6 Ways to Boost Your Immune System

There’s no doubt about it. We’re being flooded with virus information on a daily basis. And after all this time, it still all doesn’t make sense.

You may feel overwhelmed, stressed, and helpless by now – you simply don’t know what to do or what to believe anymore. All the information out there is so contradicting.

We still don’t have all the answers. However, there is something we do know and that you can control which is overlooked by the mainstream media, and politicians: boost your immune system.

When you’ve got a strong immune system you’re less susceptible to any virus and getting sick, and therefore also less likely to spread the virus. You’ll be looking after yourself and others.

A strong immune system will not 100% guarantee that you won’t get infected by a virus. But if you do get infected, the effects of the virus will be less harsh, which means you won’t feel as sick. The symptoms will be a lot less severe.

Now is the time to make health and wellbeing a priority for you and your family.

6 ways to boost your immune system

Here are my 6 ways to boost your immune system:

1. Food

As Hippocrates said it a long, long time ago: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.

Eat the rainbow

Colourful fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which will help to boost your immune system. The immune system relies on nutrient-dense whole foods to function well and needs sufficient nutrients to be able to fight an infection. Aim for 2 servings of fruit and 8 or more servings of vegetables. A serving is ½ cup of cooked vegetables and 1 cup of leafy greens.

Avoid junk food

Avoid processed foods, junk food, and refined sugars. They compromise your immune system. Watch out for those hidden sugars. Read more about where you can find them here.

Antimicrobial foods

Eat foods with antimicrobial properties like garlic, onion, and ginger. And add spices like rosemary, oregano, and turmeric to your meals.

Fermented foods

Eat fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. They contain natural probiotics that support the good bacteria in your gut. Great for your immune system, as 75% of your immune system is determined in your gut. There are plenty of recipes for sauerkraut and kimchi on the internet and it’s really easy and cheap to make it yourself.

DIY Immune Booster

Make your own super immune booster called Fire Cider, which is a powerful and natural combination of ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, and herbs that boost your immune system. You can find the recipe here.

Supplements

Getting nutrients from your food is always best, I’m a big supporter of that. But there are a few supplements that help strengthen your immune system. You may want to consider adding these supplements to your regime to prevent getting sick, or at least don’t get severe symptoms or end up in hospital. These are the immune supporting supplements I take on a daily basis:

Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Zinc
Quercetin
N-Acetyl-Cysteine

You can watch a presentation about the role of Vitamin D and supportive nutrients in COVID by functional medicine practitioner Chris Kesser here.

2. Stress management

Minimise stress to reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is what will make you more susceptible to viruses.

De-stress

Meditation, yoga, walking in nature, taking a hot bath, or just sitting still and focussing on your breath for 5 minutes will help you to de-stress.

This is a great article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about managing stress in a situation like these.

Media

Stay informed, but limit your exposure to the news. Scaremongering headlines sell, but also create panic. Hearing about the virus on repeat can be stressful. Avoid the temptation to constantly look for updates on tv and social media. This puts you on edge and creates stress. And remember, with everything you hear in the media, always practice discernment.

3. Exercise

30 to 45 minutes of mild to moderate exercise helps to boost your immune system. Avoid high-intensity workouts when you’re feeling run down as it’ll lower your immune defenses. A walk outside in nature is perfect. Or find workouts classes online.

4. Sleep

Getting enough quality sleep is vital for a healthy immune system. Sleep restores and heals the body. Aim for 7 to 8 hours per night. If you struggle to get these hours in, read this blogpost to find out if you’re making any of these sleep mistakes and start to sleep better now.

5. Connection

Human connection is very important for your immune system. Loneliness and social isolation can cause inflammation and weaken the immune response. This is why social distancing is such a poor choice of words, as humans crave social connection, especially in times like these.

Don’t isolate yourself socially and just practice physical distancing. Make sure to stay connected to family and friends via video chat, as this supports not only your immune system, but theirs as well. Also call your neighbours, especially if they’re elderly, to see if they’re okay.

6. Hydration

Consuming adequate fluids is necessary for all body functions including your immune system. So make sure you stay hydrated and drink at least 2L of fluids a day.

Water and Herbal Tea

Good old water is the best way to hydrate. Drink filtered water so you don’t put any more pressure on your body by having to deal with the toxins in non-filtered water. Now is the time to be really gentle with your body.

Herbal tea is another healthy way to keep your fluids up. I’m adding Astragalus root and Echinacea to my herbal tea for their immune-enhancing and anti-viral qualities.

Bone Broth

Bone broth supports your gut health and has amazing immune-supporting properties. So make sure to add some to your daily fluids. Bone broth sounds worse than it is, it actually tastes like instant soup. Not bad at all and a great pick-me-up in the afternoon.

You can make your own bone broth, there are many recipes on the internet. Alternatively, you can buy good quality ready to go bone broth at your local health food store and even in some supermarkets these days.