Frustrated with how your health seems to get in the way of your weight-loss goals? You spent all weekend drawing up the most solid fitness schedule ever — only to fall sick a few days later. As if that wasn’t bad enough, by the time you feel better, your boss wants you to work overtime now. Nothing seems to be going the way you want them to, and you’re sure that most of it is thanks to your own body. Sadly, there’s no magic shield for an impenetrable immune system. But you can help boost your immunity by adding fruits from all over the world to your diet. Let’s take a look at those that are easily found in the South East Asian region alone.
Coconut
Not only does fresh coconut taste refreshing, it can feel refreshing too. Indulge a little more in fresh coconut if you frequently find yourself feeling overly fatigued from low iron levels. One serving of this may help you meet approximately 11% of your recommended daily intake. Iron deficiency is extremely common among women; and having to control our diet may even further worsen it. Your body can’t just go into any sort of energy-saving mode whenever you want it to. Regardless of your diets, your red blood cells are still going to need iron to function properly. Help yourself by making sure that you still do get enough of it.
Coconuts are also high in potassium, making them an excellent choice of beverage to go with more sodium-rich foods. Sodium does get quite a lot of bad rep as of late, no thanks to how much of it is found in most modern diets. However, when combined with potassium, sodium becomes absolutely necessary in helping your body regulate blood pressure. You should, of course, continue to keep your sodium intake in check while you’re at it.
Mangosteen
Mangosteens are some of nature’s mightiest immunity boosters. Known as one of the few sources of powerful antioxidants known as xanthones, these are definitely fruits to look out for. Xanthones are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, particularly for those struggling with their weights. However, majority of these antioxidants are actually found in the fruit’s rinds. You don’t have to start nibbling on these rinds as they are, though. Instead, look into drinking mangosteen juice. Consuming enough of the juice may help you stay healthy. Being healthy allows you to keep exercising and continue working on that stubborn fat around your waist.
Besides xanthones, mangosteens are also high in fibre, which may better control how much you eat. In addition, the right combination of fibre and water fosters an overall better digestive health, keeping your body free from debilitating gut issues.
Rambutan
As hideous looking as they are, rambutans offer nutritional benefits that are far from ugly. Rich in the ever so crucial vitamin C, rambutans are helpful in staving off infections. Your body has no way of storing this vitamin, which means that it’s going to need all the vitamin C it can get on a daily basis. This gives you the perfect excuse to buy a whole bunch of rambutans from the nearest fruit stand on your way home from work today.
Rambutans are also a good source of iron, effectively preventing fatigue from getting in the way of your fitness regime. It’s not pleasant, to say the least, for your vision to start blacking out whenever you start reaching for your toes. Do note, though, that calcium and even caffeine may hinder your body’s ability to absorb iron from the food that you eat. Try avoiding these for at least a couple of hours before splitting open some rambutans for your daily intake of iron.
Lychee
If rambutans’ poor aesthetic appeal puts you off way too much for your taste, consider their close relatives, lychees. These fruits are just as rich in vitamin C as their cousins, and are thus just as helpful in meeting your daily recommended intake of the vitamin. On top of that, lychees also contain polyphenols, compounds that may be helpful in trimming fat around your waist. The only catch here is that you do need to watch how much lychees you eat. They’re so small that they may fool you into eating too much of them, and increasing your daily intake of carbs.
Pomelo
South East Asia is also home to pomelos, fruits that look so similar to grapefruits, they might as well be doppelgängers. As citrus fruits, pomelos are some of the best ways to cover your daily recommended intake of vitamin C as well. Sufficient amounts of vitamin in your everyday diet may also increase body fat oxidation as you exercise. This, combined with fat-burning enzymes in pomelos, makes these fruits wonderful additions to any weight-loss diet. If you’re struggling to eliminate the last inch of fat around your waist, be sure to try some pomelos today.