How does Iberian ham /Jamón ibérico protect your immune system?

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The immune system is made up of cells, proteins, tissues and organs and is responsible for defending us every day against germs and micro-organisms. It is therefore up to us to help the immune system function properly to keep us healthy and prevent infection and disease. It is up to us to help the immune system continue to do its job well to keep us healthy and prevent future infections. How can we help the immune system? It is true that certain foods help to strengthen our defences. Next, we will tell you about them: nuts, avocado and Iberian ham are among them. Here are the reasons why!

What does the immune system need?

First of all, we have to keep in mind that the most important thing to help our body – in general – to function properly is to follow a healthy and balanced diet. When we give the body the nutrients it needs through a good diet, it responds to threats, making the immune system more effective.

It is also worth noting that 80% of our immune system is developed in our gut. The gut is the primary human immune defence organ. This means that the quality of our food intake essentially determines the proper functioning of our immune system.

Maintain a balanced diet

The basis of a healthy diet should be focused on eating real, quality foods that will provide us with the macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats, and micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, that we need to improve our health. In addition, it is also very important to adopt a more active lifestyle on a daily basis. Exercise improves the health of our body and helps to fight depression.
What are the benefits of sport?

• Helps regulate blood pressure, blood sugar levels…
• Helps to maintain good bone density
• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Improves cardiovascular health
• Helps control weight
• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps to improve the quality of your sleep.
• Mental health benefits.

To maintain a healthy immune system and protect our bodies, we recommend that you plan your weekly menus in a balanced way. Focus on quality, high-fiber foods such as fruit and vegetables, and foods containing healthy fats such as nuts, good olive oil for salad dressings, oily fish, etc.

Practices to strengthen the immune system

There are certain practices that will help you establish a good eating routine that contributes to the proper functioning of your body. One of the key points is hydration, it is vital to consume the 2L of water per day recommended by specialists, and it is not only water that can provide this but also broths, consommés, and natural juices, which can be revitalising and very hydrating.

Another point to bear in mind is the importance of carbohydrates in our diet, as they provide us with the energy we need to get through the day. However, it is important to remember that we should not overdo the refined grains. It is better to opt for whole grains, and not only for cereals, but also for foods such as pulses, potatoes or sweet potatoes, which are also carbohydrates and a very good source of energy.

A very interesting tip that you probably don’t know yet: if you cook this type of food and let it cool, it becomes a very necessary probiotic food for our intestinal health and will be of great benefit to your immune system. Did you know that? So if you make your lunch boxes the night before you leave for work, it will still be true!

Other nutrients

Eating vegetables and fruit is also essential in a healthy diet that boosts our immune system. You can combine fruits, vegetables and greens in all formats, raw or cooked.

Protein is also an essential nutrient in our diet, whether it is of plant or animal origin, the important thing is that it is of good quality.

The consumption of healthy fats is also one of the crucial elements of a healthy and balanced diet. We are talking about unsaturated fats from foods such as nuts, extra virgin olive oil or Iberian hamHam is one of the star products of the Spanish gastronomy, a.... These types of fats have anti-inflammatory properties, which means that they help to reduce the inflammatory context that we all frequently suffer from: we are talking about bad eating habits, consumption of ultra-processed foods, lack of sleep, lack of physical exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc.

Finally, it is also important to avoid ultra-processed foods that contain very high levels of simple sugars, which are harmful to our intestines, and other ingredients such as additives that do not benefit our organism; to avoid this and to contribute to the proper functioning of the immune system, it is preferable to consume natural, fresh and local products.

Foods that support the immune system

After reading the previous point, you should already have some clues about the ideal foods to include in a healthy, immune-supporting diet.

Anti-inflammatory foods

There are foods that have the ability to act as natural anti-inflammatories. These foods are often rich in antioxidants, fatty acids, omega-3 and fibre.

Adding foods with anti-inflammatory properties to our diet will have an impact on reducing our inflammatory environment, and will improve our absorption of nutrients, thereby deflating the gut.

• These may include vegetables such as chard, spinach, chicory, broccoli, peppers, beetroot or tomatoes. Fruits such as avocado, kiwi, lemon, tangerine or orange. Vegetables such as carrots, rich in vitamins A and D.
• Oily fish or also called oily fish such as mackerel, tuna, salmon, anchovies… this type of fish contains a high level of omega 3 (omega 3 is the healthy fat with anti-inflammatory properties) and vitamin D.
• Spices such as ginger and turmeric, which are ideal for seasoning food or for drinking as a tea.
• Fermented dairy products such as yoghurt or kefir, which contain probiotics, an important substance in the fight against infection.
• Nuts such as walnuts and almonds.

Jamón ibérico as an anti-inflammatory food

As we have said, healthy fats, which are contained in foods such as Iberian ham, have anti-inflammatory properties. It has anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, acorn-fed hamThe Iberico de Bellota ham is the best ham in the the world,... contains oleic acid, the same as that found in olive oil itself. This type of unsaturated fat has a positive effect on our bodies, reducing risk factors such as cholesterol and helping the immune system to strengthen its defences. For more information, see “The role of Iberian ham in your heart healthy diet”.

In summary, unsaturated fatty acids, found in curedWhen we talk about curing in gastronomy we are talking about... products such as acorn-fed Iberian ham, are one of the most “heart healthy” fats available. If you would like to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of ham fat, we recommend that you take a look at “Is Iberian ham fat bad for you?

Visit our online shop and discover Jamón de Bellota 100% Iberian breed, and start including it in your usual recipes, because as well as being tasty, it has many health benefits.

Summary

Article Name

How does Iberian ham protect your immune system?

Description

How to help the immune system? It is true that there are some foods that help to strengthen our defenses. We tell you what they are!

Author

Laura Izquierdo

Publisher Name

Enrique Tomás S.L.

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