A number of foods are natural sources of antiviral compounds that kill germs or inhibit their replication, thereby providing fast relief from viral infections. The health of your immune system too depends on what you eat. Consuming foods rich in nutrients essential for the healthy functioning of the immune system enables your body to fight viral infections with ease. Foods with antiviral compounds are often sources of nutrients that stimulate the immune system. Adding foods with antiviral properties to your diet, not only helps in providing faster recovery from viral infections. It also helps in minimizing risk of frequent viral infections.
The Following Foods Are Best Known For Their Antiviral Property:
1. Onion
Onion is known for its antiviral property. The high concentration of the plant compound quercetin in onion makes it a suitable food for fighting viral infections. Consuming onion seems to boost the body’s ability to cope with viral infections that affect the respiratory tract such as cold and flu. To fight viral respiratory infections with onion combine equal amounts of onion juice and honey and take three to four teaspoons of the mixture daily. To get rid of common cold, you can also eat hot roasted onion before going to bed. Topical application of onion juice helps in removing warts caused by viral infection (1).
2. Garlic
Garlic is another antiviral food that helps in fighting viral infections. It owes its antiviral properties to the sulfur based compounds allicin, alliin and ajoene. Raw garlic, fresh garlic juice and garlic extracts help in fighting the flu viruses and herpes viruses. Although, a number of garlic products are available in the market, crushed fresh garlic is considered to be the best source of the potent antiviral compounds (2).
3. Red Grapes
Red grapes contain antiviral property. The dark color of the grape is due to the high concentration of resveratrol. Try consuming red grape with the seed because the edible seeds of grapes are a wonderful source of compounds that help in boosting the immune system. Frequent consumption of red grapes helps in minimizing risk of infections (3).
4. Apple
Apple and apple juice are known for their antiviral properties. The flavonoid molecules present in apple help in fighting the viruses. While consuming apple juice, always opt for fresh apple juice. The pasteurized commercial apple juice is devoid of enzymes and compounds that help in fighting viruses (4).
5. Coconut
Coconut is another wonderful food for fighting viral infections. The medium chain fatty acids present in coconut are known for their anti-viral effect. Studies suggest that the coconut fats help in blocking a number of viruses including the herpes simplex viruses and HIV. According to a study, regular intake of coconut oil helps in reducing the viral load in AIDS patients. To fight viral infection, add creamed coconut, coconut milk, dried coconut meat or coconut oil to your diet. Unlike other fat rich foods, coconut is not associated with unintended weight gain (5).
6. Pomegranate
Pomegranate can also help in fighting viral infections. It contains a number of compounds with antiviral effect. Studies have revealed that pomegranate compounds inhibit viruses from adhering to the body tissues. Pomegranate is found to be effective in blocking influenza and herpes simplex viruses. It can also help in fighting HIV infection (6).
7. Cabbage
Cabbage is also known for its antiviral effect. It is known to improve the function of the immune system. It stimulates the immune system to increase production of antibodies, thereby providing faster relief from viral infections (7).
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