Are you feeling a bit under the weather a little bit too often? Well, you only have your immune system to blame for that. Yep. On the whole, our immune system does a fabulous job defending us against all those disease-causing viruses, bacteria and other microbes. However, there are certain times when it fails to do so. Result: Flu, common colds, stomach upsets and other ailments that render you sick in regular intervals.
The fact is that tons of complex factors such as age, genetics, cortisol levels, etc. determine the strength of your immune system. Nevertheless, having said that, adopting certain lifestyle changes, fine-tuning certain aspects such as diet and stress management can give your immune system a leg up; plus, help you prevent those pesky sniffles when the weather transitions. We give you the lowdown on how to boost your immune system naturally.
Follow these steps religiously and boost your immune system like never before:
Ways On How To Boost Immune System
1. Pay Attention To Your Diet
A balanced diet of whole, unprocessed and antioxidant-rich food is essential for supporting your immune system; think citrus fruits such as orange, lemon and grapefruit, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, papaya, almond, mushrooms, coconut oil, turmeric, mustard, sunflower seeds, green tea etc. to name a few. Don’t forget to incorporate plenty of garlic which releases allicin, a compound that fights infection-causing microbes.
2. Say Yes To Vitamin C & Vitamin D Supplements
Ladies, if there’s something that can really give your immunity a big push, it’s Vitamin C. This is because your immune system encompasses T-cells (a type of white blood cells that protect from infections) need Vitamin C as well as Vitamin D to function at its optimum level. Hence, in addition to gorging on citrus fruits, take supplements such as Fast&Up Charge Natural Vitamin C & Zinc Orange Tube 20 Tablets and HealthVit FEMYCAL Calcium and Vitamin D3 Tablets, that can will help fulfil your daily requirement of these essential vitamins.
3. Don’t Forget Omega-3
Similar to Vitamin C, Omega-3 Fatty Acids are known to enhance white blood cell activity; plus, they also prevent inflammation. Simple enough, eating fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna is a fail-proof way to stock up on Omega-3 Fatty Acids. If you are a vegetarian, you can try supplements such as the WOW Life Science Omega 3 Capsules or MOUNTAINOR Deep Sea Omega 3 Fish Oil, Purified & Mercury Free that will do the trick and help boost your immune system.
4. Consider Probiotics
Did you know that gut health is a crucial part of your immune system? The reason: a majority of our immune cells and antibodies are secreted by the lining of the stomach. Whoa. To maintain optimal gut health, we recommend Greek yoghurt (it contains live cultures), fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi as well as a probiotic supplement such as OneLife Multivitamin to restore normal gut flora and recharge your immune system. It is one of the best ways to boost immunity.
5. Exercise Regularly
Get moving, girl! A regular 30-40 min exercise per day can help circulate your blood, regularizes your hormones and improves the flow of lymphatic fluid that travels through your cells and tissues and removes bacteria, toxins and waste products. Not to mention, it also causes white blood cells and antibodies to circulate through your body faster. Zumba anyone?
6. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation and chronic stress can make you more susceptible to illness. This is because the body produces proteins that fight illness whilst you sleep; so, if you don’t get enough shut-eye, your immune system bears the brunt. You know what you gotta do; forget Netflix and try to sleep at least seven to eight hours each night. PS: A nice warm cuppa of chamomile tea like the Tea Treasure Organic Pure Chamomile Tea works wonders when it comes to falling asleep.
7. All Hail Vaccines
Our immunity system has a brain of its own, it allows the body a fighting chance against known viruses. But sometimes, even our immune system needs to be upgraded from time to time. As children, we must have all gotten a vaccine against foreign diseases that our body is not used to, or as adults, when we visit a foreign land, we need to get injected with viruses that our immunity system is unfamiliar with, to teach our immunity system new tricks.
8. Hydration FTW
If you are wondering how to boost your immune system naturally, water is the best solution. It is one of the most underrated immunity-boosters. Your body uses water for numerous vital functions, one of which is immune system support. Our blood and lymph, which include immune cells, require water to travel throughout our bodies. Our body continuously loses water through breath, urine, and bowel movements, even if you're not exercising or perspiring. Make sure you're replenishing the water you lose with fresh, filtered, or boiled water to strengthen your immune system. The first step in doing this is figuring out how much water you should consume each day. If you are an adult man, you need to consume around 15-16 cups of water and an adult woman needs to drink 11-12 cups of water. If you have an active life, you need to drink even more depending on how much you exert yourself.
9. Drop Your Bad Habits
The main point of improving our immune system is to improve the longevity of our lives. The best way on how to boost your immune system is to focus on what not to do over what to do. Bad habits for your body include drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, smoking of any kind, consuming too much junk, processed, sugary, and fried food. When you slowly start dropping these habits, you can boost your immunity naturally.
10. Drink Your Immunity Shot
Our grandmothers would love to feed us turmeric milk, ginger candies, and give us her world-famous concoction made with honey, cinnamon, tulsi, and pepper when we got sick. This was an age-old tradition that is now coming back in the form of immunity shots that are gaining popularity among Gen-Zers on social media. If you have some time at any time of the week, you can make your immunity shots with turmeric, ginger, pepper, and honey. If not, you can choose to get effervescent tablets that help you boost your immunity.
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Parting Thoughts
It is easy to learn how to boost your immunity with just a few tips. If you get the basics right, such as getting your vaccines in, eating balanced meals, incorporating exercise in your everyday routine, and quitting bad habits such as drinking, smoking, and consuming heavily processed food, are a great start to improving your immunity. You can go a step further by taking multivitamin supplements that can increase your immune system, getting the proper amount of sleep, and lastly, reducing stress can all help you increase your longevity and improve your immune system.
FAQs
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How to boost your immune system?
There are a few ways on how you could boost your immune system:
- Eat healthy
- Exercise regularly
- Stay away from unhealthy habits and foods
- Sleep well
- Get your supplements right
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What foods are going to improve my immune system?
There are some healthy and attainable foods that you can have to improve your immune system, here’s a list for you to remember:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean protein
- Dairy
- Fatty fish
- Probiotics
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Can sleep improve my immunity?
Yes, a proper sleeping schedule with 7-8 hours of sleep every night can improve your immunity, since your body gets ample time to restore and recover with new immunity cells in place. If you have trouble sleeping, consider melatonin gummies. We recommend a few here:
