Vegan or Plant-Rich Diets For a Boosted Immune System.
The immune system is responsible for keeping your body healthy.
It works to keep harmful toxins from sticking around inside the body and fights off viruses, bacteria, and parasites that you come into contact with in your daily life.
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You know that eating a healthy diet, and getting enough vitamin C during the day is a great way to boost your immune system.
Yet, there are specific plant-rich diets that can boost your immunity even further and keep you healthy!
How Plants Impact Immunity.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, fruits and vegetables are perhaps the most nutrient-dense foods out there.
They’re stocked full of vitamins and minerals that improve the body’s ability to function, especially the immune system.
Here’s a look at some nutrients that impact the immune system and the plants that offer them.
Iron: Beans and dried fruits.
Zinc: Seeds and nuts.
Vitamin A: Dark leafy greens, carrots, and mangoes.
Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, broccoli, and kale.
Vitamin E: Dark leafy greens, seeds, and nuts.
Folic acid: Beans, grains, and spinach.
Plant-rich diets aren’t just healthy because the nutrients they include boost your immune system.
They also encourage you to avoid processed, high-fat, high-sugar, and high-cholesterol foods that can negatively impact your immune system.
Types of Plant-Rich Diets.
There are plenty of plant-rich diets out there, but very few have rigid guidelines describing how to actually follow the diet.
So, we’re now going to go over three of the better plant-rich diets and what they call for, according to Harvard Medical School.
#1. DASH Diet.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the DASH diet stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”.
Meaning the diet is intended to help lower blood pressure.
The diet itself was actually developed by medical professionals at the National Institutes for Health.
With this diet, you’ll be eating plenty of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
In fact, you could be eating as many as 4 to 5 servings of both fruits and vegetables in a single day.
You’ll also be eating about 4 to 5 servings of nuts or legumes per week,
and about 2 to 3 servings of fat per day (likely olive oil), that can also help to boost your immune system’s functioning as well.
#2. Mediterranean Diet.
According to the American Heart Association, the Mediterranean diet requires you to load up on grains, vegetables, and fruits.
When you stick to this diet in the long-term, you’re reducing your risk of conditions like stroke, obesity, and heart disease.
You should expect to eat at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Additionally, all of your grains will likely be whole grains.
The Mediterranean diet does call for meat occasionally (on a weekly basis), but the general recommendation is to eat seafood rather than other types of meat.
The diet is designed around fruits, vegetables, and grains with meats being supplementary.
#3. MIND Diet.
The MIND diet is actually a subtle combination of both the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet.
With this low carbohydrate diet, you can expect to lower your risk of developing conditions like Alzheimer’s, as this diet boosts brain health.
Every day, you’ll be eating three servings of vegetables, salads, and whole grains.
The diet also recommends drinking a glass of wine, but feel free to swap in a glass of water if it makes you more comfortable.
This relatively high-fiber diet also encourages snacks to consist of nuts, beans, berries, and sometimes poultry.
Final Thoughts.
Realistically, any diet can improve your immunity.
The best way to do this is by avoiding processed and unhealthy foods and replacing them with fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains.
These foods include all the nutrients your body needs to maintain a healthy immune system.
