It’s red meat, not colorful veggies that boost the immune system

The other day I was writing a new post. It was on foods that boost the immune system. At first, I didn’t think much about the subject. I no longer get excited about the immune system. I wrote a book on it, so I am saturated.

I went through my regular routine: think, research, write, polish, and pretty. Nothing unusual about that. Only after I posted my article something weird caught my eye. I noticed a specific pattern for foods that boost the immune system. Sit down now: the best immune-boosting foods originated from animals, not plants.

Meat, eggs, and butter boost the immune system

Could it be a coincidence, some bias of my part? I went over the research again, to make sure I am not talking nonsense. Ref

But it did not matter whether I looked at the references front, back, or sideways, animal foods were clearly on top. I am not making any jokes here. See for yourself. Here are the best sources for the five most important nutrients for boosting the immune system

Iron: liver, organ meats, red meat
Vitamin A: eggs, butter, beef liver
Vitamin B12: meat, poultry, eggs, and milk
Vitamin D: fatty fish, beef liver, egg yolks
Zinc: meat, shellfish

Veggies aren’t mighty enough to boost the immune system

I love folk wisdom. I always wondered why weak people are called vegetables, not steaks or omelets. Now I know the reason. Veggies aren’t mighty enough to make a bull out of a celery stick. And no, garlic and ginger aren’t enough to satisfy the nutritional needs of the immune system.

But then why, when you google foods that boost the immune system, you get citrus, red bell pepper, and broccoli instead of scrambles or briskets? Easy. It’s about over-focusing on vitamin C. Ref

Guess what. I tried that trick in in my clinic and found one sobering truth: unless you have all other nutrients in place, extra vitamin C won’t work. Now you have it. Maybe that’s why you keep on getting sick. Get some beef liver.

Death by a carnivore diet?

My clinical experience with patients confirmed the above. Although I knew that fruits and vegetables were supposed to be healthy, in reality people who focused on them were not. Ref Strange! Vegans (at least in my clinic) were weaker and less immune-capable than meat eaters and had much harder time with infections. Ref

This obvious friction between theory and practice puzzled me for many years. I followed what I was thought by “the wiser” and I always gave preference to fruits and vegetables, but I couldn’t say that the results were anything I could rave about.

From all that frustration I joined carnivore groups to see if the meat-eaters die in droves from infections, inflammation, and cancers. Oh, boy! It was an eye opener, (but that’s for another time). Unsuspecting, I got a big lesson from it. Meat is food, and a darn good source of immune-building nutrients. Fruits and veggies aren’t coming even close…

I am wondering… is this why nature hides fruits and vegetables from us during the winter?