5 Foods to Add to Your Fall Routine for Healthy Immune Support

Fall changes more than the weather.

The days get shorter. Meals get warmer. The holiday season creeps closer with every passing week.

That makes this a good time to pay attention to what is showing up on your plate.

No single food can guarantee you will not get sick. But getting enough of the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients matters for normal immune function. The NIH notes that eating a variety of nutritious foods can help provide the nutrients needed for a healthy immune system.

Here are five easy places to start.

1. Mushrooms

Mushrooms contain natural compounds called beta-glucans.

Different mushrooms contain different types and amounts. Researchers continue to study how mushroom beta-glucans interact with the immune system. Human research has found immune effects from some fungal beta-glucans, although results vary depending on the specific mushroom, extract and dose.

The good news is that mushrooms fit naturally into fall cooking. Add them to soups, eggs, pasta, casseroles or roasted vegetables.

2. Citrus Fruit

Oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruits are well known for vitamin C. And that reputation is earned.

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and plays an important role in normal immune function.

Add orange slices to breakfast. Squeeze lemon into water. Keep easy-to-peel clementines on the counter for a quick afternoon snack.

3. Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries provide vitamins along with naturally occurring plant compounds called phytochemicals.

Berries have been studied for a range of potential health effects involving their vitamin and phytochemical content.

Fresh or frozen both work well. Try them with oatmeal, yogurt or blended into a morning smoothie.

4. Dark Leafy Greens

Spinach, kale and other dark leafy vegetables pack several useful nutrients into one food.

They can provide folate, vitamin A precursors and vitamin E. Both vitamin A and vitamin E play roles in normal immune function.

A handful tossed into soup, scrambled eggs, pasta or a simple side salad is enough to make a difference over time.

5. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes get their orange color from carotenoids like beta-carotene.

Your body can convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, a nutrient that plays an important role in normal immune function.

Roast them. Mash them. Cube them into a sheet-pan dinner with whatever else is in the fridge. They are one of the easiest fall vegetables to work with.

The Simplest Rule: Aim for Variety

You do not need to build your entire diet around one food.

A better approach is to give your body a range of nutrient-rich foods on a regular basis.

Mushrooms one day. Berries the next. Leafy greens at dinner. Something orange or citrus whenever it fits.

Small choices add up. Especially when they become part of your normal routine.