White Blood Cell Count (WBC), Low, High

all about white blood cells.  why white blood cells count is high? why white blood cell count is low? foods that helps white blood cell count. White Blood Cells (WBC) are the immune cells of our body which are a part of blood. They are also known as ‘leukocytes’. Although they make up only 1% of the components of the blood, they have a very crucial role to play in our body. They are continuously at war with any bacteria or virus that enters our body, thus forming the first line of defense against any foreign invader that’s a threat to your health.

These WBC are made in the bone marrow and stored in the blood and lymphatic systems till they are needed  to fight any type of infection. Their ratio against red blood cell (RBC) is 1 : 600. Because WBC has a short life span so your body has to continuously produce them. A healthy diet is a key to making these WBC and staying fit and robust. 

three bean salad recipe | rajma, kabuli chana and rangoon na vaal salad | healthy Indian kidney beans, chick peas and broad field beans salad |

There are different kinds of WBC which range from those which recognize the foreign bodies to the ones which reach to the site and destroy and ingest them. The different types of WBC are : 

1. Neutrophils : More than half of the white blood cells are Neutrophils. They are those powerful WBC and one of the first immune cells to respond. They travel to the site of infection and go ahead and digest and kill the bacteria and virus.

2. Eosinophils : They are primarily accountable for destroying parasites, cancer cells and also are a part of allergic responses especially to pollen. 

3. Basophils : These form only 1% of the WBC. They play a role in alerting the body to infections by secreting chemicals like ‘histamines’ and controlling body’s responses to allergies, especially that of asthma. 

4. Lymphocytes : These are very important type of WBC which are responsible for making antibodies that help the body defend against different types of harmful bacteria, virus and other threats. 

5. Monocytes : They form 5% of the WBC in your blood. their most important function is to break down the bacteria as well as ingest and clean up the dead cells and thus are often termed as ‘vaccum cleaner’. They usually have a longer life span than other types of WBC.

What is the Normal WBC count?

Checking the number of white blood cells us usually a part of CBC (Complete Blood Cell) test. A normal white blood cell count for a healthy adult is usually between 4,000 and 10,000 cells/MCL.

When is WBC Count High?

An increase in white blood cells is known as leukocytosis. A higher WBC count than normal usually indicates an infection signaling that your body has been attacked by bacteria or virus. As a counter effect, the body multiplies the number of WBC so as to fight and destroy the invaders.

Few factors which contribute to a high WBC count are : 

• Infection

• Smoking

• Infections like tuberculosis

• Stress

• Pregnancy

• Allergies

• Tissue damage (eg. Burns)

• Tumors in the bone marrow

• Drugs such as corticosteroids

When is WBC Count Low?

When the number of white blood cells is too low it is termed as leukopenia. This condition indicates may indicate severe infections. A low WBC count is a signal that your body’s immune cells are being destroyed by the threats more faster than they are being made or the body is producing few of them. In simple words, it means that the bacteria or virus have increased or multiplied to a number which is now destroying your immune cells and your immune system has weakened.

Most common factor which contribute to low WBC count are:

• Severe Infection

•  Bone Marrow Damage

• Auto Immune Disorders

• Excessive exercise

• HIV / AIDS

• Cancer & Radiation Therapy

• Liver and spleen diseases

• Some specific medicines like cancer treating drugs or antibiotics.

Diagnosis of High / Low WBC count

Your doctor who preferable knows your medical history is the best person to diagnose high / low WBC levels. S(he) will recommend a treatment plan to you after determining the cause. It is very likely that you may need to repeat the blood test periodically to run a close check at the WBC levels. 

If your WBC count remains high / low, this indicates that your condition has worsened. Your doctor might change the treatment or the medication till your WBC count returns to normal or may suggest you to visit a specialist. A low WBC count in very severe diseased conditions is slightly difficult to bring back to normal. 

Can Diet Help in Improving WBC Count?

Well, to a certain extent yes. Healthy eating is always a ladder to a healthy YOU. First basic rule is to avoid all the junk, refined and canned products from your food list. Yes, you are right…. This list is quite immense. It includes bread, pasta, burger, chips, canned juices, sugary foods, cakes, mithais and so on…. 

So the next question is what to eat then? Turn to the colourful Nature’s basket of fruits, veggies, whole grains cereals and their flours, dals, pulses and sprouts. 

