What are white blood cells?
Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells are not anucleate and are cellular components of blood. White blood cells don’t have hemoglobin.
That’s why their color is not red; these can be transported to the infection site and protects the body against foreign antigens and pathogens. But when these infections can’t be appropriately cured, then what is the reason behind it?
It may be due to a drop in white blood cell count. Oh no! It’s an alarming situation for your defense system; even a minor attack of an antigen is harmful to a patient with the least number of white blood cells. The blood count is incomplete without a white blood cell count.
The Below article complete detail about how to increase white blood cells with food.
What is the white blood cell counts?
Average Normal Range Of WBCs – 3,500-10,500 white blood cells per µl of blood.
Low WBC Count – Less than 4,500 white blood cells per µl of blood.
High WBC Count – More than 11,000 white blood cells per µl of blood.
How white blood cells fight against diseases?
The primary function of white blood cells is to produce antibodies against any foreign antigen and ingest that foreign antigen and its cellular debris. These cells also kill cancerous cells along with infectious pathogens.
White blood cell count varies because of many reasons. An increase in the number of white blood cells occurs after exercise, while this number is decreased when you are at rest position. But it is dangerous when the number of WBCs drops abnormally.
Causes of the lower number of white blood cells
As production site of WBCs is mainly bone marrow inside the spongy tissues of some larger bones.
There may be different causes of decreased levels of White Blood Cells. These may be:
Viral infections
Sudden viral infections like flu may be the reason for the short-term decreased level of white blood cells.
Cancer
Cancer such as leukemia is another cause of leukopenia as it damages bone marrow.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases like HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis may decrease white blood cells count to a dangerous level. According to a 2015 study, women suffering from tuberculosis are more prone to the least count of white blood cells than men.
Autoimmune disorders
Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of autoimmune disorders that lead to leukopenia.
Congenital disorders
Also known as birth disorders such as Kostmann syndrome and myelokathexis causes leukopenia.
Malnourishment
Lack of essential vitamins like B-12, folate, and minerals like copper and zinc is a major cause of a decreased number of white blood cells.
Alcohol Consumption
Agree or not, but over-consumption of alcohol makes your immune system weak and decreases the number of white blood cells.
What are the Indicators of decreased WBCs Count
High fever
When you have high degree fever, it is the main symptom of low white blood cell count that indicates your body’s organs are going through severe conditions because of decreased level of white blood cells and are facing resistance to killing foreign pathogen; that’s why the temperature of machinery is increased because of more struggle with less equipment or white blood cells.
Chills and shivering
You may feel seizures due to high fever, which also indicates the least white blood cell count.
Sweating
As a result of high fever body response to maintain the temperature, and this can only be supported by sweating, so sweating indicates a high degree of temperature and lower white blood cells.
Swelling and redness
Low WBCs count causes swollen lymph nodes and skin rashes, so these symptoms show a lower amount of white blood cells.
Mouth sores
A lower level of WBCs or granulocytes may cause mouth ulcers, so if you are suffering from mouth soreness, it is a symbol of low WBC count.
A sore throat
Swollen glands and swollen lymph nodes are only because of problematic white blood cells because of White Blood cells’ lower level.
How least White Blood Cells count affects our body?
When you have a low white blood cell count, then your cancer therapy may be impeded.
In the case of AIDS, this condition is lethal for the individual.
Exposure to pathogenic infections will be more if you have a lower level of white blood cells.
What to do?
Resolve this problem as soon as possible; otherwise, this issue will attain more seriousness.
Eat right, enhance WBC count, and stay healthy. It takes about 1-2 weeks or more to raise the number of white blood cells.
How to increase white blood cell count by food?
Almonds
- How to Increase White Blood Cell by food
It is a gratuity by nature to fight against winter’s irritations like flu and cough. It contains vitamin E, which is obligatory for a strong immune system.
Lavender Essential Oil
The lavender essential oil has soothing effects, but it may be used as a booster for white blood cell count; thus, it is good enough to boost the immune system. Many other essential oils like cypress oil and sweet almond oils also can increase white blood cell count.
Garlic
The pungent smell of garlic is sometimes unpleasant when we eat garlic in raw form, but when these are added into any dish, these enhance our appetite, and when a question arises, how to increase white blood cell count?
Then take about 2-3 cloves of garlic and add it to every dish like curry, soup, macaroni, and garlic bread. Allicin in garlic will help produce white blood cells such as macrophages, lymphocytes, and eosinophils. Consume this magical bulb into your daily routine.
Spinach
These super nutritious leaves have several types of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These substances are necessary for the increment of white blood cells. You may add chicken and make a chicken soup with spinach. It will have a delicious taste ever, or you may add spinach to any salad.
Spinach is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It also exhibits antioxidant properties (3). These properties can help in increasing the number of white blood cells.
