5 tips to strengthen your immune system during cold season
It is peak season for the spread of colds, a time when we should pay more attention to our own health and that of our loved ones. You are more likely to catch a virus when weakened immunity makes your body more susceptible to pathogens. That makes strengthening your immunity one of the most important ways to prevent illness.
Strengthen your immune system with proper nutrition
EAT A HEALTHY, VARIED DIET
The first thing you can do to strengthen your immune system is to make sure your daily diet is varied and provides the essential vitamins and minerals. Green leafy vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system, is abundant in citrus fruits, rose hips, sea buckthorn, kiwis, peaches, tomatoes and bell peppers.
An immersion blender can help you eat more green leafy vegetables and other healthy root vegetables. With it you can make nutrient-rich root vegetable purées or puréed soups, as well as spreads with plenty of garlic, or hummus.
GET YOUR VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Besides eating foods that nourish and fortify the body, you can also get the vitamins you need by drinking tasty smoothies and freshly pressed juice. If you have a juicer or a blender, make smoothies and juices between meals part of your daily routine. You can also make smoothies with an immersion blender.
For smoothies and juices you can use fruits and vegetables as well as frozen berries and fruits. Deep-freezing keeps vitamin loss to a minimum, which makes it one of the best ways to get the nutrients you need in a season when fresh produce isn’t available.
USE SUPPLEMENTS IF NEEDED
To find out whether your daily diet covers your vitamin and mineral needs, you can, in addition to getting a blood test, use a mobile app where you log all your meals. A kitchen scale helps you measure food amounts precisely, and the app tells you which important nutrients you are not getting from food. You can easily find kitchen scales in the larger online shops.
If your body doesn’t get enough vitamins and minerals from your daily food, it’s worth turning to supplements that support the immune system. To strengthen the body’s defenses, people usually take vitamin preparations that contain vitamins A, C, D and vitamin E, as well as zinc and selenium. The immune system is also supported with supplements such as echinacea, colostrum, grapefruit seed extract, ginger and garlic tablets, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics.
Stress and fatigue weaken the immune system
MAKE GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP A PRIORITY
An adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep a day. Enough good-quality sleep is extremely important for the immune system to function, because it is during sleep that the processes take place that release immune cells and immune-system-related cytokines. Studies have found that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get ill when exposed to a virus than people who sleep enough.
RELIEVE STRESS WITH HOBBIES AND DAILY MOVEMENT
Under high stress, the body switches to power-saving mode, and the immune system is the first place it starts conserving energy. In a person under stress, the immune system doesn’t kick in on time to fight pathogens. Although some stress is unavoidable at today’s pace of life, each of us should find ways to prevent chronic stress.
Pursuing hobbies is one way to relieve stress and improve your quality of life. A hobby can be something athletic, playful, creative, or connected with nature or culture. Activities like these often bring us together with other people who share the same interests, preventing loneliness.
Exercise also strengthens the immune system, whether it’s a daily 30-minute walk or more intense training. It’s even better if this activity takes you out into the fresh air. At the same time, keep in mind that constant overtraining weakens the immune system.
NURTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Researchers have found that social isolation raises the body’s stress level, impairing its defense and healing ability. That is why it is especially important to look after your family relationships and friendships and to make time for them. At times when meeting in person isn’t possible or advisable, we can keep our relationships going through video and phone calls and messages.
Both everyday healthy habits and lifestyle changes involving sleep, hobbies and relationships help strengthen the immune system. To put healthy habits into practice, practical tools such as an immersion blender, a juicer and a blender can help, in addition to supplements and vitamins.
Author: 1a.ee
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