It would be nice if eating a particular food could magically protect you against all the boring illnesses. It’s not that simple, of course. Hand washing remains your best defense against picking up illnesses, and sleep is a strong defense too. But what you eat does play an important part. Though it isn’t because of just one or two foods, what you eat in your daily diet have an effect on how weak or strong your immunity(免疫力)is.

We’d better eat fruits and vegetables every day. They contain key vitamins needed in the immune system. For example, Vitamin C and Ain foods help immune system work well to keep us healthy. Remember that eating the actual fruit or veggie is better than eating single-vitamin supplements(补品).

Getting too little protein(蛋白质) can weaken your immune system. Protein-rich foods supply the amino acids(氨基酸)you need to build important proteins in the body. Animal foods like beef and pork also contain zinc(锌), which your body uses to make t-cells.

Fermented foods are foods that are naturally protected by bacteria(细菌), and they’re good for the micro biome(微生物).That’s the name for the bacteria that live in your stomach, where a lot of cells in immunity actually live. Fermented foods like yogurt help beneficial bacteria develop fast in the stomach, leaving less room for harmful bacteria.

According to the US government's dietary guidelines, people should eat 14 grams of fiber (纤维素) for every 1, 000 calories you take in daily. But only around 9% of women and 3% of men in the US meet the fiber recommendations. So how do we add more fiber to our diets? 【小题1】

Focus on getting fiber from a variety of plant-based foods

Researchers say your best bet is to get fiber from a variety of plant-based foods. That means eating different kinds of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Think about sweet potatoes, brown rice and pumpkin seeds. 【小题2】, but they contain other vitamins and minerals that promote good health.

Take baby steps

【小题3】. That’s because you need to gradually increase your fiber intake in order to give your body time to adapt. For example, if you like to eat white bread, try eating one serving of whole wheat bread the first week. In the second week, eat two servings. Keep doing that until you've turned all your servings of white bread to whole wheat bread.

【小题4】

Everyone is different, and some people might be more sensitive to certain types of fiber than others. So when you increase your fiber intake, you can write down how various high-fiber foods affect you.

Don't forget to drink water

As you add more fiber to your diet, make sure to drink plenty of water as well. 【小题5】 It can also keep fiber from hardening, which can lead to more gas.

Chocolate is good for your heart,skin and brain.Usually,people think that chocolate is bad for their health.They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”.Now they should bite their tongues!Evidence(证据)is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways: 

A happier heart

Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient(成分)in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.

Better blood pressure

Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces(盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.

Muscle magic

Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout(锻炼).In a small study at Indiana University,people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks. 

Better for your skin

German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin,improving its appearance.