Let’s face it. No one likes being sick. It can cause major disruptions in your Work and Personal life. We’ve recently learned that with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to avoid bacterial infections and viruses, especially if you work or live in densely populated areas.
 |
| Photo by Lily Banse on Unsplash |
Even if the illness seems inevitable, are there ways to better prepare your body for the onslaught of invaders? Although you won’t find a magic immunity pill, there are ways you can boost your immune system naturally. And in today’s video, we will tell you what they are. From taking probiotics, exercising regularly, getting some sunlight, maintaining good hygiene to upping your zinc, and more, read till the end to learn about all of them.
#01 Drink More Water: The most well-known, surefire way to boost your immune system is by drinking plenty of water. Sufficient hydration, best indicated by light yellow urine, means your blood is oxygenated, toxins will be flushed, and vital organs and muscles will function their best. How much water do you drink every day? Tell us quickly down below in the comments section!
#02 Enjoy the Sauna: Exposing yourself to extremely hot, dry temperatures for short periods is a natural immune-boosting method. The sauna is your friend when considering the benefits of “Environmental Conditioning”. That is, forcing your body to adjust to extreme heat or cold.
#03 Take Probiotics: Probiotics, aka live bacteria, can help establish a healthy gut, and that is where immunity starts. Roughly seventy percent of your immune system resides in your gut. Probiotics are the key to balancing the gut microbiome and strengthening your immune system. They protect our bodies from dangerous pathogens, promote energy, enhance mood, and enrich our health in numerous ways. You can either take probiotics as a supplement or eat fermented foods—like kimchi or sauerkraut—which feed the healthy bacteria.
#04 Meditate: Meditation is a great immune-boosting practice. It lowers stress and cortisol, boosting your body's response to fight viruses. It has been confirmed through research that what we feel and think impacts our immune system through chemical messages from the brain. So, negative thinking and emotional states can have a negative impact on your immune system. This creates an environment susceptible to disease.
#05 Get Enough Sleep: A good night’s sleep doesn’t just leave you feeling recharged, It can also help boost your immune system. Your body produces cytokines while you sleep to help regulate immunity and inflammation. Certain cytokines are needed to fight off infection. Any irregular sleeping patterns can decrease the production of these cytokines as well as antibodies. Shoot for at least eight hours of sleep. If you have children, they may need anywhere from 9 to 10 plus hours of sleep depending on their age.
#06 Avoid Processed Foods: Avoid unnatural substances like food additives, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives found in commercial food. Excessive consumption of refined sugars and highly processed foods weakens the immune system. The chances of developing chronic conditions increase because of this. The ability of the white blood cells to kill bacteria reduces significantly after eating sugar.
#07 Exercise Regularly: Aerobic exercise has been linked to a more effective immune system, not to mention it reduces stress and relieves depression. People who are fit tend to get sick less often. Exercise improves heart health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. Picking up some form of aerobic fitness is a terrific step to improving immune health. Have I caught your interest? Well then hit that “Subscribe” button to read more posts. Join our millions of followers for more amazing Healthy Mind - Think Big content!
#08 Reduce Stress: Cortisol, the stress hormone, negatively affects the immune system. Stress can also impact your sleep. The same goes for eating habits. When you’re stressed, you’re more likely to make bad decisions, like eating unhealthy foods, which can have a domino effect on your overall health.
#09 Check Your Diet: A diet rich in whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes will contain nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants that naturally boost your immune system. Go for a wide variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, including berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, apples, red grapes, kale, onions, spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots. The fiber in whole foods also feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut. And when their levels are high, so is your immunity. Foods that are particularly good for your immune system include fresh garlic and ginger. Curb your sugar intake too. Eating or drinking too much sugar suppresses immune system cells that attack bacteria. Aim to keep your sugar intake under 5% of your daily calories. For someone on a 2000-calorie diet, this is about 2 tablespoons or 25 grams of sugar.
#10 Eliminate Tobacco and Avoid Alcohol: Smokers are more likely to have serious respiratory illnesses and this includes e-cigarettes. If you can quit, that’s a major step toward improving the health of your lungs, heart, and your immune system. When it comes to alcohol, it can disrupt your sleep and make it harder for you to exercise and eat healthily. All this has a negative effect on your immune system. Alcohol has also been linked to several diseases including cancer.
