Things are starting to open up, as pandemic situations improve, with extra precautions to minimize exposure. But the emphasis on maintaining and improving our immune health is always important.
What is Immune system?
The immune system involves many types of cells, organs and tissues spread throughout the body. It keeps us healthy by mounting responses to germs, harmful substances, diseases, as well as viral and bacterial infections. An unhealthy immune system drains our energy and negatively impacts the quality of our life. We may still get sick, but a strong immune system helps the body to recover faster after illness or injury.
Importance of maintaining good immune health
The importance of having a strong immune system is well established, because it is our shield for fighting against seasonal allergies, virus, bacteria and chronic illnesses. But many people do not take sufficient steps to take care of their immune health. Simple steps like ensuring one has a good night’s sleep can actually make a big difference.
Did you know that the gut is the body’s largest immune organ? It is for this reason that diet plays a crucial role in immune health. Stress also reduces the efficiency of the immune system. Regular exercise is also key to improving the circulation, and allowing immune cells the opportunity to fight infection. Therefore strong immune health relies on paying careful and consistent attention to all of these factors: i.e. sleep, stress, exercise, and diet.
There is so much we can do to enhance our immune system. These are simple yet impactful habits you can implement in your lifestyle to improve your immune health for good.
1. Sleep
Sleep gives our body the rest it requires to repair and rebuild . It is found to strengthen our immune system by enhancing the T-cells in our body that fight of infection. To feel restful and energized, it is crucial to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep.
Make a habit of getting off the electronic devices and get to bed at a reasonable time. Try to avoid using your electronic devices at least 45 minutes before sleeping. The blue light that is emitted from electronic devices can interfere with our circadian rhythm and the quality of our sleep. Unwind by establishing and maintaining a calming sleep routine.
2. Reduce stress
Chronic stress causes the hormones adrenaline and cortisol to be constantly elevated which over time can wear down the immune system. Stress decreases the body’s white blood cells, reducing the capability to fight off pathogens. It is therefore important to keep our stress levels in-check and some good approaches to do so include meditation, yoga, stretching, deep belly breathing, or tapping.
3. Movement
Regular exercise helps improve the blood circulation and the efficiency of the immune system. Do some form of movement, even if it is only for 20 mins, everyday to rejuvenating the immune system. Try walking, playing with kids,dancing, gardening, or playing backyard sports/games.
4. Diet
A healthy immune system cannot be achieved by simply popping in supplements and hoping for some magic shield to appear. Instead we need to adopt a healthy lifestyle that incorporates nourishing immune-boosting foods.
Aim to consume well-balanced meals (ideally home-made) that are made with wholesome foods. Stay hydrated with plenty of filtered water.
Reduce inflammatory foods like sugar, caffeine, fried foods, and heavily processed packaged foods.
Incorporate lots of antioxidants-rich foods like berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and goji berries), leafy greens (spinach, kale), beans and legumes, red grapes, pomegranates, orange vegetables, beets, artichokes, green tea, and dark chocolate.
You can also add some nutrients in your daily routine that are well known for improving our immune health. Add in a variety of foods to enjoy the benefits of these nutrients.
Vitamin C – (also known as L-ascorbic acid)
is a powerful antioxidant and helps stimulate the production and function of white blood cells function. As it is an essential nutrient, the body does not produce this compound on its own but relies on dietary intake.
Tasty food sources include bell peppers, brussels sprouts, broccoli, leafy greens, strawberries, cantaloupe, cauliflower, honeydew melon, papaya, snow peas,sweet potato, tomatoes and, of course, citrus fruits (kiwi, lemon, orange, grapefruit),
Vitamin D
comes in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 is important as it plays an important role in immune balance. We can get most of your vitamin D2 need from plant sources and fortified foods.
Vitamin D3, however, is only found in animal sources, like fatty fish, beef, egg yolk, mushrooms, and cheese.
Vitamin D can also be synthesized by the body when unprotected skin is exposed to natural sunlight.
Zinc
is crucial for normal development and function of immune cells. It helps stabilize cell membranes and protect cells from free radical damage. Zinc may protect against respiratory tract infections and also help reduce the duration of the common colds or infections.
Oysters, shrimp, beef, beans, lentils, lobster, wild rice, peas, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and plain yogurt are all good sources of zinc.
Prebiotics & Probiotics
A huge portion of our immune system is located in our Gastrointestinal tract (aka the gut).
There are trillions of microorganisms inside the human body consisting of a good peaceful balance of microbes that are both helpful and some potentially harmful. However, certain medications like antibiotics, unhealthy diet, stress and other lifestyle factors can all negatively impact the quantity and variety of bacteria in our gut. It is therefore important to consume probiotic and prebiotic foods to keep the balance of microbes.
Probiotics colonize the gut with good bacteria that improve the strength and functioning of our immune system.
We can get probiotics from foods like yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, and kombucha. In addition, Probiotic supplements can also be incorporated to help replenish what your body lacks.
Prebiotics are a type of non-digestible carbohydrates that acts as fuel for probiotics and can be obtained from foods like garlic, onions, dandelion greens, bananas, apples, artichokes, leeks, asparagus, and oats. Given that the gut is the largest immune organ, pre and pro-biotics are a great way to boost the immune system.
Confused or overwhelmed on where to start? I suggest to identify the areas where we personally need to make the most improvement : sleep, stress, exercise or diet. And ensure that we keep a check on these 4 factors each and every day to make sure we are taking care of our immune system so it works to its best potential.
Do you feel you need to improve any of these factors to keep your immune system in its best?
Thank you for this comprehensive & informative post! Really useful info.
You are welcome. Thank you.
Great suggestions! I think getting a good night’s sleep really changed how often I get sick, and sitting out in the sunshine every day even if just for 15 minutes. Thanks for this great article!
Thank you. I am glad you found it helpful.