My Healthy Habits for A Strong Immune System
Why Your Immune System is Important?
Being on a wellness journey is not just about workouts or healthy eating, it is so much more then that. Honestly, this concept took me a while to understand. If you
want to truly live a healthy lifestyle then you have to approach it from all angles, and Immunity is a huge part of optimizing your health.
What is your immune system
The immune system is a complex system in our bodies. It uses many different organs, tissues, cells and proteins and work to fight off diseases, infections,
bacteria, etc. the immune system is also connected to your gut. The healthier our gut microbiome is, the healthier our immune system will be. Have you ever
noticed that during the winter most people are getting sick? There are many reasons that are proposed as to why people tend to get sicker in the winter rather
than the summer. Some of these are low levels of vitamin D, people are inside more and in close proximity to others allowing viruses to spread, or that the immune
system is weaker in the winter. I think it is probably a mixture of all of it.
How to know if you have a weak immune system
Some people are more prone to sickness than others. This could be due to a weakened immune system. How do you know if your immune system is weak? Some of
the ways to tell if you have a weak immune system is to notice how often you get sick. Do you experience frequent colds, infections, illness, constantly stressed, or
gut issues. This is not an exhaustive list but it might help you determine where you immune system is at today.
How I boost My immune system naturally
Okay so how can we boost our immune system for this fall and winter naturally?
1. Stress management
Stress play a huge role in weakening our immune system. When our bodies are in flight or fight it prioritizes bodily function that are essential. Things like immunity,
digestion, or reproduction are not necessarily essential so it will weaken these system during period of high stress.
2. Exercise
Exercising can help boost our immune systems by improving our cardiovascular health, improving our gut microbiome, and releasing stress (if done in the correct
doses. if your not sure how to find movement that works for you check out my blog post discussing all things movement here.
3. Eat probiotic rich foods
Eating foods with the good bacteria in them is an amazing and ingredibly important part of boosting our immune system. Foods like sauerkraut, kimichi, yogurt, or
kefir are all great sources of the “good guys”
4. Fueling the “good guys” with prebiotic foods
Those bacteria need to be nourished just like you so it is important to eat foods high in prebiotics to keep them in their tip top shape. These bacteria love fiber.
Eating more fiber and foods high in prebiotic properties is an amazing. Some of these high prebiotic foods include, resistant starches, green bananas, apples,
onions, garlic, etc.
5. Green tea/matcha
Matcha/green tea contains high levels of antioxidants to support our bodies defending against oxidative stress and infection.
6. Sleep
One of the most important things you can do to boost your immune system is to get ENOUGH sleep. Our bodies repair during the times we sleep so if we are not
getting enough our immune system will naturally decline. You need between 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Supplement/ vitamins that could help immunity
First off, I am not a medical doctor so please talk to them before you take anything. I am a big believer in getting as much as you can through foods, but I also
understand it is extremely difficult to get everything we need today.
If you really want to boost your immune system some vitamins/supplement that could be beneficial include:
1. Vitamin C
If you are not wanting to take a supplement a more natural way to get vitamin c is through foods like lemons, oragnes, bell peppers. Try Squeezing some lemon in
your water to get your vitamin c levels up if you do not want to take a supplement.
2. Vitamin D
Most people are deficient in vitamin D. If any sunscreen is put on your are actually blocking your bodies ability to absorb vitamin D. This is one supplement most
people have to end up taking in order to achieve optimal levels.
3. Zinc
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Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Zinc is crucial for a optimal immune system. Foods like nuts and seeds
contains high levels of zinc. Try sprinkling some pumpkin seeds on your yogurt
in the mornings and boost your zinc levels.
4. Probiotics
Honestly taking a probiotic is a great addition to anyone’s supplement
routine. We want to make sure we have enough of the good guys. I use Seed
synbiotic. However, do your research and make sure you are getting a good
one. It is worth the money.