#11 Up your Zinc Intake: Zinc is another key ingredient that helps keep your immune system functioning. If you’re looking for foods that contain zinc, you could include cashews, pumpkin seeds, and even chickpeas. Alternatively, zinc supplements are also preferred by some. Either way, adding zinc to your diet can help keep your immunity strong.
#12 Sip some Green Tea: No talk of immunity is complete without the mention of green tea. And there's a good reason for that because green tea is loaded with antioxidants like Flavonoids and EGCG. EGCG, in particular, improves immune function. Green tea also has a compound called L-theanine, which improves the production of germ-fighting compounds in your body.
#13 Get Some Sunlight: When it comes to combating a cold, Vitamin D is essential in regulating the immune response. During the colder months, many people become deficient in Vitamin D because they stay inside. But you need to make sure you expose yourself to the sun's UV rays by going outside for at least 15 minutes a day - even if it's chilly.
#14 Avoid Excess Medications: Excessive medication hamper your immune system and seriously affect your liver, kidneys & even your reproductive organs. Although medicines help the body recover from disease, they don’t improve immunity. People who take excessive antibiotics have reduced levels of Cytokines. These are hormone messengers of the immune system. So, avoid unnecessary medications to increase immunity.
#15 Maintain Good Hygiene: Most infections develop by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. The possibility of infection can be reduced by brushing your teeth twice daily, properly washing your hands before eating and trimming nails to keep them neat and tidy. Poor hygiene exposes the body to more germs which ultimately results in a weak immune system.
#16 Make Sure you Eat Enough Protein: According to studies, you should be getting a minimum of 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight to avoid getting sick. Not enough protein can have a detrimental effect on your T-cells, an essential part of the immune system. This is because they dispatch disease-fighting antibodies to viruses and bacteria. One of the best ways to make sure your body has enough protein is by eating foods that are rich in them. Learn more by reading “Top 10 High Vegetarian Protein Sources to Include in Your Diet”.
#17 Keep your Comorbidities in Check: Most of you may already know that chronic diseases like heart disease, asthma, and diabetes can weaken the body’s defense system. For this reason, it is crucial to keep your comorbidities in check. Go for regular checkups, take prescribed medicines, and maintain a healthy lifestyle to improve immunity.
#18 Shower After Working Out: In addition to smelling bad, all the perspiration left on your skin allows bacteria to grow. Breakouts aren’t the worst of it. Sweat helps to breed fungus, like yeast infections. And any abrasions on your skin are prone to infection.
#19 Drink a Warm Immunity-Boosting Beverage: For the next few weeks, ditch the wine, beer, and cocktails. Instead, brew up hot drinks made with herbs like Andrographis, Elderberry, and Astragalus that help build up immunity. Add bone broth too. Broths made from healthy, grass-fed animals deliver amino acids, which are excellent for immunity.
#20 Spice Up Your Meals: Ginger, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, thyme, and cayenne pepper - load them on. Not only will they add considerably more flavor to everything you eat, but also provide powerful anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiviral benefits. Plus, they aid in digestion.
#21 Try Essential Oils: Essential oils continue to build a strong reputation for their health benefits, this includes improved immunity. Specifically, eucalyptus and tea tree oils have been called out for their antiviral properties. To get the benefits, add them to a diffuser, or to a warm bath or shower. You also could add these oils to your own homemade hand sanitizer, and absorb them through the skin.
#22 Eat More Plant-Based Foods: Whether it's carrots for beta carotene or broccoli for vitamin C, plants are filled with nutrition that supports a healthy immune system. To maximize the nutritional value of the plants you cook, avoid boiling. The best bet is steaming, grilling, or roasting. While following these habits can boost your immunity, another great way is by eating the correct foods.
Learn more about such foods by watching: Coronavirus Recovery Diet: What to eat while recuperating from COVID-19 Or Recover Covid with Simply Diet Refer by Nutritionist Let us know in the comments below!
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should never use content in my writing as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or another qualified clinician. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if indicated for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog. Thank you.