Citrus fruits
The orange originated in a region encompassing Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar; the earliest mention of the sweet orange was in Chinese literature in 314 BC. Orange trees are widely grown in tropical and subtropical areas for their sweet fruit. The fruit of the orange tree can be eaten fresh or processed for its juice or fragrant peel. In 2022, 76 million tonnes of oranges were grown worldwide, with Brazil producing 22% of the total, followed by India and China.
Oranges, variously understood, have featured in human culture since ancient times. They first appear in Western art in the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, but they had been depicted in Chinese art centuries earlier, as in Zhao Lingrang’s Song dynasty fan painting Yellow Oranges and Green Tangerines. By the 17th century, an orangery had become an item of prestige in Europe, as seen at the Versailles Orangerie. More recently, artists such as Vincent van Gogh, John Sloan, and Henri Matisse included oranges in their paintings.
The orange tree is a relatively small evergreen, flowering tree, with an average height of 9 to 10 m (30 to 33 ft), although some very old specimens can reach 15 m (49 ft). Its oval leaves, which are alternately arranged, are 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) long and have crenulate margins. Sweet oranges grow in a range of different sizes, and shapes varying from spherical to oblong. Inside and attached to the rind is a porous white tissue, the white, bitter mesocarp or albedo (pith).
The orange contains a number of distinct carpels (segments or pigs, botanically the fruits) inside, typically about ten, each delimited by a membrane and containing many juice-filled vesicles and usually a few pips. When unripe, the fruit is green. The grainy irregular rind of the ripe fruit can range from bright orange to yellow-orange, but frequently retains green patches or, under warm climate conditions, remains entirely green. Like all other citrus fruits, the sweet orange is non-climacteric, not ripening off the tree. The Citrus sinensis group is subdivided into four classes with distinct characteristics: common oranges, blood or pigmented oranges, navel oranges, and acidless oranges. The fruit is a hesperidium, a modified berry; it is covered by a rind formed by a rugged thickening of the ovary wall.
Vitamin C is an important nutrient that helps in several cellular functions and accords support to the body’s immune system. The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C help in fighting free radicals, inhibiting inflammation, and boosting immunity. It also helps in strengthening the bones, formation of blood vessels, and maintaining skin health while boosting the immune system. Citrus fruits for immunity like oranges, lemon, grapes, and limes are a rich source of Vitamin C. Owing to the abundant presence of this vitamin, consuming citrus fruits for immune system is greatly recommended.
Various fruits like lemons, limes, different varieties of oranges and grapes belong to the citrus fruits for immune system. They are generally pulpy and made of slightly thick skins. Even the peels of some of the citrus fruits immune system have great health benefits. Phytonutrients like carotenoids as well as polyphenols (flavonoids) are found in abundance in citrus fruits for immunity. These phytonutrients have antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals and boost the immune system.
How Do Citrus Fruits Boost the Immune System ?
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits for the immune system, a nutrient that mainly contributes to the strength of the immune system. Vitamin C enhances the production of white blood cells that are necessary to fight infections. The ability to improve immunity makes citrus fruits a good remedy for a severe cold.
Citrus fruits boost immune system also because of the presence of Vitamin A. This vitamin enhances mucosal immunity and helps in production of white blood cells. Vitamin A also boosts the response and functions of the immune system to ward off respiratory tract infections and inflammation.
Exercise
Exercise is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, prevent injuries, hone athletic skills, improve health, or simply for enjoyment. Many people choose to exercise outdoors where they can congregate in groups, socialize, and improve well being as well as mental health.
The majority of the benefits from exercise are achieved with around 3500 metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes per week, with diminishing returns at higher levels of activity. For example, climbing stairs 10 minutes, vacuuming 15 minutes, gardening 20 minutes, running 20 minutes, and walking or bicycling for transportation 25 minutes on a daily basis would together achieve about 3000 MET minutes a week.
People who participate in moderate to high levels of physical exercise have a lower mortality rate compared to individuals who by comparison are not physically active. Moderate levels of exercise have been correlated with preventing aging by reducing inflammatory potential.
Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight, regulating the digestive system, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system. Some studies indicate that exercise may increase life expectancy and the overall quality of life.
