Want some good news? You’re already doing things every single day to boost your immune system naturally. So this article won’t be filled with more supplements you need to run out and buy, practices you need to struggle to fold into your days or the ways that you’re currently, unknowingly poisoning yourself. *insert sigh of relief*
Your body is made for health! Given the right inputs, your cuts heal, waste makes its way out, you have energy throughout the day and you feel good. Your body (more specifically, your immune system) is also created to fight off nasty foreign invaders … like viruses.
Here are six ways you’re already supporting your immune as it carries out this critical mission:
Avoiding Excess Sugar
Why It Helps: Since sugar and Vitamin C are molecularly similar, they end up competing in your body. When we’ve consumed too much sugar, the sugar beats out Vitamin C and blocks the Vitamin C from entering your cells … which means your immune system is much less equipped to fight off pathogens and viruses.
Eating Fermented Foods
Why It Helps: Love sauerkraut? Kimchi? Yogurt? Kombucha? Perfect, because feeding and repopulating the good “bugs” in your gut means they stay strong enough to fight off the bad bugs and bacteria with which you come in contact.
Going Outside
Why It Helps: Because Vitamin D (the sunshine one) helps improve your mood, your sleep and even your sensitivity to pain. And people with Vitamin D deficiency are often likelier to catch a cold or get the flu.
Drinking Water
Why It Helps: A hydrated body can flush out toxins, which is important because toxic overload stresses your immune system! And since water carries oxygen to your body’s cells, and your cells need that oxygen to function, dehydration impairs all kinds of bodily systems, including your immune response.
Sleeping Well
Why It Helps: Sleep is when we heal. A lack of quality sleep is linked to increased stress hormones, increased inflammation and finally, decreased immune system response and ability to fight infections.
De-Stressing
Why It Helps: “When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections. The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system.” (https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-immune.html)
We hope you’re feeling encouraged. The ways in which you’re already pursuing health are paying off and making your body strong against anything that comes your way. Keep taking care of yourself!
