Why Raw Food?

There are many raw foods that strengthen your immune system. The idea behind eating raw food is that this preserves the nutrients by not damaging them through thermal treatment. Generally speaking, food is considered raw if it hasn’t been heated up to 117 degrees Fahrenheit or 48 degrees Celsius. This is due to the fact that many active components such as vitamins and many other enzymes are inactivated during the heating or cooking process. Our bodies need these components in their active state in order to get the most benefits from them. One example is vitamin C which is one of the most well-known vitamins as being important for improving the ability to fight off infections. During long cooking and boiling times, vegetables otherwise rich in this vitamin can lose much of it. Due to the high cooking temperature and its instability in water, most of the Vitamin C ends up leaching into the water. One other very important compound found in raw foods that strengthen your immune system is an enzyme called “catalase”. This enzyme has the ability to break down hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is better known as bleach. Now, what do bleach and catalase have to do with our immune system and our bodies overall? Hydrogen peroxide is normally created in our bodies during the conversion of food into energy, within our cells, but has a destructive oxidative affect. Catalase has the ability to neutralize the destructive nature of hydrogen peroxide. One particular part of the body that benefits from this process is the thymus gland.

Thymus Gland for Immune System Health

The thymus gland is very important for the efficiency of our immune system. It produces T-cells, which are part of the adaptive immune system and are responsible for the identification and elimination of pathogens and the prevention of their growth. The thymus gland is very active during the growing period of our lives but then with aging, it shrinks and becomes less active. Components that affect this loss of activity are oxidative compounds like hydrogen peroxide. One important study has shown that the aging of the thymus gland is the result of accumulated metabolic damage and the rate of shrinkage is directly influenced by the low amount of the catalase enzyme. So, low catalase => low thymus gland activity => low number of T-cells => weaken immune system.

Raw Foods That Strengthen Your Immune System

How to Prevent this Weakening of the Immune System? Eat more raw food! Vegetables and fruit contain these essential anti-oxidative compounds which keep our immune system active and protect our body overall. Here are ten sources of essential anti-oxidative compounds for our immune system:

Kiwi

This refreshing delicious fruit, edible as soon as its skin is peeled, contains over 20 vital nutrients including vitamins C, K and A as well as potassium. The amount of vitamin C found in a single kiwi is more than 5 oranges.

Watermelon

Another well-known summer treat is watermelon. Mostly water, watermelons are like juice filled with nutrients. It is like nature pre-designed a smoothie with vitamins C, vitamin A, B6, amino acids and antioxidants like lycopene. Lycopene is what gives watermelons their red color. It is a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to heart and bone health. There are also indications that lycopene can reduce inflammatory processes in the body. Just remember - the redder the watermelon is, the more lycopene it will have.

Pineapple

Imagine holding several different berries. Now squeeze them together and add up all their individual benefits. A fruit that contains all of these benefits in one delicious fruit and a member of the family of raw foods that strengthen your immune system is... the pineapple. Pineapples are also rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, enzymes, and manganese which, again, help to improve antioxidant defenses to protect us from harmful compounds accumulating in the body. It is also high in thiamin and other B vitamins important for energy production. There are studies indicating bromelain from pineapples can reduce inflammation and help with osteoarthritis.

Peaches

Even though they taste really sweet, peaches are low in calories, which allows us to enjoy them often. Peaches are rich in minerals and health promoting antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and ß-cryptoxanthin. These polyphenolic antioxidants protect us from free radicals which speed up the aging process.

Apricots

Rich in both vitamin C and beta-carotene (Vitamin A), and damage-fighting antioxidants, apricots know how to boost your immune system and improve the heart health. Some of the antioxidants in apricots are Proanthocyanidins, Quercetin, Epicatechins, Hydroxycinnamics, Gallic acid, Catechins, Caffeic acid, Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid.

Bananas

Many of us start our day with this fruit. There are many reasons for that, but let’s focus on 2:

• ready-to-use energy
• ready-to-use nutrients

Bananas are an excellent source not only of vitamins but also minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, niacin, riboflavin, folate and B6. Bananas contain powerful antioxidant groups including catechins and dopamine.

Carrots

When it comes to the raw food that strengthen your immune system, here is how we describe carrots “small in calories – big in nutrition”. The most important antioxidant is beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is crucial for boosting the immune system and it protects eye health. Free radicals can cause many problems in our bodies, including cancers. Antioxidants from carrots know how to defend the body from them.

Cucumber

It is a relative of the watermelon and, just like the watermelon, it is one of the raw foods that strengthen your immune system. Made also from more than 90% water, although not as tasty as watermelon, it is on-par with the number of nutrients it contains. Cucumbers are rich in polyphenols, which may reduce the risk of prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. They are also rich in antioxidant flavonoids and vitamins A and C. Besides improving the immune system, cucumbers are also great for cooling down the inflammatory processes in the body.

Garlic

Garlic is one of the best raw foods that strengthen your immune system. It contains more than 100 active components that promote our health and fight off infections. Garlic boosts our immune system by increasing the production rate of protective cells in our body. Those are Natural Killer Cells – the part of our immune system that attacks every invader without specific targeting. Garlic is a true natural immune system booster.

Ginger

Ginger is a well-known spice versatile in both savory and sweet cooking. Now we know why it is such a good idea to use it when feel sick, as it is a powerhouse against infection. Ginger has 2 very important characteristics. It is filled with antioxidants, and it has the ability to activate T-cell,s which we know are a very important part of the adaptive immune system. Our ability to improve our health is tied to our knowledge of how to boost our immune system and we need to do this with our diet. Unfortunately, our body’s production of T-cells reduces over the years and there is only so much you can do to improve this through your diet. Natural supplements are necessary to replace the essential proteins your Thymus Gland no longer produces. Read more about Bio-Pro Plus natural supplements and How to Boost Your Immune System through this bio-identical supplement.

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