The words “Immune System” appear frequently in health articles, NHS information sources, and on health products themselves. In this blog post, we hope that you will gain a better understanding as to what our immune system does and how to both boost it and maintain it.
In simple terms, the immune system is the body’s defence and resistance to infections and toxins. When the body detects antigens (foreign substances), the immune system kicks in to fight these antigens.
Sometimes our immune system can fail us against particular germs and diseases, however in order to provide our bodies with the best fighting chances, there are some things we can consistently incorporate into our diet and activities.
The top common ways that help boost the immune system are:
Getting enough sleep. You need to monitor and calculate how much sleep your body needs but the average person should get around 8 hours per night. Sleep is our body’s time to rest and rejuvenate and in turn it helps to support a healthy immune system.
Eating enough fruit and vegetables. Seems like basic knowledge but many people in fact don’t prioritise getting a regular consistent amount of fruit and veg in their diet. There are many options to do this, salads, soups, steamed vegetables, healthy snacks, juicing or juice blending ( you could add ginger to an apple and carrot juice for example).
Taking vitamins, minerals, plant based products such as turmeric. Everyone’s body is different so your GP or a nutritionist may be able to help you identify what vitamins you are lacking in, but there are some common vitamins such as vitamin C that help boost the immune system. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error and identifying what works best for you.
Drinking enough water. This benefits many things not just the immune system, but it helps to flush out the toxins, so you will have a better immune system all round.
Good Exercise. Not only does exercise help to keep you fit, promote better posture, provide great benefits for your mental health, it also enables good blood circulation which can contribute to having a healthy immune system. Also, perspiration or sweating, also enables your body to sweat out the toxins.
A final one which is another big topic in itself, is reducing stress. Stress reduction covers many areas, but whether it be stress management, removing triggers or people who add extreme stress, addressing work matters, or anything else, stress can really strain and weaken the immune system. You must value yourself and your mind and body, no one else will do it for you. And stress, where possible, must be eliminated or reduced. This should always be your top priority. We will cover stress management in another post very soon.
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