EZ Melts Health Blog

Read Time: 3 minutes  Summer is flying by! It’s going to be fall in a month, which means it's officially going to be flu season. Are you prepared?  One of the best ways to protect yourself against the flu besides getting the flu shot is to boost your immune system with vitamins and minerals. Many different foods are rich sources of immune-boosting nutrition. We’ve compiled a list of our seven favorites.  These foods have tons of antioxidants and other nutrients that will help keep you healthy during flu season, so stock up on these superfoods and stay healthy all fall and winter. Garlic This pungent little bulb is not only great for adding flavor to your cooking, but it's also a powerful natural antibiotic, which promotes a strong immune system response.  Garlic also has antiviral properties that can support your immune system when it is fending off the flu virus. In addition, it contains compounds like allicin and sulfides, which fight viruses and bacteria. Green Tea  Green tea is rich in antioxidants, which can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Green tea also has antiviral properties that may help fight the flu virus, and it’s also a great source of polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, you can’t beat a warm cup of tea on a chilly fall day. Ginger People have used ginger as a natural remedy for nausea and vomiting for centuries, but this spicy, warm root is also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce flu symptoms. Turmeric Turmeric is a beautiful golden-colored spice that is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It can also help boost the immune system and fight off infection. Try using it in soup or a golden milk latte, and you’ll never want to be without this sunshine-colored spice again! Spinach  Spinach is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, essential for a robust immune system. Vitamin A helps to protect against infection, while vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that boosts immunity. Vitamin C also enhances your body’s absorption of iron. Oranges  Oranges are rich in vitamin C, essential for a powerful immune system. Vitamin C helps to protect cells from damage and aids in producing white blood cells, which are key in fighting infections and boosting your immune system due to its natural antibiotic properties. In addition, vitamin C can help reduce the severity of cold symptoms while you are sick. Yogurt Yogurt contains beneficial probiotic bacteria that help support the immune system. Probiotics are also helpful in maintaining a healthy digestive system, which is essential for overall health. In addition, yogurt is a fantastic source of calcium— known to activate your immune system’s cells. __ So, there you have it – our list of the best foods to boost your immunity during flu season! Be sure to stock up on these superfoods and go one step further with a cost-effective, easy daily routine—we’re talking about vitamin supplements. Make sure you choose a brand that cares about what they put into their supplements as much as you care about what goes into your body! EZ Melts supplements are all zero-sugar, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO, so you know that you are getting effective supplements that won’t cause you harm. Try our Essential Immune Bundle, and join our subscription service to get 30% off your first order for a limited time.

As we’ve said before, not all supplements in the nutraceutical industry are created equal, and some can even be harmful to your health!  In part this is due to the fact that the FDA does not regulate supplements as strictly as pharmaceuticals because they are technically considered drugs [1]. While this doesn’t mean supplement companies can say anything under the sun, it does mean that some companies take the easy route. Often, to reduce production costs, companies will include cheaper ingredients and fillers that aren’t effective, or can even harm you! Ingredients Matter for Bioavailability At best, supplements like these are simply not absorbed by your body. Take vitamin B-12 for example. While a supplement may include the B-12 listed, the form it was sourced from is critical! Most supplement companies will use the form of B-12 called cyanocobalamin because it is cheaper and has a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, it also has to be converted by the body into methylcobalamin, and often, our bodies fail to do so with this type of supplement. Methylcobalamin (the form we use in our B-12 supplements) is recommended over the less effective cyanocobalamin by many studies for its superiority and bioavailability [2]. Bioavailability simply means the availability of a vitamin or mineral to be metabolized and absorbed by the body. There are some ingredients and forms of vitamins that bodies can process better! Harmful Ingredients in Supplements We’ve mentioned a few toxins to note when choosing a vitamin, but it’s worth listing again, for safety’s sake. Be on the lookout for: Artificial flavoring, which has been linked to diabetes [3] GMO products such as corn starch and gelatin from unknown sources [3] Chemically engineered food coloring such as red 40 and blue 2 [4] Titanium dioxide, found in things like makeup and even paint! It’s linked to harming lung health [5] Talc or magnesium silicate, which is a carcinogen and linked to stomach cancer [6] Thankfully, there are supplements using ethical and safe ingredients Why take a vitamin if it doesn’t work? You might feel more at ease taking a supplement, any supplement, if you don’t know that there are a lot of companies out there that will use less effective ingredients. The supplements you are spending money on could just be a placebo effect on your anxiety if you aren’t actually able to absorb the nutrients, or worse--if you’re actually harming your body! The EZ Melts Promise Try our EZ Melts supplements for their customer-approved, all natural flavor, and their non-GMO and vegan promise. They melt quickly on the tongue, making it EZ to get the nutrition you need! Best part? We don’t add any harmful chemicals or artificial ingredients. Just check out our ingredients listed on the bottle, and feel better knowing you are actually supporting your best health. Thanks for being a part of our community! Sources https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/complementary-and-alternative-medicine/dietary-supplements/fda-regulations.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312744/ https://www.medicaldaily.com/flintstones-vitamins-contain-artificial-sweeteners-and-gmo-products-fresh-fruits-and-veggies-are https://healthfully.com/the-side-effects-of-artificial-food-coloring-7764602.html https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24378593/ https://science.sciencemag.org/content/173/4002/1141.long ___ Written by Annie-Eliza Stevens