Want To Boost Immunity? Start From The Shelf Of Your Kitchen

India is a country of seasons where the alteration of the four seasons Summer, Rain, Winter & Spring throughout the year is common. But during the transition to these seasonal changes, the pathogens(disease-causing agents) become more active and lead to problems like seasonal infections, flu, common cold, cough and fever etc. But there is only one defence system of your body, immunity that can protect you from falling ill. Our immunity plays a major role to protect us from diseases and fight disease-causing agents when we are exposed to the risk.

Highlights

• Immunity is a necessity for every individual.
• Weak Immunity can be a sign of an unhealthy lifestyle.
• Immunity boosters are available in our kitchen.

Role Of Immunity In Everyday Life

Immunity is the natural mechanism of our body that works like the army of a king that fights against the foreign invasion to save its kingdom from the day of their enrollment to their last breath. Similarly, our body is exposed to environmental and lifestyle factors(smoking, drinking, unhealthy food etc.) that lead to the risk of falling sick. Our immune system(army) stand by us 24X7 from the time of our birth to identify the harmful invaders(bacteria or outsider) and fights against them by creating antibodies to save the health of our body(kingdom). These antibodies are stored in our body to handle any further attacks from the same invaders.

What if our immune system fails to perform its functions and allows outsiders to feed themselves on our body or allow them to replicate? The answer is “we will fall sick” and the recovery time will be much higher with a weak immune system. During seasonal changes or due to our unhealthy lifestyle habits, the functioning of our immune system varies. To maintain a healthy immune system, we need to continuously feed our body with immunity-boosting food and improve our lifestyle habits.

Get Some Immunity From The Shelf Of Your Kitchen

Our busy lifestyle has brought modern medicines handy to our drawers but we often forget the significance of our kitchen which is full of home remedies to treat our health problems. Immunity-boosting supplements have side effects that lead to other health concerns with continuous uncontrolled usage. On the other hand, switching to Ayurvedic herbs that are side effect free and are safe for long-term usage is the better option. Let’s understand how the ingredients on the shelf of your kitchen can work wonders to boost your immunity when consumed with your everyday food.

Ginger

Ginger has the active compound “Gingerol'' which is known for its immunity-boosting properties. It has antibacterial, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that help to keep infection at bay. It also helps to relieve congestion during a cold or cough.

How to use Ginger?

Add ginger to your teas, savoury dishes or drink grated ginger boiled with water to enjoy its benefits. Ginger has hot potency, don’t exceed the intake of ginger more than 4 grams a day.

Garlic

The magical compound “Allicin” in garlic is responsible for its medicinal property. It is also rich in antibiotic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal properties that help the body to fight against the virus and improve the resistance of the immune system.

How to use Garlic?

Add garlic to your gravies, chutney or simply crush it and add it to your soups to enjoy its numerous benefits. It is advised to consume one clove of garlic per day because of its hot potency.

Black Pepper

This spice is known for its anti-microbial, antibacterial, anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory properties that improve the functioning of the immune system, prevent the growth of bacteria, heal wounds, reduce congestion in cold and cough.

How to use Black Pepper?

Add black pepper to your gravies, tea, kadha or simply use powdered black pepper in your soups, salads or sandwiches to get the most out of this tiny spice. Don’t consume more than 1-2 tsp of black pepper any day.

Turmeric

This golden herb has the active compound “Curcumin” which is known for its immunomodulatory properties. Its antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral properties help to fight disease-causing pathogens.

How to use Turmeric?

Add raw or powdered turmeric in your gravies, pulses, drink milk with a pinch of turmeric or gargle with turmeric powder in case of congestion and enjoy various health benefits of turmeric. Excessive turmeric in food can spoil the taste of food, use it wisely.

Cinnamon

The compound “Cinnamaldehyde” and other antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties in this fragrant spice helps to fight infection and repair tissue damage. It helps to boost immunity when consumed on regular basis.

How to use Cinnamon?

Add cinnamon sticks to your gravies, kadha, tea or pulses, use cinnamon powder to your baked dishes, milk or simply with warm water to avail the benefit of this fragrant ingredient. Do not consume cinnamon in excess because of its hot potency.

Honey

This healthy sweet delight has “Hydrogen-peroxide” as one of its medicinal compounds. Also, It has antiseptic, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antioxidants, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties that are effective in boosting immunity naturally.

How to use Honey?

Add honey to milk, shakes, pancakes or drink it with warm water to get the maximum benefit of this home remedy. Don’t cook honey on direct flame, in case of crystallization of honey place the bottle in warm water.