Superfoods to Keep You Healthy This Spring

Right alongside April showers and May flowers, spring is notorious for bringing with it a flurry of sniffles, sneezes, and seasonal allergies. But even though it may be tempting to simply head straight to the medicine cabinet when you start to feel under the weather, sometimes switching up what you’re putting on your plate might be even more effective.

Filling up on the right foods is key to keeping your immune system healthy and strong so that it can fight off the viruses and infections that run rampant during the spring. This is because certain foods are rich in essential nutrients and antioxidants that have been shown to have a powerful effect on both immunity and overall health.

Here are the top 5 spring superfoods that you should be including in your diet to help keep your body in tip-top shape and ward off sickness for the rest of the season.

Kale

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Kale is considered one of the top powerhouses of nutrition. Just one cup of chopped kale can meet and exceed your need for vitamins A, C and K and also deliver a good chunk of manganese, B-vitamins and calcium. Kale is also packed with antioxidants like kaempferol and quercetin, which possess anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-allergic properties. Plus, it’s now available year-round in most states.

Thanks to their impressive nutrient profile, cruciferous veggies like kale have been shown to aid in detoxification, amp up immunity and prevent chronic disease. A higher intake of cruciferous vegetables has even been associated with a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and inflammation.

Sweet Potatoes

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Equal parts colorful and nutritious, sweet potatoes are the perfect way to brighten up your plate all year-round. Besides being incredibly versatile and delicious, they’re also brimming with vitamin A, a vital nutrient that plays a central role in the health of your immune system. In fact, just one medium sweet potato contains four times the amount of vitamin A you need for the entire day.

Why is this nutrient so important? Vitamin A helps promote the production of immune cells that fight off foreign invaders to prevent infection and illness. Studies have also found that upping your intake of vitamin A may enhance immune function and improve the outcomes for certain types of infectious disease.

Strawberries

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Including a serving or two of strawberries in your diet can provide you with a concentrated dose of antioxidants, helping to neutralize the harmful free radicals that damage your cells and contribute to chronic conditions. The antioxidants found in strawberries can also protect against infections and help build up a resistance against viruses and bacteria.

Not only that, but strawberries are also jam-packed with vitamin C, meeting and exceeding your daily needs by 149 percent in a single one-cup serving. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in immunity and has been shown to reduce symptom severity and shorten the duration of seasonal bugs like the common cold.

Brussels Sprouts

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Brussels sprouts may not top the charts in terms of popularity, but these cruciferous veggies definitely make up for it when it comes to their nutritional value. They’re low in calories yet bursting with important nutrients like fiber, vitamin K and vitamin C. And while they’re often considered a winter vegetable, they’re actually harvested through March and April in many places.

Because of their antioxidant content, studies show that Brussels sprouts are especially effective at protecting cells from damage. One study in the Netherlands even found that eating two cups of Brussels sprouts daily reduced oxidative cell damage by a whopping 28 percent. Brussels sprouts are also high in certain enzymes that aid in detoxification, keeping your body free of the toxins and impurities that can drag you down.

Beets

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Whether you’re consuming them roasted, pickled, steamed or juiced, eating beets regularly can make a big impact on your health. Beets are especially high in betalain, a type of natural pigment that’s responsible for the vibrant color of beets as well as their health-promoting properties.

Animal studies have turned up some incredible benefits on the effects of beets on health and wellness. One animal study showed that beetroot juice was able to protect the liver against oxidative stress and reduce cell damage by 38 percent. Meanwhile, another animal study showed that beetroot juice boosted the levels of multiple enzymes involved in detoxification, helping to efficiently cleanse the body to maximize health.