Strengthening the Immune System Through Food

As your senior gets older, you will want them to help take precautions against getting sick. One of the best ways to ensure a senior gets less sick throughout the year is by boosting their immune system, and a good way to do this is through food. Having a well-rounded and healthy diet can truly boost a senior’s immune system. You may wonder what vitamins to focus on and what foods will help seniors boost their immune systems.

What Seniors Should Focus On

You may not know what to focus on when finding food and snacks for your senior loved one. It’s important to note that you and elder care can’t simply guess what vitamins your senior is lacking. Your senior will need to get a blood test done to find out what they need in their diets. If it’s too low, a senior may take vitamin supplements to get the proper amount. Once you go to a doctor and determine what needs to be done, you can focus on these things.

• Protein – This is essential and can be provided from certain foods. Protein can help repair muscle, tissues, and cells, and boost a seniors immune system.
• Vitamin C – This is always the vitamin people first think of when figuring out how to boost the immune system. It is a well-known antioxidant known to battle most illnesses by taking on radicals in the body.
• Vitamin D – Another common vitamin that people like to focus on. Why? Because this vitamin helps regulate the immune system and helps with bone health! Both are crucial focuses for seniors.
• Zinc – One mineral put on the back burner for seniors is zinc, but it’s crucial for the body. It helps the body by fighting off bacteria that can harm seniors.

Again, one of the most important things to do is take your senior to go get tested before giving them a bunch of supplements. All of these vitamins and minerals can be found in food that elder care can help prepare.

Bell Peppers for Vitamin C

If you’re looking for a low-calorie snack for your loved one, try cutting up bell peppers to snack on! These are filled with vitamin c and anti-inflammatory properties. Bell peppers are also amazing for eye health on top of being able to help boost seniors’ immunity. A senior’s immune system may naturally get lower, but snacking on these tasty fruits can give your senior a big advantage in terms of health. They are also super low-calorie, making them great for seniors managing their weight.

Salmon for Vitamin D

One of the best ways to get the most vitamin D is by eating fatty fish like salmon! This is a super tasty fish that can be cooked in many different ways, but if elder care is helping cook it to make sure that no piece is raw, it should be cooked thoroughly. You can add this to a salad or eat it plain with rice.

Eggs for Protein

If your seniors need more protein, they can eat eggs each morning to start their day off right. Protein helps build and maintain muscle, which is why it is crucial for seniors. But it also helps boost a senior’s immune system. The best thing about snacking on eggs is they can be cooked in many different ways.