A lack of physical activity causes approximately 6% of the burden of disease from coronary heart disease, 7% of type 2 diabetes, 10% of breast cancer, and 10% of colon cancer worldwide. Overall, physical inactivity causes 9% of premature mortality worldwide.
Adequate sleep
Getting an adequate amount of sleep always makes for a refreshing start to the day and helps one stay alert and productive throughout the day. However, getting proper sleep does more than just this – it also serves as an excellent immunity booster. In fact, your sleep and your immunity might be much more interlinked than you might think. In fact, not getting the amount of sleep that is required for your body, has been closely linked with being more susceptible to becoming ill and developing various health conditions.
Sleep is one of the most underrated but important factors for immunity.
This can be understood better by taking a closer look at the processes that our body goes through when we sleep. Our sleep cycle serves as the ideal time for the body to regenerate cells, repair any broken cells and organs, and circulate various immune and white blood cells throughout the body. These processes help build your immunity over time and are best accomplished when your body is in a state of deep sleep.
Protein intake
White blood cells are a part of the immune system that help fight infections and defend the body against other foreign materials. These cells require protein. “Ensure an adequate intake of protein (dals, legumes, milk and its products, eggs, chicken, fish). Indian diets are rich in carbohydrates, so one must pay extra care towards including proteins in their diet,” Dr Gupta noted.
Concerns about not getting enough protein arise when you’re undereating or taking a weight-loss medication. People on a restrictive diet, diagnosed with an eating disorder or taking a weight-loss drug tend to skip meals. That starts a cascade of effects including not getting enough protein and greater loss of muscle mass, which isn’t the type of weight you want to lose.
If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s essential that you don’t skip meals. Eat a good source of protein three times a day to meet your body’s needs.
It’s better to spread out your protein consumption evenly throughout the day. On average, people get most of their protein from evening meals and the least from breakfast.
Some newer studies show that moving some protein from supper to breakfast can help with weight management by decreasing hunger and cravings throughout the day. More research is needed before these claims are verified.
General recommendations are to consume 15-30 grams of protein at each meal. Studies show that higher intakes in one sitting more than 40 grams are no more beneficial than consuming the recommended 15-30 grams at one time. Don’t waste your money on more protein than you need.
Proteins are the main building blocks of your body. They’re used to make muscles, tendons, organs, and skin, as well as enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and various molecules that serve many important functions.
Proteins consist of smaller molecules called amino acids, which link together like beads on a string. Your body produces some of these amino acids, but you must obtain others known as essential amino acids via your diet.
Different dietary sources of protein have different amino acid compositions. Many lean meats and dairy products contain all the ‘essential’ amino acids, while these are less abundant in a plant-based diet.
However, with a small amount of research and nutritional consideration, it is perfectly possible to get all the essential protein elements in good quantities on a plant-based diet. For example, complete vegan protein powders and other supplements are a helpful way to reach protein targets.
Turmeric is one of the best natural immune boosters that can be added to one’s diet quite easily. Turmeric is rich in curcumin which is an antioxidant that also has anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is a common spice and is used in cooking most dishes and can help boost the immune system, protecting it from harmful viruses and bacteria, which makes it one of the best home remedies for immunity in India.
Oily fish like salmon and tuna are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. These are immunity boosters that help in preventing conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, which usually occurs when the immune system attacks a healthy part of the body. Oily fish can also help in increasing white blood cells in the body, which further helps strengthen the immune system.
Ginger has many anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties that can help boost the immunity system. An increased intake of ginger as part of the daily diet can help strengthen the immune system. Ginger is one of the best vegetables for immunity.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of leaves) about one meter tall, bearing narrow leaf blades. The inflorescences bear flowers having pale yellow petals with purple edges, and arise directly from the rhizome on separate shoots.
Ginger is in the family Zingiberaceae, which also includes turmeric (Curcuma longa), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), and galangal. Ginger originated in Maritime Southeast Asia and was likely domesticated first by the Austronesian peoples. It was transported with them throughout the Indo-Pacific during the Austronesian expansion (c. 5,000 BP), reaching as far as Hawaii. Ginger is one of the first spices to have been exported from Asia, arriving in Europe with the spice trade, and was used by ancient Greeks and Romans. The distantly related dicots in the genus Asarum are commonly called wild ginger because of their similar taste.