Your first line of defense is your immune system – learn how to make it stronger.
Its flu season and how to strengthen your immune system is the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue. One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to make sure to get a flu shot annually so that you’re covered from those nasty strains that go around every winter. You may not think it’s all that important but if you come down with the flu, you’ll wish you had taken the shot.
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Apart from getting annual flu shots there are various immune system boosting foods and different ways how to strength your immune system on a daily basis. Here are some tips to remember when thinking about how to improve your immune system:
Sleep
Make sure that getting a good night’s sleep is a top priority because being sleep deprived can alter hormones in the body which can lower immune function making it easier to get sick.
Stress
Managing stress is another way to keep your immune system rolling and not weak. The same as sleep, overwhelming amounts of stress can increase cortisol which is a hormone that can suppress immune function when it’s elevated over long periods of time.
Smoking
Staying away from tobacco and its smoke can also be a way how to improve your immune system. If you smoke, or are around it you are more likely to have lowered immune defenses. Having a lowered immune defense can mean that the chance of getting bronchitis and pneumonia is higher, It’s the same for children, if children are overly exposed to tobacco smoke their chances of becoming sick is greater as well as developing middle ear infections.
Alcohol
When alcohol is consumed in large amounts it changes the function of the immune system. This can make it much easier to get sick, or develop certain infections such as lung infection.
Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts and Seeds
Are all immune system boosting foods that can give your body the nutrients it needs to keep your immune system healthy. These immune system boosting foods can also boost antibodies that help ward off certain infections in adults.
Probiotics
If you’re prone to stomach issues, adding probiotics to your diet can be another great option for immune system boosting foods. Probiotics can reduce the risk of certain infections such as gastrointestinal infections and respiratory.
Sun
The sun is a great way how to strengthen your immune system without even doing much. Make sure that you do have sunscreen on if you’re going to be in the sun for prolonged periods of time but sunlight helps produce vitamin D which in turn can help ward off certain illnesses and infections.
Garlic
Add garlic to your list of immune system boosting foods. Garlic is an antimicrobial immune booster and is best when added to foods just before serving it. We hope you’re a garlic lover, if so, adding more garlic to your food won’t be an issue.
Mushrooms
There are mushrooms that are a great help with how to improve your immune system. These mushrooms are shiitake and maitake. Adding them to your meals can help boost immune functions in the body.
Herbs
There are certain herbs that can be taken to help boost the immune system. Some of these herbs are Asian ginseng, American Ginseng and Eleuthero.
The easiest things to remember and take from our list of tips to remember when thinking about how to improve your immune system are:
Sleep well, eat well, take care of your body by not drinking or smoking, add more veggies and fruit to your diet and get out and take in the sun from time to time. Remember that altering your diet or lifestyle abruptly can cause complications and if you have certain medical conditions, speaking to your doctor before making major changes is a great idea.
