The Best Foods For Resisting Illness

One of the goals of a healthy diet is to protect the body from illness and chronic diseases. The British Journal of Nutrition printed an article in 2002 regarding the value of good nutrition in supporting immunity. Researchers at the University of Southampton's Institute of Human Nutrition in the United Kingdom reported that under nutrition impairs the immune system, while re-introducing nutrients into a diet restores immunity and resistance to infection. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends eating foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals known to play a role in strengthening immunity.

Vitamin A

Antioxidants like vitamin A help the immune system by removing free radicals, and harmful substances that have been linked to the development of many diseases, including cancer, heart and kidney disease, dementia and skin diseases.
The best sources of vitamin A are organ meats such as liver and giblets, orange vegetables including sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and peppers, and green leafy vegetables like spinach, collard greens, kale, beet greens, mustard greens and Chinese cabbage.
Vitamin A is also found in fortified cereals, cantaloupe and pickled herring.

Vitamin C

The best sources of the antioxidant Vitamin C are fruits and vegetables. Fruits high in Vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, berries, melons, kiwi, papaya, mango, pineapple and tomato.
Vegetables containing Vitamin C are red and green bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pea pods, cauliflower and kale.

Vitamin E

Americans gets most of their vitamin E, an antioxidant, from vegetable oils include canola oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil and corn and olive oil. Other good sources of vitamin E are nuts, seeds, wheat germ, canned tomato products and leafy greens such as turnip and dandelion greens. Cereals are also often fortified with vitamin E.

Zinc

A 2002 article in the British Journal of Nutrition reported that zinc is often studied and regarded with regards to immunity. Meat like beef, pork, lamb and chicken are good sources of zinc, and according to Medline Plus, dark meat chicken such as thigh and drumstick, has more zinc than light meat chicken like breast.
Peanut butter, peanuts and legumes also contain zinc as well as some fruits and vegetables. However, zinc from plant sources is less utilized by the body than from animal sources.

Additional Vitamins and Minerals

The ADA also mentions vitamin B6, folate, selenium, iron and copper as influential for immune response. Vitamin B6 is in fortified cereals, bananas, salmon, poultry, potatoes, spinach and hazelnuts.
Folate comes from leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts. Selenium helps make antioxidant enzymes and is present in vegetables, fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, chicken, liver, garlic, wheat germ and enriched breads.
The best sources of iron are shellfish like clams and oysters, organ meats and fortified cereals. Red meat, beans, lentils, pumpkin seeds and spinach are also rich in iron. Copper is present in shellfish, organ meats and beans as well as potatoes, nuts, dark leafy green vegetables, prunes, cocoa and black pepper.