It’s the beginning of cold and flu season, which means people are sniffling and sneezing. Luckily, I haven’t had a cold in years because I keep my immunity up, which is something you can do as well!
Who gets sick and who does not is largely determined by the strength of your immune system, which strongly stems from the balance of bacteria that resides in your gut. By strengthening your internal system, you can have a great deal of control over your own health.
What’s the key to getting through cold and flu season unscathed? Never underestimate the power of vibrant, good health and a well-functioning immune system to keep you healthy when everyone else is sick.
Here are seven ways to boost your immune system naturally to keep you healthy this fall and winter and beyond:
I have a hunch you’re not surprised that this is my top way to avoid getting sick during flu season. flu. After all, eating right is the foundation for vibrant health.
Eat a plant-based diet, which gives your body the nutrients it needs to fight off germs, repair itself, and function optimally. Be sure you eat lots of probiotic foods like my Probiotic & Enzyme Salad. If your intestinal flora is balanced, your immunity will strengthen!
Probiotic supplements can really help as well, especially soil-based probiotics, like our Feel Good Probiotics. Unlike traditional probiotics, soil-based organisms (SBOs) are hardy enough to survive the journey through your stomach acid, ensuring they reach your intestines where they can do the most good. They help balance your gut microbiome, strengthening your immune system’s response to potential threats.
This means your body is better equipped to recognize and fight off pathogens before they can cause illness.
It’s also really important to avoid processed sugar and products (including agave), which decreases immunity and causes spikes in blood glucose, and dairy, which creates mucous. Reduce your chemical load by choosing organic plants and avoiding processed foods. If your body has to deal with toxins in the foods you eat, then it won’t have enough energy to fight off germs, as well.
Certain vitamins actually increase the number of white cells in your blood, boosting immunity.
Stress saps your body of its ability to fight illness. According to the American Psychological Association, research has repeatedly shown that chronic stress has a direct correlation with weakened immune function.
Stress can be short-term or chronic. Millions of Americans face constant on-the-job pressures, and many others face stress related to financial pressures, family life, and many other factors. In fact, many people report constant low-level stress that seldom ceases.
Along with decreased immunity, chronic stress may contribute to other conditions that continue to pile on the stress and further weaken immunity, including obesity, addiction and depression.
Your body responds in complex physiological ways when confronted with stress. These responses include:
While these responses serve us well in fight-or-flight situations, over the long term, these same protective responses can break down immunity, leaving you vulnerable to illness.
Some experts estimate that as high as 75 percent of all doctor visits can be directly attributed to stress!
What can you do to distress? Here are a few tools.
Be conscious of what is really stressing you out.
Is it your commute to work? LA traffic is awful; I make a point of leaving a bit earlier to avoid getting stressed by traffic, and I have found some pretty back roads with trees that I prefer to the busy, smoggy highways.
Do work or personal relationships stress you? Work on better communication so everything is out in the open and talked through. The more you can target what is chronically stressful in your life and find healthy ways to alleviate it, the better your whole life will be.
Related Reading: 6 Practical Ways to Avoid Stress Before It Arises and Live Life
You need your sleep to stay healthy! If I sound like your mother, she said that with good reason. Research shows that when you are sleep-deprived, inflammatory cytokines rise while T-cells decrease. These two responses weaken your immune system, making it more difficult for your body to fight off colds and influenza.
Lack of sleep may also affect immunity in another way. When you are tired, you are likelier to make unhealthy choices or turn to caffeinated and sugary beverages for an energy boost. Sugar feeds yeasts and can contribute to the overgrowth of yeasts like Candida albicans. This, in turn, contributes to the unbalancing of the good bacteria with the bad and consequently diminished immunity.
The good news is there are natural ways to enhance your sleep and, in turn, support your immune health. Here are some simple ideas to help you rest better:
Related Reading: 8 Health and Wellness Benefits of Keeping A Consistent Sleep Schedule
Pursuing moderate exercise can boost your immune system. While experts aren’t sure exactly why this is, they have developed theories including:
Pursue moderate exercise. Take a brisk walk during the day, go hiking, ride a bicycle, practice yoga, or find some other activity you enjoy and can pursue regularly. One caveat, however. Over-exercising can lower immunity, so there’s no need to become a workout warrior.
Your body needs water to function. Staying hydrated is essential, and drinking water is the best way.
Water helps flush toxins out of your system and keeps your mucous membranes moist, preventing cold and flu germs from adhering inside your nose or lungs.
The amount your body needs is dependent on many factors, including your activity levels and the kind of food you eat. A general rule, though, is that you need at least a half-ounce of water per pound of body weight to stay hydrated. Just remember to drink water between meals, not with them.
While staying hydrated is crucial, why not kickstart your hydration with nutrient-dense smoothies?
By blending hydrating ingredients with immunity-boosting superfoods, you’re creating a powerful cocktail that supports your body’s defense systems. Smoothies offer an easy and delicious way to pack in various nutrients that might be challenging to consume otherwise.
My Glowing Green Smoothie is a perfect example and a super easy recipe to add to your morning! It’s got lemon, which is rich in vitamin C, so it enhances your immune function and helps your body absorb iron from plant sources. The greens (lettuce, celery, parsley, cilantro, and spinach) are loaded with vitamins A and C as well!
To take your immunity support to the next level, I recommend adding our Glowing Greens Powder to your morning routine. This superfood blend contains several ingredients known for their immune-boosting properties:
By incorporating just a few superfoods into your daily routine (or even just a scoop of GGP), you’re giving your body a comprehensive blend of nutrients that work synergistically to enhance overall health!
Warming herbs and spices heat up the body, boost circulation and speed up metabolism. All of these actions have a positive effect on the immune system, and adding them to your diet can help fight colds and flu. Try these:
Remember the words of the famous French biochemist Francois Beauchamp: The terrain is everything.
There’s no need to get sick this cold and flu season. If you take care of yourself—your internal terrain—your immune system will be better prepared to fight off whatever germs you encounter.
