Best Fruits and Vegetables to Help Boost Immune System

Regularly eating fresh fruits and vegetables is the natural way to boost your immune system. These great-tasting fruits and vegetables are nature's way of keeping you healthy. Natural foods that are high in Vitamins A, C, E, B-6, zinc and folic acid are beneficial in supporting the immune system [1]. It is much more fun to eat your way to health than to take pills or supplements anyway, so here are six great fruits and six great vegetables that are sure to give your immune system the boost it needs this winter.

Kiwi is loaded with Vitamin C despite being very low in calories. Two medium kiwi add only 90 calories to your diet but deliver a whopping 240% of the daily value for Vitamin C. The kiwi will also provide 450 mg of potassium and four grams of dietary fiber. That is a lot of benefit from such a small fruit. Kiwi is great eaten alone, in a fruit medley, or as a topping for yogurt.

Oranges are frequently associated with Vitamin C. One medium-sized orange delivers 130% or the daily value for Vitamin C. An orange also provides 250 mg of potassium yet has only 80 calories. Oranges are great eaten plain or easily juiced to make a nutritious drink.

Grapefruit are also very high in Vitamin C with one-half of a grapefruit containing 100% of the daily value for Vitamin C. Grapefruit are surprisingly low in calories. Half of a grapefruit contains only 60 calories. Grapefruit are often linked with diets and weight loss but are also an excellent citrus fruit for boosting your immune system. Grapefruit are often eaten plain (sometimes with a sweetener added though) and are also easily juiced to make a refreshing, healthy fruit beverage.

Cantaloupe provides a high level of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin A supports healthy skin - our first line of defense against illness and infection [2]. Cantaloupe contains 80% of the daily value of Vitamin C and 120% of the daily value of Vitamin A in one-fourth of a melon. This serving size contains only 50 calories.