Papaya Leaves
These leaves are mostly suggested during dengue fever because, in this fever, there is a very low amount of white blood cells, which is decreased to a dangerous level, so papaya leaves are a quick remedy to increase white blood cells because these contain acerogenins having properties to increase WBCs.
Take a bunch of fresh papaya leaves, grind them, add some water for making juice, then blend this mixture, use a strainer to strain the liquid, and sip quick recovery. You may add honey to this mixture as these leaves are too bitter to consume. Drink it 1-2 times daily.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is used in cosmetics to increase your beauty and glowing skin, but it also strengthens our immune system and triggers natural killer cells in the body.
Production of B-cells can be enhanced by vitamin E intake, which increases the production of antibodies to kill off pathogens. Vitamin E supplements should be added to the diet of older people. Youngsters can get this vital vitamin from fruits, vegetables like spinach and broccoli, and seeds.
Vitamin A
Smoky roasted liver of mutton or beef Slurp! Everyone wants to eat this mouthwatering item. What’s more, if this delicious dish also contains a high amount of vitamin A and this vitamin is necessary to increase white blood cells in the body.
Our body can produce vitamin A by itself. Other vitamins A sources are fish, fortified cereals, carrots, mangoes, and pumpkin.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids mainly include β- carotene, which acts as an antioxidant to remove dangerous free radicals and increase white blood cell count.
Green Tea
Green Tea eliminates toxins from the body and is also helpful during flu because it has polyphenols. Flavonoids and epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, are also present in green Tea, boosting the immune system and enhancing white blood cells. Amino acid L-thiamine present in green tea aid in producing germ-resistant compounds in the T-cells.
Turmeric
This should be the main ingredient if you are designing a diet plan to increase white blood cells because it is a great source of vitamin B6 and minerals, such as potassium, manganese, iron, and curcumin antioxidant that can boost up the immune system.
Flaxseed
- How to Increase White Blood Cell by flexseed food
Flaxseeds are effective for diabetes but are good for the immune system and increase the number of white blood cells in the body as they have alpha-linolenic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and lignans.
Mushroom
Edible mushrooms are used for centuries to improve the immune system and increase white blood cell count, fighting against various infections.
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B complex is a mixture of B6, B12, B3, B2, B5, B7 …B12 and is effective for the immunity system. So all these B vitamins should be added to increase the white blood cell count.
Various sources of Vitamin B are eggs, milk, cheese, beans such as chickpeas, kidney beans, fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel, vegetables like potatoes, beets, and avocados, fruits such as watermelon, and banana and the list goes on.
Yogurt
Yogurt should be added to our daily diet plan, but unfortunately, we skip this great dairy product. Yogurt purely contains probiotics, which is essential for a healthy immune system and is needed to increase the WBC.
Just have a single small-sized bowl of yogurt, and it will be enough for the whole day but keep in mind that don’t eat it when your stomach is empty.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Nowadays, with increased COVID -19, it became a headache for everyone on how to increase WBC? So you cannot overcome this problem only with the help of foods but also requires supplementation and specifically Omega-3 supplements that have immunomodulatory properties that improve the immune system by elevating WBCs.
Omega-3 fatty acids increase the number of phagocytes, and these phagocytes are effective against pathogenic microbes and digest their debris. Add 1000 mg of omega-3 supplements after consulting with your doctor.
You can get this polyunsaturated fatty acid from fish, like mackerel, sardines, salmon, and other foods, like walnuts and avocados, to increase your intake of omega-3s. Take this supplement only one time during a day.
Zinc
It would help if you increased the intake of zinc for a strong immune system and the proper functioning of WBCs. Zinc can be obtained from oysters, red meat, beans, and nuts, or you can use zinc supplements for quick results.
Add 8-11 mg of zinc supplements to your daily routine until your recovery. Consult with your doctor for zinc supplementation.
Broccoli
This common vegetable must be included in your diet plan if you are suffering from low White blood cell count as it contains sulforaphane (SFN), which regulates functions of white blood cell count and boost up the immune system. You can consume it in your own way, either cooked or either as a salad.
Cauliflower
You may replace broccoli with white cauliflower. Both have a huge amount of antioxidants, such as glutathione, which helps the body produce resistance against viruses.
Citrus Fruits
It has now become a scientific truth that citrus fruits are made for the immune system. These are vital for improving the immune system’s proper functioning, so it can be denied that these are highly recommended fruits to increase white blood cell count. These include lemon, oranges, strawberries, and grapefruits, and the list goes on.
Red Bell Peppers
These peppers not only increase the flavor of dishes but is a superb booster for the immune system. Include these peppers into your favorite dishes to get good results.
Sunflower Seeds
These seeds are easily available and are less expensive, but they are full of various nutrients like phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin E, and vitamin B 6. These nutrients and antioxidants are present in these small seeds.
That’s why these seeds are a very cheap package of these highly valued nutrients to keep your immune system strong and to upraise the white blood cell amount. You will need a handful of raw or salted sunflower seeds. You may sprinkle them on a salad or any other vegetable.
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