, pumpkin, spinach, broccoli, etc.

B group vitamins: Cereal products, milk and dairy products, green leafy vegetables, meat and fish.

C vitamin: Orange, tangerine, tomato, cherry, cranberry, fennel, beet, spinach, lettuce, broccoli

Vitamin D: The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. Although some oily fish and eggs contain vitamin D, they are not rich sources. For this reason, it may be necessary to take supplements by having the vitamin D levels checked at regular intervals, especially during the winter months.

Vitamin E: Fruits, fruit oils, and oil seeds, olive and olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, walnuts and walnut oil, hazelnut and hazelnut oil, sunflower oil, etc. greens (radish, arugula, parsley, lettuce, cress, etc.)

dit. Barış Yüksel explained the ways to strengthen the immune system.

Talking about other nutrients that strengthen immunity, Dyt. Barış Yüksel said, “We can talk about the importance of nutrients that improve intestinal flora. These are foods such as yogurt and kefir that contain probiotics. These foods should be included in the diet. Again, we can strengthen our immunity by adding some spices such as turmeric and ginger, which have anti-inflammatory properties, which have a protective effect against damage in the body.

dit. Barış Yüksel stated the importance of drinking water.

Underlining water consumption, Dyt. Yüksel said, “In order to keep the body temperature in balance and to remove toxins, plenty of fluid intake is required. Especially in the winter months, we should pay attention to the decreasing fluid intake. For this reason, we should drink at least 2-2.5 liters of water every day, and we should prefer drinks such as linden, sage, rosehip tea, light tea to meet the fluid intake.

dit. Yüksel emphasized the importance of an active life.

Reminding the importance of doing sports, Dyt. Yüksel said, “For a fit body and strong immunity, it is necessary to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. It is also useful to pay attention to the supplements you take to strengthen immunity. Therefore, do not forget to use supplements in line with the recommendations of your doctor or dietitian.