Stock up on vitamins A, C, and D or zinc to strengthen your immune system. (photo credit: Getty Images)
Seafood, citrus fruits, broccoli or even pink grapefruit: what foods should you eat regularly during winter to better resist disease?
Citrus fruits to stock up on vitamin C
Essential during the winter period, vitamin C improves immunity. It allows us to produce more white blood cells, these cells responsible for fighting viruses and bacteria infecting our body. Vitamin C also participates in the production of collagen, an important protein since it gives more robustness to the skin, defending us against external pathogens. To benefit from it, focus on grapefruit and oranges on the fruit side or on red peppers and broccoli on the vegetable side. Also prefer to eat these foods raw rather than cooked to maintain the benefits of vitamin C. The latter is sensitive to heat.
Oily fish rich in vitamin D
The holiday season is the ideal time to stock up on vitamin D. Salmon, trout and mackerel are full of it and it plays a significant role in strengthening our immune system. Vitamin D has an anti-inflammatory action useful for fighting infections. It also plays a key role in the activation of immune cells such as lymphocytes fighting against viral and bacterial infections. Finally, just like vitamin C, it helps to strengthen the first physical barriers to infections, the mucous membranes of the skin, but also the intestinal mucous membranes and the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. In addition to fatty fish, vitamin D is found in mushrooms, egg yolk and dairy products. The ideal is also to expose yourself to the sun to better synthesize the vitamin.
Beef and chicken to gain vitamin A
Another essential vitamin to strengthen your immune defenses: vitamin A. It also plays a key role in strengthening the mucous membranes present in the respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts. Vitamin A also contributes to the production of white blood cells in the body and has anti-inflammatory properties. To find it, the best is to turn to meats such as chicken or beef, or even dairy products, eggs and broccoli.
Seafood loaded with zinc
During holiday meals, indulge in oysters, whelks and other seafood. These foods are rich in zinc, a vital element for the proper functioning of the immune system. Not only is it a cell-protecting antioxidant, but it also helps produce T cells, activate immune system cells, strengthen our mucous membranes, and provide anti-inflammatory responses when infected. In addition to seafood, it is possible to find zinc in nuts, red meats, legumes or dairy products.
Plenty of probiotics in yogurts
Finally, to improve your immune system, you can consume probiotics naturally present in yogurt or kefir. These microorganisms participate in the balance of our intestinal flora. They naturally colonize our digestive system and prevent the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria within certain of our organisms, such as the intestine. Additionally, probiotics can stimulate the production of cytokines, a protein involved in communicating with immune cells. To find it, you can eat fermented foods like yogurt or kefir, but it is also found in sauerkraut, miso or kimchi.
Towards a ban on so-called anti-cold medications
Actifed, Dolirhume, Humex, Nurofen Rhume or even Rhinadvil. Since December 9, 2024, these medications are no longer available over the counter in pharmacies. Following a recommendation from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), these so-called anti-cold medications must be prescribed by a doctor. The ANSM thus hopes to limit the risks of serious side effects that could affect certain patients in contact with medications, such as myocardial infarction or even strokes. Diseases to which are added new neurological risks confirmed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
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