Benefits of a colourful diet

Washington: It turns out that what you eat can help your immune system fight off any potential illnesses. While there is no specific food or diet that helps rid the body of disease, eating foods full of nutrients can be beneficial, said Samantha Heller, a registered dietician and senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York told CNN.

Heller added, “The immune system needs all nutrients to function optimally. These include vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, protein and phytonutrients.” Many colourful foods can provide benefits for the immune system and gut health.

Red, orange and yellow tend to have lots of vitamin C, which help the immune system. Dr Eddie Fatakhov, a physician and nutritionist at the Center for Internal and Integrative Medicine in Alpharetta, Georgia told CNN, “If you're eating the rainbow, any red bell peppers and green bell peppers have a lot of vitamin C. They have a lot of antioxidants and phytonutrients.”

Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice are major contributors of vitamin C as well. Other good food sources include strawberries, kiwi, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

Arugula, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage and other leafy greens are rich in nutrients that can benefit your immune system, including vitamins C, E and K. They also include carotenoids, folate and minerals.

Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli are a source of indole-3-carbinol, which along with other indoles, have been studied for the role they may play in lowering the risk of several types of cancer. That research remains ongoing.

Dried fruits too pack a big nutrient punch. The reason is that nutrients and fibre are more concentrated when water is removed from fruit. Dried fruit is also a rich source of antioxidants and B vitamin folate.