The winter season, besides being cozy, snuggly, and Christmassy also brings with it loads of viral infections, flu, common colds, pneumonia, and other diseases. With a deadly disease like Covid-19 always lurking around the corner like a deadly hanging sword over our heads, it gets even more important to boost the immune system and keep it strong by consuming such foods that boost the immune system.

When it comes to immunity-boosting foods, there’s nothing that comes close to having fruits in the winter. Most of the winter fruits are often loaded with vitamin C and it is one of the most potent foods that boost our immune system. Winter is the perfect time to consume immunity foods as that is when seasonal and all-year-round fruits come together to nourish your body with the essential nutrients it needs. 

Here are 5 winter fruits that are proven to be a superfood for the immune system and should make a place in our diets:

Oranges

Starting consuming oranges is the best way to kickstart the winter season and tread on a journey to having foods that boost your immune system. Oranges are densely packed with vitamin C and calcium. Doctors believe that consuming an orange every day significantly fulfills the daily dietary requirement of vitamin C in your body. 

Apart from being one of the best immunity-boosting foods, oranges also help prevent any radical skin damage, help tremendously in weight loss, and help bring down high cholesterol levels. Given these factors in mind, orange is a superfood that helps protect you from other illnesses.

Kiwis

Besides oranges, kiwis, the green fruit that not just looks great but tastes heavenly, is a rich source of vitamin C and is considered a superfood for the immune system. Being rich in vitamin C, it helps strengthen your immune system and keeps you protected from falling sick easily and frequently. Apart from boosting your immune system, this soft and pretty-looking green fruit helps lower high blood pressure levels, prevents the formation of a blood clot, and is also instrumental in vision improvement. Being rich in antioxidants, kiwis help eliminate the production of free radicals in the body.

Cranberries

Besides oranges and kiwis, cranberries are also one of the best immunity-boosting foods. Cranberries are also richly packed in vitamin C and are found abundant during winter. These sweet-tasting, appetizing-looking, red-coloured berries are proven to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease and help bring down cholesterol levels. You can add cranberries to your salads, fruit bowls, smoothies, and breakfast cereal apart from consuming it with your daily dose of dry and soaked nuts.

Pomegranates

The cold and windy breeze throughout the winter season makes it difficult for those already having arthritis disease as it tends to increase joint pain and stiffness. Consumption of pomegranates during winter is considered extremely beneficial as a pomegranate is packed with vitamin K that is proven to strengthen bones and joints besides being an immunity-boosting food. 

Besides, pomegranate is also rich in fiber, vitamin C, and iron. Consumption of pomegranate also helps your body flush out all free radicals and offers protection against prostate cancer. Pomegranate is also effective against the clotting of blood and helps regulate blood calcium levels.

Guavas

Guavas are one of the best-tasting winter fruits that help boost your immune system. They have a sweet and sour flavour that appeals to most taste buds. Guavas are proven to have a rich nutritional portfolio as they are packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin A, copper, folate, and pectin. 

Guavas are one of the best foods that boost the immune system because the consumption of guavas in winter reduces the chances of cell deterioration and fights inflammation in the body. Being rich in pectin, guavas help regulate digestion and reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.

Strawberries

The delicious-looking and amazing-tasting strawberries are yet another winter superfood that boosts your immune system. These luscious-looking red berries are densely packed with vitamin C, manganese, folate, potassium, and antioxidants that help fight even some of the most stubborn and chronic diseases like diabetes. Being naturally sweet and sour, strawberries are also a great fruit for diabetics as they have a lower glycaemic index. You can consume strawberries just as they are, add them to fruit bowls, mix them with your cereal, or even make a smoothie. Being high in water and low in calories, they are one of the best food options for weight loss.

Grapes

Found in abundance during winter in India, grapes are one of the best foods for the immune system. No matter what variety of grapes you consume (black or green), they are delicious to eat and packed with essential nutrients. Grapes are rich in fibre which makes them a healthy option for your digestive system. Being rich in anthocyanins and resveratrol, these phytochemicals make grapes a potent food to reduce inflammation and bring down the risk of developing several chronic inflammatory disorders.

Adding the above winter fruits to your diet every day not only helps boost your immune system but also keeps seasonal colds, viral infections, and other winter diseases at bay. You can consume these winter fruits just like that, add them to your salads, cereal bowls, fruit smoothies, and much more.