We all know that your immune system is the best defense to treat a virus. Going to the doctors won’t save you from RSV, Mono, CMV, or Influenza that are the most common viruses that spread when the weather starts to cool down. What your doctor might not have told you is there are natural foods to remedy symptoms of these viruses and help your body rid the infection much quicker.
The 4 Foods That Support The Immune System During Viral Infection
These 4 must have foods to eat when you get sick with a virus is a nutritional natural remedy that will support your heart, liver and even your spleen. All three of these organs are very important to support especially when CMV or Mono hits you or your family. These two viruses are in the herpes family that can be reactivated once you have it and continues to spread.
Chickenpox is in the same family. The severity of these herpes family viruses is worse for adults and they are often overlooked as the common cold or the flu. The spleen and liver become especially inflamed with one of these viral infections as the bodies immune system pumps out as many viral fighting white blood cells as they can. The heart is working overtime with the added blood cells circulating and the spleen and liver are being overworked to try and filter out the virus and old blood cells after they have consumed the virus.
RSV and Influenza can have similar organ impacts and are especially more severe for younger children, elderly, and those with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, etc.
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Here are the 4 must eat foods:
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Avocado
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Olive oil
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Hard boiled eggs
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Banana
Avocado
This popular nutrient-dense food loved by many is high in healthy fats, Omega 3’s, vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.
During a viral infection, your whole body is in overdrive. These nutrients can help restore the blood, support the immune system, and give your liver just what it needs to get rid of the toxic virus invading your body.
Avocados can be eaten by people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions with diet limitations. They are also mild in flavor making them usually kid approved. I know I’m lucky that my son loves guacamole!
Olive Oil
I bring up olive oil quite a bit in my blogs. Olive oil is THE ULTIMATE SUPER FOOD in my opinion! I use it for everything and so much so that I go through THIS organic extra virgin olive oil monthly. I use it for sunscreen, prevent mosquito bites, skincare moisturizer, and I even talk about how olive oil can solve these 5 wintertime problems.
Olive oil is also loaded with healthy fats that your liver craves when we are sick but also has some super power antioxidants to boost your immune system. Once you read my previous olive oil articles I mentioned previously, you will understand my love for olive oil especially when you are sick.
Olive oil can be mixed easily with soups or if you’re really desperate to get better, you can take a spoonful right out of the bottle like medicine. This is exactly what I did when I ended up with a CMV infection. With 5 kids in the house at all different ages, you end up getting just about everything that can spread. I was starving and felt as if I was dying at the same time. A spoonful of olive oil actually cures those feelings in the matter of minutes. My son wasn’t as desperate as I was so I added a spoonful to his chicken noodle soup and to his tomato soup he likes. Both soups worked out for him.
Hard Boiled Eggs
The hard boiled eggs will offer you protein during a viral infection. Your heart is pumping all those blood cells, antibodies (which are made of protein), and the invading virus throughout all of your organs. Your heart is also a muscle and needs protein as well as all the other nutrients we have discussed and will discuss to keep things working and moving quickly.
The protein in eggs are preserved better in a hard boiled egg as apposed to scrambled eggs or fried eggs. When the eggs are cooked on high heat, the protein is broken down and lost. That won’t help you. Hard boiled eggs, especially the brown ones with a thicker shell preserve the most protein in the egg to support your heart and allows your body to use the protein to make more antibodies and fight off the virus.
Added tip: To cook perfect brown hard boiled eggs, bring water to a boil and then add the eggs. Keep at a boil for 1-2 minutes. Shut off the heat and cover the eggs in the pot with a lid. Keep the eggs in the pot covered for 12-13 minutes. Place the pot in the sink with the eggs and run cold water over the eggs for about 5 minutes. That’s it. Perfect and easy to peel every time.
Banana
The last must have food to support your body during a viral infection are bananas. The bananas offer the added magnesium and potassium to support electrolyte equilibrium within all of the cells in your body. The carbs and natural sugars also give you some added energy. Bananas are not to be eaten by everyone especially concerning for those with diabetes or maybe you’re one of the few who is allergic to bananas (my sister being one of them).
In the case where you can’t eat bananas, I recommend supplementing with potassium and magnesium. Most people who take supplements swear by taking a Potassium Magnesium (Citrate) supplement.
My sister takes the supplement and I enjoy my bananas. I just love bananas anyhow, so much so that I have become an expert in growing banana plants indoors!
Summary
You should now know how to support your vital organs such as your heart, liver and spleen during those viral infections that your body requires a bit more assistance from you. The 4 foods recommended are very popular and healthy to eat by almost everyone except for the bananas that may require a supplement instead.
These foods can help you fight a virus better and faster and are ok to eat by ALL ages. The best medicine however, is preventive medicine. Eating these foods more often as well as taking the right multivitamin daily can help your body fight viral infections before they even start.
Do read our natural medicine recommendations for other infections including bacterial and don’t forget to stock up and prepare before cold and flu season hit! Also, learn how to fix a Eustachian tube dysfunction naturally. Those are common after any kind of infection involving the sinuses. I hope you feel better soon and feel free to comment with any questions.
The New Health Cycle 