These are rich in :

1.  Protein : Protein is a key nutrient and the basis of every cell of our body. Similarly, WBC are also made up of protein. This key nutrient is required throughout the life, only the needs vary depending on the stage of life. Eggs are a complete protein. A soft boiled egg and healthy egg dosa for breakfast is an ideal way to make up for your protein needs.

healthy egg dosa recipe | egg and oats pancake | vegetable eggs dosa |

Vegetarians can opt for whole cereals like buckwheat and quinoa to build their WBC count. Buckwheat is one such cereal which has all the 9 essential amino acids we need. (Note: Proteins are made of amino acids and out of 21 amino acids, 9 are not produced in our body and need to be sourced from food. These are essential amino acids). 

Buckwheat dosa known as kuttu dosa is an instant buckwheat dosa which requires no fermentation. Here is an easy and healthy Indian buckwheat crepes prepared with buckwheat and urad dal. 3 buckwheat dosas give 4.2 grams protein, 9% RDA. See calories of buckwheat dosas.

paneer aur hara chane ka salad recipe | healthy paneer chana salad | protein rich chana salad | calcium rich paneer salad recipe |  One serving of paneer aur hara chane ka salad has 9.3 grams of protein ( 17% of RDA). See calories of paneer aur hara chane ka salad.

Sprouts are another very good source of protein. The process of sprouting increases their nutrient count further. They are easy to incorporate in our daily cooking. 

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Try the Sprouts and Palak Idli | sprouts spinach idli | moong palak idli |

Sprouts and Palak Idli

Also Read : 21 Source of Vegetarian Protein and Benefits of Sprouts

2.  Vitamin C : Vitamin C is the most crucial nutrient which helps to fight bacteria and virus that invade our body. Citrus fruits along with grapefruit, guava, berries and amla contain the highest amount of vitamin C.

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Have them as it is in between meals or make them a part of your meal. We suggest Healthy Guava Snack. One serving of this snack is enough to make your day’s requirement of vitamin C.

healthy guava snack recipe | guava with salt and chilli powder | chilli and salt seasoned guava bites | guava with salt - healthy snack for weight loss | benefits of guava |

Alternatively juice them like done in the recipe of Amla Juice. This amla juice recipe is a one ingredient recipe. Making this amla juice for weight loss takes less than 5 minutes.

amla juice recipe | Vitamin C rich amla juice for weight loss | Indian gooseberry juice for detox | how to make amla juice |

Yet looking something more interesting? Try combining colourful fruits to make Healthy Fruit Chaat. And what's more is that the fibre from the fruits will help to maintain a healthy gut too!

Fruit Chaat Indian Fruit Chaat Recipe

Grilled Bell Pepper, Carrot and Mushrooms is a quick and simple way of consuming an appetizing starter.

 Grilled Bellpepper, Carrot and Mushrooms, Healthy Accompaniment

Also Read: 12 Reasons to Eat More Citrus Fruits

3.  Folate (Vitamin B9): While folate deficiency can lead to anaemia, it is also a crucial vitamin needed to keep up WBC count. The major sources of folate include tomato, spinach, chawli leaves, moong, chana, peanut and a variety of dals.

Enhance your folate intake by way of Urad Dal with Spinach. This would enhance your protein and folate intake both.

palak urad dal sabzi recipe | urad dal with spinach | healthy urad palak dal | palak dal |

 Urad Dal with Spinach, Healthy Urad Dal with Spinach

As an early morning health potion, try Anti-Cancer and Anti-Inflammation Spinach Juice. An apt blend of ingredients like spinach and tomatoes gives it a nice taste and consistency, while at the same time these ingredients are bursting with nutrients that work against cancer and inflammation, two of today’s killer diseases.

anti cancer anti inflammation spinach juice | healthy Indian palak tamatar juice | cancer fighting detox juice |

Anti- Cancer and Anti- Inflammation Spinach Juice

Also Read: 44 Vitamin B9, Folate Recipes.

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4.  Zinc: Zinc is a nutrient which itself acts an antioxidant and thus has a role to play in immunity. It further also helps build WBC and T cells which are the warrior cells of the body. As a vegetarian source of zinc, include a variety of nourishing seeds like pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds and some healthy nuts like walnuts and almonds.

4 to 5 almonds and walnuts are best munched on in between meals. Date and Walnut Balls is yet another simple way to make up for this nutrient. Thanks to sweet and sticky dates, this sweet requires no sugar, which means it is not too high on calories.

