Four Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System and Stay Healthy
Boosting immunity is a daily activity.
If there is something we can all agree on, it’s that we want to keep our immune systems up so we don’t get sick. This rings even truer during the cold + flu + pandemic season. A strong immune system will help guard off bacteria and viruses that try to invade your body. That is a good thing!
Let me give you a little back story. I’ve been wanting to curate a blog post on boosting immunity for over a year now. That desire was further encouraged after my husband and I caught the coronavirus. It was an awful experience, but I think we got through it as quickly as our bodies could manage. We have since fully recovered and I contribute that to taking good care of ourselves prior to getting sick and prioritizing quality food, hydration, rest, movement, mindfulness, and supplements while we were sick.
One of the best ways to guard yourself against any virus, let alone any illness, is to take care of yourself year round and keep your immune system up. What to eat and take and do is constantly changing so I’m with you if you’re confused with how to support your body. Let’s be honest – there’s so much “noise” around immunity right now and it can be a lot to process!
That’s why I wanted to put this post together. What I am about to share may shift as more research is done, but the majority of it will benefit you in any season and with most illnesses, to a degree. Above all else, nutrient-dense foods, rest, and hydration are foundational to giving your body a chance to heal while boosting your immune system. Yes – it can be that simple and straight-forward!
4 Ways to Support Your Immune System
Eat nutrient-dense foods + hydrate
Eat for health! Nutrient-dense foods are going to provide your body with the macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to stay strong and recover from an illness. If you’re dealing with an illness, eating foods that are gentle to digest, such as soups, broths, and veggies, will allow your body to focus on other things it needs to do to promote healing. This is why they are called “immune-boosting foods”. Eat more foods rich in cysteine and glycine, such as grass-fed beef, spinach, pastured poultry, low-tox seafood, and legumes. And don’t skimp on the protein. Eating a higher protein count, especially from high quality meat, will give your body a boost of amino acids to fight off illness. Anti-inflammatory + antioxidants rich foods are going to be the optimal food choice.
What else? Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Make sure you add natural electrolytes to your water. Coconut water is also a great source. Other electrolyte options I recommend are GOODONYA and Trace Mineral drops. Staying hydrated will help flush out toxins, assist your bowel movements, help transport nutrients, and increase cell to cell communication.
Supplementation
Supplements can be incredibly healthful when your body needs more support on top of eating nutrient-dense foods. When it comes to supplements, it’s quality over quantity – every time. Supplements that can support your body when you’re coming down with something or already under the weather are vitamins A, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, omega 3 fatty acids, NAC, and quercetin. Micronutrients are powerhouses for keeping a strong immune system, especially against viral infections. Using supplements in tangent with eating nourishing foods will add an extra layer of protection to your body (and sometimes peace of mind).
Foods rich in these micronutrients –
Vitamin A + D – liver, egg yolks, and orange, red, and yellow veggies. Not a micronutrient, but equally important, is the sun. Get out in it for at least a few minutes each day to receive vitamin D. Plus, exposing yourself to the sun at first light will support your circadian rhythm!
Vitamin C – papaya, kiwi, red bell peppers, camu camu, acerola berries.
Zinc – oysters, grass-fed red meat, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Selenium – wild caught seafood like shrimp, salmon, and sardines and brazil nuts.
Omega 3s – wild-caught seafood like salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
NOTE – because we are all bioindividual, please consult with your practitioner, or someone like myself, to find out what your body actually needs and if you are in a state to be able to absorb + utilize supplements.
Rest
This is a biggie. Getting adequate rest and slowing down when your body needs to take it easy will help your body to focus on recovering. I know, sometimes rest is the hardest thing to do when you are the caretaker, errand runner, bill payer, etc. But, please hear me when I say this, rest is crucial to allowing your body to heal. Get at least 7 hours of sleep and take naps throughout the day.
When you are sick, your body is knocked down and its focus to heal is stronger than ever. When you rest and prioritize sleep, your body is able to focus on things like repairing tissue, supporting your brain + gut, conserving energy, etc. Sleep does the body so much good! Remind yourself of this everytime you feel the tug to keep doing + moving when you know you need to slow down. It can help reduce recovery time, as well!
Movement + Mindfulness
I get it. When you’re sick, the LAST thing you probably want to do is exercise, but I’m not talking about hard core workouts. I am referring to just getting in some sort of movement that will assist your lymphatic system in draining + removing toxins from your body. Movement varies so do what feels good to you! Walking, pilates, yoga, and mobility drills are gentler forms of movement if that’s what your body needs. Ultimately, breaking a sweat helps by further assisting your body in detoxifying. Sweating is another gentle way to detox so if, by chance, you’re up for moderate intensity one study has shown that it can help reduce inflammation. Take this for what it is and only do it if you're up for it.
Mindfulness is important to reduce stress + calm your body. Meditations, quiet walks, gentle yoga, and epsom salt baths are wonderful ways to support your body during times of inflammation and stress. Engaging in things that bring you joy like reading a book, watching a funny movie or show, or catching up with loved ones are also great! It will do your body wonder to take your mind off the fact you are sick and what you feel you “have” to do.
PS– don’t hold in the laughter. It may improve immune function! Brings a whole new meaning to “live. laugh. love”, don’t you think?
For a more in depth overview of how to support your body against viruses, head over to this page.
The bottom line – take care of yourself, practice good hygiene, and continue to socialize safely. If you are unable to socialize physically for the moment, be creative in how you connect with others. The hardest thing when it comes to getting sick and avoiding spreading anything is isolating yourself.
Thanks to technology, we can still connect with others and not feel loss of hope in the idea of community. Talking on the phone or over zoom it’s not the same as being with someone face to face, but it still can bring you comfort and hope and take your mind off things. Mental health is just as important as the physical – take heed to that and love on yourself and others a little more :).
You know your body best! You don’t need to do “all the things” or all of these things! I curated this post for you to share what helped my husband and I, and to empower you with some resources to care for your body in a natural + supportive manner. Give your body what it needs and don’t push it to do something it doesn’t want to do or take something it knows it doesn’t need. Tap into that innate wisdom and don’t hesitate to reach out for help.
A few other articles I think you’ll enjoy –
Easy, Healthy, And Flexible Cooking Tips During Quarantine
Why Bone Broth Is Good For You + 7 Interesting Ways To Use It
7 Nutrients That Will Help Lower Your Stress Levels
As you boost your immune system, your body will feel supported, with grace and gentleness.
Trust that. Breathe that in. And take care.
Sources
Iddir M, Brito A, Dingeo G, Fernandez Del Campo SS, Samouda H, La Frano MR, Bohn T. Strengthening the Immune System and Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress through Diet and Nutrition: Considerations during the COVID-19 Crisis. Nutrients. 2020 May 27;12(6):1562. doi: 10.3390/nu12061562. PMID: 32471251; PMCID: PMC7352291.
Mrityunjaya M, Pavithra V, Neelam R, Janhavi P, Halami PM, Ravindra PV. Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Food Supplements Targeting Pathogenesis of COVID-19. Front Immunol. 2020 Oct 7;11:570122. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.570122. PMID: 33117359; PMCID: PMC7575721.
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2020). Pandemic Solutions-Focused Information Share Resources. Retrieved from https://nutritionaltherapy.com/pandemic-solutions-focused-information/
Pecora F, Persico F, Argentiero A, Neglia C, Esposito S. The Role of Micronutrients in Support of the Immune Response against Viral Infections. Nutrients. 2020 Oct 20;12(10):3198. doi: 10.3390/nu12103198. PMID: 33092041; PMCID: PMC7589163.