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Fruits That Strengthen Your Immune System

The immune system is one of the most important features of the human body. Without it, our bodies would be vulnerable to disease and ailments. The immune system can be strengthened even more through daily supplements and certain foods and drinks. Fruits are very nutritious and are often used as an immune booster to help overcome illness. Here are a few fruits that strengthen the immune system:

Oranges

Oranges are one of the most common fruits to aid in strengthening the body’s immunity. This fruit is packed with Vitamin C, containing over 100% of the daily amount needed. On top of that, its supply of vitamins prevent cell damage, encourages collagen production, and lowers cortisol, a stress hormone. Oranges are super versatile and can come in the form of cut fruit, juices, and other kinds of foods.

Apples

The saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is totally true! Apples are filled with natural sugars and fiber. What’s surprising is that the nutrition doesn’t come from the inner apple itself. The most nutrition comes from the skin, which contains a plant pigment flavonoid called quercetin. Quercetin not only boosts the immune system, but also reduces inflammation. 

Blueberries

Despite being one of the smaller fruits, a handful of blueberries are just as helpful. These tiny fruitlets contain antihistamines, aiding in reducing inflammation and minimizing various sickness symptoms like a runny nose. Also, they are packed full of antioxidants which boost one’s general health.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

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Importance of Switching Up Your Workout Routine

 

For workout enthusiasts, a certain routine can make or break your motivation. This isn’t anything to fault yourself for, as humans naturally like to have a bit of structure and consistency. Despite this, keeping a rigid routine within your workout can make it feel more like a chore than an uplifting activity. Falling into the same handful of exercises also isn’t the best physically, especially if you aren’t seeing the results you’d like, or you’ve developed overuse injuries. Going forward, here are a few reasons why you should add a bit of spice to your workouts to get the best results.

Prevent strain

If you’re hitting one area consistently throughout the week without any rest, you could be putting extra stress on your body and could possibly do harm in the future. By only focusing on one area or one group of muscles and working them as hard as you can, you put yourself at risk of suffering an overuse injury. Switching up workouts to include several different points on your body can give one area rest while challenging another. As a side note, remember to stretch and relax before and after your workout!

Support your mind

Not only does switching up your workout routine benefit you physically, but it also helps you mentally and emotionally. One of the worst things you can do with your workout is making it into a chore. Once you do that, you open up the door for all motivation and love for exercise to slowly chip away as well. If you just jump on the treadmill for an hour every day, you’re going to start dreading it after a while. A good workout is supposed to have a healthy relationship with time, you shouldn’t feel like you’re working out for far longer than you actually are. 

That potential loss of motivation can lead you to not want to push harder in your workouts to gain progress or can keep you from wanting to be in the gym at all. By switching up your workout, you keep things fresh and exciting.

Additionally, workouts help support positive mental health and can reduce depression. Keeping it the same won’t challenge your mind as much as trying new things will.

How to switch up your routine

There are several ways to switch up your routine to keep things fresh. A go-to option for many is to get a gym buddy. Either meeting someone in the gym or asking a friend to come lift with you, having a friend to exercise with will give you an added layer of motivation and can even hold you to a higher sense of accountability if you miss out on a day. Another tip to keep things fresh is to consider an entirely new gym. Most gyms have the same general types of amenities but one gym may have a completely different set of machines than the next. It doesn’t hurt to shop around.

As you see, it can be easy for your workout routine to fall into the chore mindset, but this doesn’t always have to be the case! Switch things up and keep them exciting!

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Healthy Foods That Increase Metabolism

Metabolism is a very interesting process that happens in the human body. It’s a series of chemical processes that helps to maintain bodily health. One of the most important things that it does is help people burn calories and maintain or lose weight. This, however, can only happen properly if you have a good metabolic rate. Besides daily supplements, there are foods to eat that can help to speed up the metabolic process. Here are some healthy foods that can increase metabolism:

Chili Peppers

These peppers may be hot, but they can be actually very beneficial to your overall health, including metabolism. Chili peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin which, backed up by research, can slightly increase one’s metabolic rate. There are even some who say that this chemical can aid in appetite control.

Beans/Legumes

Beans and legumes are among some of the highest plant protein foods. Some examples of such foods are peas, black beans, peanuts, and chickpeas. The body burns more calories with high protein foods and beans and legumes may be one of them, suggests studies. Along with protein, fiber is included, which can aid good bacteria and help the body produce fatty acids, which in turn help with storing energy.

Tea

Containing many healthy compounds, tea may be able to boost your metabolic rate. In particular, catechins are thought to work in conjunction with caffeine to increase the metabolism. Certain teas are better at this than others like oolong and matcha green tea, which can accelerate fat oxidation and calorie burning.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

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Healthy Foods That Help Improve Immune System

The immune system is one of, if not the most important part of maintaining health. It is essentially the command center of the body to help fight off sickness and other invaders. Depending on the person, each individual immune system is different. Some may think that the key to a stronger immune system is daily supplements, but certain foods can be more than enough! Here are a few healthy immune system boosting foods to consider:

Citrus

Among the most common foods/drinks to have while sick or to prevent sickness is citrus. Citrus fruits are very high in Vitamin C levels which in turn can help with white blood cell production. Taking Vitamin C while sick with the common cold can even help speed recovery. Some popular fruits include oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and tangerines.

Red Bell Peppers

A lesser known option, red bell peppers can improve the immune system more than one may think. These peppers are so high in Vitamin C that they have around three times the amount than oranges ounce for ounce. They also contain beta carotene which the body can convert into Vitamin A.

Broccoli

This popular vegetable is rich in both vitamins and minerals. Healthy components contained in broccoli are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and other antioxidants. Research has shown that broccoli is more nutritious when raw rather than cooked as nutrition can be cooked out. If one prefers to keep broccoli hot, steaming is the best way to go as this keeps more nutrients in.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.

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Best Foods For Eye Health

Eating healthy foods can give a large variety of benefits both physically and mentally. They can help to sharpen the mind, give you more energy, and give other important boosts to everyday bodily functions. However, not many people consider eating healthy food to be a factor in improving eyesight. You might be surprised at how many normal foods we eat every day can contribute to better eyesight and eye health overall. Here are some of the best foods for eye health: 

Fish

More specifically, salmon, fish is rich in fatty acids called Omega-3s. These contribute greatly to eye health by helping to improve visual development and retina health while even assisting in preventing dry eyes. It is recommended that one eats wild-caught options instead of farm-raised as wild-caught has more omega-3s and less saturated fat.

Eggs

An extremely versatile food, eggs contribute to eye health in more ways than one. The yolk alone contains potential eye boosters like Vitamin A, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein. Vitamin A helps to protect the surface of the eye, the cornea. Zinc helps with retina health while zeaxanthin and lutein help to prevent age-related eye conditions like cataracts.

Dairy

Many dairy products have the potential to aid in eye health. Products like yogurt and milk have Vitamin A, which adds protection to the cornea, and zinc, which can prevent conditions like cataracts and even aid in seeing at night! Grass-fed cows are recognized as being a source for more of these benefits so look for products that mention grass-fed on the label.

Dr. Barbara R. Edwards, Princeton Internist, practices at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. She is also the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health.