5 tips to increase your immunity
Strictly follow a healthy lifestyle to keep up your immunity.
1. Eat more immune-building food.
A healthy diet is good for strong immune function, but there are some specific foods that may boost immunity even more. For instance, vitamin C has long been known to boost immunity, so including such foods as oranges, cantaloupe, kiwi and even broccoli can lead to improved immunity. Eating one-half of a raw garlic clove each day also has been shown to boost immunity. In addition, foods such as berries, carrots and spinach that are rich in antioxidants can enhance immunity. Foods with prebiotics that contain fiber are another good option. Think asparagus, green bananas, and Jerusalem artichokes.
2. Improved sleep and meditation can boost immunity.
Sleep goes a long way in restoring and recharging your body, and that includes your immune system. Getting a good night’s sleep of 7 to 8 hours can help strengthen your immune system so it can fight off infection. Periods of meditation also can offer the body a chance to refresh and recharge, leading to reduced stress and anxiety that results in better sleep and improved immunity. You don’t have to spend a lot of time in meditation to experience benefits; even just five minutes of quiet can be helpful.
3. Maintain good hygiene habits for increased immunity.
Don’t forget to follow the No. 1 recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent infection: Wash your hands thoroughly and often. According to the CDC, we should wash our hands before eating, before and during cooking, after using the bathroom, after we blow our nose, after coughing or sneezing, and before or after caring for someone who is ill. For all hand washing, lather hands with soap and scrub the hands and between fingers for a minimum of 20 seconds before rinsing.
Even though clean hands don’t have a direct effect on the immune system, reducing the number of times you get sick improves your well-being.
4. Drinking more and more water
Staying hydrated remains important at any age for optimal body and immune system function. However, as you get older, you may lose some of your sense of thirst. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of how much water you drink to ensure you get enough each day. It might be hard to remember exactly how much water you drink each day so try drinking a glass of water when you first get up, before and after each meal, and before you go to bed. Keeping a water bottle with you also can remind you to sip on it throughout the day (and fill it back up!).
5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Not surprisingly, engaging in a healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy immune system. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. It also means not smoking and limiting the intake of alcohol. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a natural way to keep your immune system operating at full capacity as it was designed to do. As with other complex operating systems, when we follow the instructions for taking care of our bodies, it is more likely to respond by performing well.
