FO-OD: 4 Fruits that Support your Immune System

Fruits have been, for a long time, touted as an essential part of a healthy diet. It is difficult to go wrong with fruit in your diet, but some fruits are better than others, dependent on your goals and requirements. We often think of fruits as being full of natural sugars, vitamins and minerals, but if you want the best gains for your health for your diet, you should try to target your fruit type to ensure you get the best benefits. There are so many fruits available to you at the supermarket now that it has become possible to make nutritious fruit choices and get the maximum benefit. Over the next few blog entries, we’ll discuss the different fruits and what they are good for…

Four of the Best Fruits for Immune Support

A range of fruits support immune function, as vitamin C is a key nutrient to improve immune function. In addition to vitamin C, vitamin E, A as well as selenium and manganese are important. These are a few fruits which can help you with an immune boost.

1. Kiwi Fruit

This furry little fruit is packed with vitamin C, which improve immune function. Each 100g of kiwi contains 155% of your RDA of vitamin C. This sounds like a lot, but you will simply excrete additional vitamin C, and as such, the kiwi is an excellent choice. A kiwi also contains 5% of your RDA manganese, which is an important antioxidant (find out more about antioxidants here), and 7% of your daily vitamin E. This is essential as an antioxidant, as well as good from protection from cancers and heart disease. The humble kiwi is also packing 50% of your RDA of vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting.

2. Mango

A mango is a sweet tasting fruit with soft flesh. 100g of mango will give you 21% of your daily vitamin A, an essential vitamin for thyroid activity and fighting infections. It’s also filled with 60% of your RDA of vitamin C, and 6% of your RDA of vitamin E. So its packing with antioxidants, which support immune function. Be careful with mango if you’re pregnant, as the high levels of vitamin A can cause issues for your babies healthy development.

3. Papaya

The papaya fruit is a relatively new fruit to the bowl in most UK homes, as it has become more popular recently. 100g of papaya if enough to give you 101% of your RDA of vitamin C, and 19% of your vitamin A, so a bowl full of papaya is great for fighting off a disease, as well as being tastier than a Lemsip! Papaya also contains 5% of your RDA of magnesium, which supports immune function and support nerve system health.

4. Blackberries

Blackberries are often forgotten, but they can be an excellent source of immune support and antioxidants. They contain 35% of your RDA of vitamin C in 100g of blackberries, as well as 7% of your vitamin E requirements, and 24% of your vitamin K needs. As well as all these, 100g contains 32% of your RDA of manganese, so blackberries are packed with antioxidants. Try keeping some blackberries with you at your desk as a snack, as they’re also great for weight loss (find out more about the benefits of berries here).

For part two, 4 fruits for athletic performance, click here.