Natural Ways to boost your immune health
Your diet is the key to your health. Here are the top immune boosting foods to
incorporate into your diet to help you stay healthy:
Green Tea
Green tea contains the antioxidant which reduces the risk of most types of
cancer. It also inhibits the growth of bad bacteria in the intestine.
Chillies
Chilies stimulate the metabolism. They also act as a natural blood thinner
and are also rich in beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in the blood and
fights infections.
Ginger and Garlic
It contains living compound Gingerol, a suppressor that is particularly
effective against colon cancer. It is also good for common cold or flu. Garlic is
known for its cold-fighting abilities. It increases the potency of two important
cells of the immune system: T-lymphocytes and macrophages.
Turmeric
It has been used for centuries as part of Ayurvedic and it has strong cold and
fights micro organisms.
Tomatoes
The ubiquitous tomatoes are great in fighting herpes and help in protecting
against degenerative diseases. They also deliver an abundance of vitamins A and C,
potassium, and phytochemicals.Enjoy tomatoes raw, cooked, sliced, chopped, or
diced as part of any meal or snack.
CHOOSE COLORFUL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Adding color to your menu not only results in a lovely, appetizing plate, but it increases
your intake of health and beauty promoting antioxidants--many of these valuable
antioxidants are found in the pigment of the fruit or vegetable and loaded with beta-
carotene, a nutrient that the body breaks down to make vitamin A which is essential for
immunity.
Vitamin C strengthens your immune
system by stimulating antibodies and cells in the immune system. Eat plenty of
fruits, vegetables rich in Vitamin C to strengthen immunity. Food sources of
Vitamin C include lemon, oranges, grapefruits, papaya, mango, and guava.
Drink lots of water
Water flushes toxins from the body and allows all our defense systems, including our
skin, blood, mucous, and saliva to function properly, discouraging flu and other
infections from entering your body.
Wash your hands
Many micro-organisms are
passed via skin contact with infected individuals or objects. Washing your hands before
touching your face (rubbing your eyes, contacting your mouth or ears) can greatly
reduce your exposure to harmful microbes in the environment; this lessens your chance
of getting sick and of stressing your internal immune system.
Get more sleep
Most people need between
6 and 10 hours of sleep at night and it is important to find out how much sleep your body
needs to function properly. If you get too little or too much sleep your hormone levels
become unbalanced and as a result your health can suffer.
Move your body and boost your circulation-Exercise
Relaxation skills like pranayama (yoga) and exercise increase immunity and
breathing capacity thereby decreasing stress hormone production. To improve
elimination through the skin, regular exercise is important to stimulate sweating.
Exercise helps overall with detoxification and also improves our general metabolism.
No need to exhaust yourself! MODERATE exercise is best.
Mind-body connection
The mind influences the body, so laugh, meditate, play music, and stay happy.
Some foods or unhealthy lifestyle behaviors
can make a person more susceptible to colds
and flus.
Sugar: There is strong evidence that sugar has a negative effect on the function of the
immune system. High-sugar junk foods as they can decrease the activity of the immune
system. When white blood cells are exposed to high levels of sugar in the bloodstream,
they have a decreased ability to engulf bacteria and have weakened systemic resistance
to all infections.
Coffee: It's also best to avoid too much caffeine as it can undermine your body's
immune system and act as a diuretic, which will deplete your body of water. Caffeine is
a diuretic that contributes to the body's loss of important nutrients, such as calcium,
magnesium, and potassium. Caffeine places stress on the adrenal glands (already
stressed out from our hectic lifestyles) and adversely affects the nervous system.
Alcohol: When consumed in excess, alcohol is a poison to every system of your body.
It depresses the nervous system, inhibits the bone marrow's ability to regenerate blood
cells, is toxic to the liver, depletes B-vitamins, and is dehydrating. So try to avoid alcohol
as much as possible.
Smoking: Smoking can impair your resistance as well as injure the respiratory tract,
which makes you more susceptible to the flu.
Raw foods: undercooked eggs contain infectious bacteria and intestinal parasites.
Raw fruits and vegetables should be well washed before eating.
Rancid fats and oils: At higher temperatures and exposure to light, oils and fats
turn rancid more quickly. When foods are deep-fried, the fats used reach very high
temperatures, and if the oil is re-used, as is invariably the case, the oxidative effect is
magnified and these create free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that can
initiate chain reactions of chemical disruption, injuring cell membranes, enzymes, and
DNA. Common sources of rancid fats and oils are nuts, chips, baked goods, and fried
foods.
Food allergies: Many people are sensitive to certain foods, which can result in
symptoms including intestinal distress, fatigue, and even weight gain. Common foods
that create such problems are dairy, eggs, gluten (the protein in wheat), and soy, corn,
and food additives. Individuals that experience any of the above symptoms should
experiment with eliminating these foods from their diets for a few weeks to see what
changes occur. Then, reintroducing one at a time will give a good indication of which
foods may be causing the problems.
Eat Healthy Food and
Stay Healthy
