Your Healthy Options to Boost Immunity
With the new year comes a renewed interest in all things healthy. Healthier diets, more exercise, and better immune systems are topping to-do lists. There are plenty of ways for people to boost their immunity.
Healthy Diet
One of the best ways of supporting your immune system is by maintaining a healthy diet. A healthy diet consists of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and healthy fats. The body uses the micronutrients in these foods to maintain immune system homeostasis.
Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient found in citrus fruit, tomatoes, spinach, and broccoli. Vitamin E comes in nuts and spinach. Oysters, poultry, red meat, and dairy products are rich in zinc. Vitamin B6 comes from chicken, tuna, salmon, and green vegetables.
Regular Exercise
Physical activity builds muscles, decreases stress, and supports a healthy immune system. Exercise helps cells detect and fight infections in the body. Staying active and getting regular exercise are essential for an immune system.
Hydrate the Body
Water is essential for many processes in the body, especially for supporting the immune system. The blood and lymph, which have immune cells, need water to move through the body. Even when people don’t exercise, they lose water by breathing, urinating, and having bowel movements. Everyone should know their recommended daily water intake to ensure replacing the water lost in their body.
Manage Stress
Chronic stress can have devastating effects on health. Stress can also impact how well the immune system works. Stress can lead to sleep disturbances, eating less healthy food, dehydration, and infrequent exercise. Stress is different for each person. So are the ways that a person can reduce it. Deep breathing, prayer, exercise, and meditation are just a few activities that can help reduce stress.
Supplements for Immunity
Some supplements and herbal preparations may support immunity. Scientists don’t know whether an herb that raises the levels of antibodies in the blood does anything for overall immunity. They can, however, alter some components of immune function.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Excess weight affects how a body works. People are obese if they have a body mass index of 30 or more. Obesity has been linked to impaired immune function. It may also lower vaccine effectiveness for many diseases like the flu, hepatitis B, and tetanus. Eating healthy foods, reducing stress, engaging in regular exercise, and getting plenty of sleep can help maintain a healthy weight.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations are one of the best ways to improve an immune system. Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight disease-causing illnesses. It is safer for a body to learn through a vaccination than through the disease itself. Stay up-to-date on recommended vaccinations, including the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is closely related to immunity. Inadequate or poor quality sleep is linked to a higher probability of sickness. Studies show that people who slept fewer than six hours each night were more likely to catch a cold than those who slept six hours or more each night. Also, sleeping more when someone is sick can help them better fight the sickness. Adults should get seven or more hours of sleep a night, teens need eight to ten hours, and young children and infants should have as much as fourteen hours each night.
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To start the year right, work on boosting your body’s immunity. Try implementing one or more of these dietary and lifestyle changes to strengthen the body’s natural defenses.