Food 101: Help Your Immune System Help You

It's that time of year again- everyone you know, love, or sit next to on the bus has the sniffles. Maybe it's just a runny nose, maybe it's a cough, or maybe they have that hazy, glazed, high-temperature look. Whatever the symptoms, you can be sure of one thing: it's spreading. Your immune system will do its best to fight all the little beasties of the season, but what have you done lately to tip the battle? These foods will help weaponize your white blood cells and keep you sniffle-free.

This vitamin doesn't get as much fanfare as its' more attractive cousin Vitamin C, but it will increase your body's natural killer cells, cells designed to seek out and kill anything that does not belong in your body- viruses very much included. Pack some more E into your diet by stocking up on almonds, spinach, avocado, and broccoli.

There's a reason everyone tells you Vitamin C is the best way to stay healthy- it jumpstarts your body's production of white blood cells and helps your other cells prevent harmful bacteria from getting inside. But that doesn't mean oranges are your only option, as any citrus fruit will do, and you can combine them with Vitamin C- high strawberries, kiwi, or melons. If fruit isn't your thing, you can get the same benefits from bell peppers, brussel sprouts, leafy greens, broccoli, and tomatos.

Usually your body produces Vitamin D naturally through nutrition your skin gets from the sun. But in the winter months, when the sun is much weaker and most of us are hiding inside anyway, this vital booster goes missing. Shore up your defenses with fish like salmon, mackerel, catfish, and tuna. If you're not a fish person then eggs, soy milk, salami, mushrooms, ham, and sausage also qualify.