Date and Walnut Balls

Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which help to build a healthy immune system. They can be roasted and had as a mouth-freshener. These will help add glow to your skin, fight diseases and also prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Learn How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds.

roasted pumpkin seeds recipe | how to roast pumpkin seeds | benefits of pumpkin seeds | One tablespoon  of roasted pumpkin seeds delivers 5% Zinc of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Also Read: Top 22 Sources of Zinc

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5.  Other antioxidants : Antioxidants and substance which help remove the potentially harmful free radicals from the body and thus prevent or stop cell damage including the damage to white blood cells. One such antioxidant is Vitamin E. Almonds contain a lot of healthy fats, fibre, protein, magnesium and vitamin E. You can include them in your diet by kicking off maida based rotis and including Almond Bhakri.

almond bhakri recipe | gluten free almond bhakri | almond flatbread | protein rich bhakri | One serving of almond bhakri delivers 29% Vitamin E, 18% Magnesium, 12% protein of your Recommended Dietary Allowance ( RDA).

Almond Bhakri

Other antioxidants include lycopene (eg. tomato), allium sulphur compound (eg. garlic), cryptoxanthins (eg. avocado), indoles (eg. cabbage) etc.

Include them in the form of Almond Avocado Toast and Garlic Vegetable Soup.

Almond and Avocado Toast, Toasted Almond Bread Topped with Avocados

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Chia Seeds Pudding with Mixed Fruits and Walnuts with soothing flavour or coconut milk, the pleasant sweetness of honey, the unique texture of chia seeds and the juicy crunch of fruits and nuts, this pudding is truly an exciting treat. Chia seeds is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which helps to protect white blood cells.

coconut chia seeds pudding with mixed fruits recipe | healthy Indian chia pudding | vegan chia pudding | high protein high fibre pudding |

Coconut Chia Seeds Pudding with Mixed Fruits and Walnuts

Also Read: 430 Antioxidant Rich Recipes.

All these nutrients together work to build the health and the number of WBC in the blood, thus strengthening your immune system. 

WBC Count and Exercise

If you check your WBC count immediately after exercise, your count might be actually high. But there is nothing to worry about it. In a way, this strengthens your immune system and allows your body to identify disease causing organisms more easily than normal circumstances. However after exercise, the count drops back to normal. But excessive athletic training (marathon, ultra athletes, triathletes) can result in a significant decrease in WBC count. However this isn’t really a cause of worry. Discuss it with your doctor and trainer and chalk out a balance between antioxidant you pop up and your exercise regime.

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Recipe Suggestions to Boost WBC Count

1. Sprouts and Palak Idli

2. Coconut Chia Seeds Pudding with Mixed Fruits and Walnuts

3. Flax Seed Shakarpara

flax seed shakarpara recipe | Indian flax seed crackers | alsi biscuit | healthy flax seed snack |

 Flax Seed Shakarpara, Diabetic Friendly

4. Flaxseeds Dry Chutney

 Flaxseeds Dry Chutney, South Indian Flax Seeds Podi

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5. Tomato Salsa  | Indian style fresh tomato salsa | healthy salsa recipe with fresh tomatoes |

Tomato Salsa

6. Oats Methi Multiflour Khakhra |  | healthy oats methi khakhra | Indian oats garlic khakhra | oats khakhra for weight loss |

Oats Methi Multiflour Khakhra

7. Orange Tabbouleh

orange tabbouleh salad recipe | Lebanese orange tabbouleh salad | Indian style healthy orange sesame tabbouleh

8. Jowar Palak Appe | instant jowar appe | healthy palak appe |

Jowar Palak Appe

9. Chana Dal Pancakes | gluten free Indian breakfast | gluten free cheela | gluten free chilla |

Chana Dal Pancakes ( Gluten Free )

10. Pineapple Cucumber Salad | Indian pineapple cucumber salad with cherry tomatoes | healthy cucumber pineapple salad |

 Pineapple Cucumber Salad ( Fibre Rich Salad)

11. Broccoli Soup |  Indian broccoli soup without cream | healthy broccoli soup |

Broccoli Soup ( Pregnancy Recipe)

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12. Orange, Grapefruit and Mint Salad

 Orange, Grapefruit and Mint Salad

13. Carrot and Red Pepper Juice | Indian red bell pepper carrot juice | healthy tomato carrot red capsicum drink |

 Carrot and Red Pepper Juice

14. Bajra, Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi | whole moong bajra and green pea khichdi | healthy green pea bajra and whole moong khichdi |

Bajra, Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi

15. Anti- Cancer and Anti- Inflammation Spinach Juice

16. Nachni Paneer Pancake  | ragi paneer pancake | healthy Indian red millet pancake |

Nachni Paneer Pancake