Boost Your Immune System
‘Tis the season of sniffles, coughing, and the flu, oh my! Many people have practiced a lot of hand washing, social distancing, and mask wearing in the past 3 years; but even with all these precautions, we can still get sick. This article will tell some ways to boost your immune system naturally.
Almost 9 million people have already battled the flu this season, COVID cases are on the rise again, and RSV is spiking among children. It is extremely important that we all take care of our bodies inside and out to attempt to prevent any more sickness in ourselves or others.
Before we start, I want to preface that these are merely recommendations, and there is no perfect way to ensure health and immunity. Sickness is part of human nature and unfortunately it is inevitable at times. However, hopefully you learn a thing or two in this article on how to give your body the best shot at fighting it when it comes.
Let’s Start With The Basics
In case anyone needs a refresher on physical practices to stay healthy, here are a few suggestions from the CDC.
Avoid close contact with others
Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing/coughing
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water (use an alcohol rub if soap is not accessible)
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
Stay home when you are sick
It is extremely important to abide by these suggestions as much as possible, as well as hold family and friends accountable for them.
Building Strength From Within
Preparing your body to battle sickness comes long before you start having symptoms. There are many ways to boost your immune system naturally through food and dietary changes, which is especially important during the winter season when more sickness is among us.
Food and diet plays a large role in determining our microbiomes. Our microbiome is an “internal metropolis of trillions of microorganisms that live in our bodies” that helps us digest food, regulate our immune system, and protect against diseases. With that being said, a diet containing lots of probiotics and prebiotics may help keep our microbiomes strong. Probiotics help replenish the helpful bacteria in our gut that build our immune system. Prebiotic foods contain fiber that feeds those bacteria to keep them happy and healthy. Working these into your diet may strengthen and change the makeup of your microbiome and increase immunity within the body.
Examples of probiotics: yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi
Examples of prebiotics: leeks, garlic, seaweed, bananas, beans, whole grains
Let’s Talk About Vitamins
According to Nutritionist Julia Zumpano, “the more you regularly choose a vitamin-rich diet, the more likely you are to strengthen your immune system for the long haul.” Vitamin C is one that she recommends you incorporate into your diet as much as possible. It acts as an antioxidant that can protect the body from toxins. Vitamin C rich foods include oranges, red bell peppers, and other fruits like kiwi and lemon.
Vitamin B6 is another one to increase, because it supports biochemical reactions in the immune system. One of its major roles is producing white blood cells and t-cells, which help the body fight off viruses and bad bacteria. Foods that are rich in B6 are chickpeas (a main ingredient in hummus), beef, chicken, cold water fish (such as salmon and tuna), potatoes, and cottage cheese.
Lastly, Vitamin E is extremely important in keeping your t-cells working at peak performance. So, make sure to load up Vitamin E rich foods on your plate! Examples include seeds, nuts, peanut butter, spinach, and wheat germ oil.
Home Remedies For Sickness
Tea is a great way to boost your immune system naturally.
Let’s say you tried all you could to fight off the sickness, but you still came down with something. What now? Thankfully there are many at-home remedies to help heal you from the inside out.
First of all, it is important to stay hydrated to replace any lost fluids. Other warm liquids such as water with lemon, hot apple cider, or bone broth/soup can help calm a sore throat and ease congestion by increasing mucus flow.
Tea is also very beneficial when you’re sick because it breaks up congestion and keeps you hydrated. Although it has not been proven that tea can clear up sickness by itself, it has been known to ease respiratory infection symptoms.
There are various types of hot tea, all with different flavors and benefits. Herbal teas are great because they are decaffeinated and will not dehydrate you. For example, elderberry tea contains elderberry extract that has been known to shorten colds and the flu. Green tea may help give you an energy boost when feeling sick and can increase metabolism. Adding a few drops of honey to your herbal tea will further soothe the throat and is even a cough suppressant.
How Will You Protect Yourself?
With so much sickness all around us, it’s important to prepare our bodies from the inside out. There is no one right answer when it comes to health, each body is different. Please remember that although there are many home remedies for sickness prevention and treatment, it may be impossible to intercept a cold.