It is vital to keep ourselves healthy. Check out these strategies that can help you boost your immune system.
Our immune system must be fully functioning to help us prevent viruses from infecting us.
Experts say that we need to boost our immune system by eating healthy food and a correct balanced diet. It includes the consumption of plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Take note that in enhancing your immune system, it is not necessary to buy supplements and vitamins in a rush. Since there is no such proof that these products can help in boosting your immune system based on health experts and professionals’ advice. They recommend that we need to go to a more natural way and proven approaches instead.
Here are some of the proven approaches based on health experts and professionals:
Maintain a Low Level of Stress.
It is given that stress can affect your health. If you think and stress yourself about the virus, the more you are going to suffer from stress. According to one of Johns Hopkins University’s assistant professor of infectious disease – Morgan Katz, that stress can undoubtedly affect or hurt your immune system. He added not to panic and try to minimize stress.
Another health expert from One Medical – primary-care providers (a nationwide network), Andrew Diamond – Chief Medical Officer added that stress hormone cortisol turns off or shuts down cells in our immune system. Thus, he recommends people to engage in relaxing activities like meditation.
Exercise
Based on Dr. Diamond, in lowering the cortisol levels naturally and help the immune system to function well is through low and moderate-intensity exercise. They recommend at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day.
Take a walk or run outside if you are worried about the germs in the gym.
However, you have to keep in mind not to over-exercise. Based on a recent study on high-performance athletes found that they have an increased risk of infection, as per the medical director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine – Elizabeth Bradley.
She added that exercise could help in boosting the immune system, but we have to be careful since over-exercise can weaken the immune system as well.
Enough Sleep
It is crucial to get enough sleep. Adults are required to have at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. While children should get more hours of sleep, depending on how old they are.
Vaccines
It is also a great way to prevent the virus from easily infecting you if you have up-to-date vaccines. Most importantly, these vaccines are the flu vaccine. Though, it does not that meant for coronavirus, but it can help to strengthen your immune system.
Yogurt
Yes, and you have to eat plenty of it every day. As Dr. Katz says, that yogurt is an easy way to boost your body’s probiotics and it helps in supporting your microbiome. Dr. Katz added that yogurt supports good bacteria in our body that help fight bad bacteria or viruses.
Avoid Antibiotics
Dr. Katz suggests as well that we have to avoid taking antibiotics unless it is necessary. Antibiotics can destroy good bacteria in our bodies and leaving us more vulnerable to infections and viruses.
Consider These Foods
Dr. Bradley says that these foods can also help in supporting the microbiome in our body. These are onion, sauerkraut, garlic, ginger, and fermented foods.
Diet
You need to look out for your diet, choose a healthy, balanced diet. Thus, this includes plenty of fruits and vegetables which you can get enough Vitamin D and Zinc, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Health experts say that having this diet, you can get enough vitamins and minerals and you don’t need other supplements. However, experts do recommend supplementation if you have a low level of vitamin D. Since Vitamin D is relatively common in terms of deficiency.
Dr. Bradley added and recommended that we need to consume plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables. It also includes eating berries, nuts, and seeds as well. Thus, minimize consuming food with sugar and trans fat – these are not as nutrient-dense foods.
Stop Vaping or Smoking
People who have respiratory disease, and those who are smoking are more prone to severe illness. They have a higher rate of getting complications of coronavirus. As Dr. Diamond says, “Anything that is challenging to your lungs is going to work in the wrong direction.”
It is really important to take these strategies seriously. Thus, this is to help in strengthening and boosting our immune system. It needs fuel to help our body prevent viruses from coming in. As experts say, avoid ultralow-carbohydrate diets. You need to drink plenty of water and minimize alcohol consumption. Alcohol can disrupt your sleep.
