Boosting immunity is crucial for maintaining overall health and defending against illnesses. While no single method can guarantee a strong immune system, adopting a healthy lifestyle and implementing certain practices can significantly enhance your immunity.
Immunity became a buzzword during the COVID-19 pandemic as people became more aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It became imperative to have a robust immune system, which functions as a complex network comprising organs, tissues, and cells that collaborate to safeguard the body.
While boosting your immunity is a complex process, dietary and lifestyle adjustments may strengthen your body's ability to fight off harmful pathogens and disease-causing organisms. One of the easiest ways to pump the immunity quotient in the body is to increase the intake of vitamins.
Know how to strengthen the immune system. Here’s a breakdown of how to boost the immune system naturally over time.
1. Have a Healthy Diet:
Maintaining a healthy diet is essential for supporting a strong immune system. Include a good amount of nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Keep your serving sizes in check and limit your intake of processed and calorie-dense foods. Include a colourful assortment of fruits and vegetables in your diet as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support immune function. Have at least five servings of immune-boosting foods like vitamin C (citrus fruits, berries, broccoli), vitamin D (fatty fish, fortified dairy products, sunlight), zinc (oysters, lean meats, legumes), and selenium (Brazil nuts, seafood, whole grains).
It is crucial to include sources of lean protein such as fish, tofu, poultry and legumes- protein is crucial for the production of antibodies and immune cells.
Opt for whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet, whole wheat bread, and oats. They provide essential nutrients, fibre, and antioxidants that can support immune health.
2. Drink Enough Water
Staying hydrated by drinking enough water is important for supporting a strong immune system. The role of water is underplayed at times. However, it plays a vital role in various bodily functions, including the immune system. Maintain proper hydration by including a good amount of water throughout the day. Water helps flush out toxins, supports the function of immune cells, and keeps mucous membranes moist to prevent infections.
Water is involved in the transportation of essential nutrients to cells and tissues throughout the body. Sufficient water intake ensures that these nutrients can reach immune cells and support the immune system.
3. Exercise Daily
Regular exercise is a powerful way to boost the immune system. Engaging in daily physical activity offers numerous benefits that can strengthen your immune response.
Engage in moderate-intensity physical activities like walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. Exercise improves circulation, reduces stress, and enhances immune system activity.
Obesity can impair immune function. Follow a balanced diet with regular exercise to keep your body weight on a normal scale.
Exercise increases blood flow, allowing immune cells to travel more efficiently throughout the body and enabling them to detect and fight off infections more effectively.
Regular exercise is a good way of maintaining a healthy weight and averting obesity, characterised by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher in adults.
4. Get Proper Sleep
Getting adequate sleep is crucial as this could be one of the easiest ways to boost the immune system. During sleep, your body carries out essential restorative processes that support immune function. Attain 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night as sufficient sleep allows your body to recharge, repair, and replenish and strengthen its immune cell count to combat infections. Adequate sleep helps stimulate the production of immune cells, including T cells, which play a key role in fighting infections.
5. Reduce Stress
The immune system may be improved by managing and reducing stress levels. Prolonged or chronic stress can negatively impact immune function, making you more susceptible to infections and illnesses. Chronic stress can lead to increased inflammation, which can weaken immune responses. Implementing stress-reduction techniques can help lower inflammation levels and is one of the ways to boost the immune system- include stress-relieving exercises such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or your favourite activity in your daily routine.
Stress can be a hindrance to healthy habits, including eating on time or exercising regularly. One should eliminate smoking and drinking from their lifestyle to avoid further build-up of stress in the body that can lead to life-threatening consequences.
6. Eat Enough Healthy Fats
Including healthy fats in your diet is important for supporting immune function. Certain types of fats, particularly monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to have positive effects on the immune system. Include avocado, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, olive oil, coconut oil, nut butter, etc. Focus on incorporating a variety of these healthy fat sources into a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to support overall immune health.
Why we should focus on ways to boost the immune system?
Focusing on our immunity is crucial because a strong immune system plays a vital role in protecting our bodies from infections and diseases and maintaining overall health. Here are some key reasons why we should prioritise immune health:
- Helps prevent diseases: A robust immune system is our body's defence mechanism against pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms. A strong immune response helps prevent these invaders from causing infections and illnesses.
- Helps in faster recovery: When we get sick, a strong immune system helps speed up the recovery process. It can mount a swift and effective response to eliminating the invading pathogens, allowing us to bounce back more quickly.
- Maintains overall well-being: Immune health is interconnected with our overall well-being. A strong immune system contributes to better physical and mental health, improved energy levels, and enhanced quality of life.
Supplements that increase immunity
While a balanced diet should provide most of the nutrients necessary for a healthy immune system, certain supplements can be considered to improve immune health since they provide additional nutrients that may benefit the immune system. These include Curcumin and SteadC by Steadfast Nutrition. Steadfast Nutrition’s Curcumin has curcumin as an active ingredient extracted from turmeric that has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant.
Piperine (the major active component of black pepper) in Steadfast Nutrition’s Curcumin enhances its effectiveness- it alleviates its bioavailability by 2000%.
The combination boosts energy and immunity, treats pain and swelling in joints, and improves overall health and wellbeing. Curcumin has immense benefits for immunity- it can enhance the responses of antibodies and cells that play a role in immune function and may help reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory substances, aiding in the regulation of immune responses.
Another essential if you want to boost immunity is Steadfast Nutrition’s SteadC containing amla extract, vitamin C, Zinc, rosehip extract, and citrus bioflavonoid. The powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories in SteadC boost immunity, promote wound healing, nourish skin, and fight inflammation. SteadC also enhances iron absorption.
SteadC offers numerous benefits to the human body. It supports the immune system by promoting the production and function of white blood cells. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, helping protect cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals. SteadC also aids in collagen synthesis, essential for healthy skin, bones, and connective tissues. It boosts wound healing and contributes to improved cardiovascular health.
It's important to note that while a strong immune system is beneficial, it does not guarantee complete protection against all diseases. Other factors like vaccination, good hygiene practices, and a healthy lifestyle contribute to overall health and well-being.
Always be up for a stronger immunity with the best of nutrition via foods or supplements and never let your immunity be compromised for healthy living.
Immunity is not a one-day or one-month process but something that builds over the years and needs to be followed lifelong. You can feel your immune health improving from within when you are fit and can function efficiently in all spheres of life. Follow these pointers and experience the best of a healthy life.
