Conventional and alternative medical practitioners agree that the best way to protect yourself from illness is by strengthening your body’s natural immune system. While your choice of fun and games – like PlayCroco Casino Bonuses – will most assuredly keep you happy, they won’t necessarily keep you healthy. A healthy immune system WILL keep you healthy. No diet, supplement or lifestyle modification will give you 100% protection against illness but the stronger your body is, the better chance you’ll have of fighting off these infections and viruses.
If you want to boost your immune system, you need to make changes in your lifestyle and your diet. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be of some help but when push comes to shove, the way that you take care of your body is the strongest indication of how well you’ll be able to fight off harmful disease-causing organisms and pathogens.
The food that you put into your body is probably the most important indication of how well you take care of your body. It’s not only the processed sugars and flours that cause your immune system to flag. Your diet is probably these most important aspect of a holistic approach to strengthening your immune system and warding off disease.
Some of the dietary considerations that you should adopt to live a healthier and longer life include:
Plant Based Foods
As much as possible, have your daily food plan revolve around whole plant foods. These foods – vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, seeds and nuts are rich in antioxidants and nutrients. The higher the percentage of these foods in your body, the more chance you have of fighting off infections and viruses.
Plant-based foods contain antioxidants that combat unstable compounds – free radicals – to decrease inflammation. When high levels of free radicals build up in your body, they can aggravate any viral or infectious germs circulating in the air. Such inflammation has been linked to a variety of health conditions including some types of cancers, Alzheimers disease and heart disease. Conversely, plant foods’ fibers feeds microbiome – healthy bacteria — in your gut to deflect harmful pathogens and improve your immunity.
These plant-based foods contain valuable vitamins and minerals including antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C which help to make you less susceptible to illness.
Healthy fats, such as those found in soy milk, chia seeds, tofu, olive oil, salmon, walnuts and flax seeds, are anti-inflammatory and decrease risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Those anti-inflammatory properties boost your body’s ability to fight off harmful disease-causing viruses and bacteria. They prevent a chronic inflammation from suppressing your immune system so that you can more effectively combat illnesses.
Sugar contributes to obesity which, in turn, increases the risk factors associated with exposure to viruses and infections. Researchers have known for many years that obesity is linked to more vulnerability when exposed to bacteria. By curbing your sugar intake you can lose weight to reduce the likelihood that you’ll suffer from chronic health conditions that put you at a higher risk when you are exposed to pathogens.
Sugar contributes to obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, all of which weaken your immune system
Probiotics, which are found in fermented foods and in some yogurts, sauerkraut, natto, kefir and kimchi populate your digestive tract and create a network of gut bacteria that facilitates the immune cells’ differentiation between healthy, normal cells and harmful organisms.
Probiotic supplements can take the place of fermented foods to give your body a stronger immune response to viruses and other harmful bacteria.
Supplements don’t treat or prevent infections or bacteria but they do give a boost to your body’s immune system so that you can better fight any pathogens that come along. Some recommended supplements include:
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C doesn’t prevent a virus but can help mitigate the symptoms of the virus and shorten the virus’s duration
- Vitamin D — Vitamin D does not, per say, decrease your chances of getting sick but a vitamin D deficiency may mean that you are more likely to catch a virus.
- Elderberry. Elderberry may reduce symptoms of viral upper respiratory infections.
- Eccinacea — echinacea has been linked to a faster recovery period from colds.
- Zinc – Studies done on zinc indicate that taking zinc may reduce the duration of a virus.
- Garlic – eating garlic (you must cut the garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes before cooking with it to release the active ingredient allicin) may reduce incidences of viral infections.
Make sure that you get enough sleep. Adequate sleep is closely related to a strong immune system and lack of sleep makes you more susceptible to sickness.
While intense, prolonged exercise may suppress your immune system, moderate exercise can strengthen your immune system. Even if you have a compromised immune system, moderate exercise, such as walking, swimming, biking, etc., can give it a boost.
Drinking enough water doesn’t, in itself, protect you from bacteria but your overall health is enhanced by staying hydrated. Conversely, if you don’t drink enough water you will become dehydrated which negatively affects your focus, mood, heart and kidney function, digestion and physical performance which increases your susceptibility to germs. It’s recommended to drink water because water has no calories, sugar or additives.
You may think that stress is a psychological phenomenon but if you’re stressed there are physiological manifestations as well. Long-term stress can result in imbalances in immune cell function and in inflammations. In chidren, prolonged psychological stress can suppress immune responses.
Everyone has stresses in their life but you must learn to manage it. Try exercise, yoga, journaling, meditation or another type of mindful practice. If your stress is overwhelming you, consider seeing a counselor or therapist. Find a good friend to talk with or reach out, even anonymously, to support groups on social media.