As we are amid a pandemic many are in panic mode and wondering how to protect themselves against contracting COVID-19 although they are following all of the necessary protocols recommended by our governing entities. To fight off COVID-19, we all need a strong immune system functioning at optimal capacity. There are several ways to naturally boost your immune system during this pandemic.

There are myriad factors that affect our immune system. The changing of seasons, our busy routines, and pollution are just a few examples of factors that lead to lower immunity, colds, flu, and allergies. When combined with poor choices we make in terms of our diet, activity level, and prioritizing our health, suffering from diseases and viral infections becomes inevitable.

However, there are just as many ways that we can boost our immune system to keep the illnesses and diseases at bay. These methods are easy to adopt and may help you a great deal in boosting your immune system and staying healthier longer.

The best approach to getting and maintaining a strong immune system is by consistently making great choices for your body and mind throughout the year.

As a result, when the seasons change or stress takes over, you will be ready to guard yourself against them with a strong immune system to fight off all such problems. In this article, we provide you with seven easy and natural ways to boost your immunity and gain more energy and vitality to lead a better life.

Add Greens to Your Meals Daily to Boost Your Immune System

Green vegetables are the source of protein; chlorophyll; many essential minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium; vitamins C, K, E and many of the B vitamins; and are loaded with antioxidants.  These nutrients make leafy greens incredible at detoxification, blood purification, and boosting immunity. Try to add as many green vegetables to your daily diet as possible.

Some of the most beneficial green vegetables include the following:

• Watercress
• Spinach
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Radicchio
• Carrot greens
• Beet greens
• Sweet potato greens
• Rocket/arugula
• Endive
• Collards
• Chard
• Mustard greens
• Fresh herbs like parsley, mint, cilantro, basil

Ways to Add Greens to your Daily Diet

There are many different ways to add greens to your daily diet.

Salad: Eat a delicious salad. You can fill a large bowl with various greens you love and add some of your favorite raw or cooked vegetables. Top this with a healthy dressing to enjoy the salad without causing any harm to your health.

Smoothie: Another option to add leafy greens to your diet is to add them to a fresh juice or smoothie. Blend fruit, water, and vegetables together to make a healthy green smoothie that will work wonders for boosting your immune system.

Cooked: Steam, stir-fry, or sauté the greens with whatever vegetable you are making and top it with a homemade marinara sauce or lemon juice.

Adding greens to your daily diet in the ways described above can help you load your body with all the nutrients it requires to function properly and boost your immune system with much-needed antioxidants.

Add Green Juices to your Daily Diet

Adding green juices to your diet is a great way to boost your immune system which will allow you to release toxic fats and heal many ailments. The presence of chlorophyll is what makes green juices a powerful means of detoxification, healing, and boost the immune system. Chlorophyll is an important protein compound that acts as a cell stimulator, rejuvenator, cleanser, internal healer, antiseptic, and much more. Studies have proven that chlorophyll is converted into hemoglobin by our body, thereby enriching the blood.

Health Benefits of Chlorophyll

The power of sunshine in chlorophyll is wonderfully cleansing in the body. The greener the leaves, the more concentrated the amount of chlorophyll. There are numerous health benefits that come from the consumption of chlorophyll.

If taken regularly in sufficient amounts, here are some of the remedial effects of this powerful substance:

• Increases hemoglobin in the blood.
• Has detoxification effect.
• Eliminates blood sugar problems.
• Reduces body odors.
• Relieves and heals gastric ulcers.
• Relieves respiratory problems like asthma and sinuses.
• Works as an antiseptic by killing bacteria in wounds and speeding up the healing process.
• Reduces inflammatory troubles and pain related to it.
• Improves bowel movement.
• Improves the production of milk in lactating mothers.
• Soothes painful hemorrhoids.
• Melts away the toxic fats.

Other Important Nutrients Found in Green Juices

Other beneficial nutrients that can be found in green juices are iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and live enzymes. They also provide pro-vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, and vitamins C, E, and K.

Green juices provide unimaginable benefits. The nutrients are absorbed on the cellular level and do not burden the digestive system. While traveling down the digestive tract, these juices cleanse everything from fungus, bacteria, parasites and yeast to toxic materials found in the blood. Enjoy green juices daily to maximize the benefits and boost your immune system.

Need a few juice recipes to get started? Check out my blog Easy Budget Friendly Green Juice Recipes for Beginners and also checkout 2 Green Juice Recipes For Beautiful Skin. 

Avoid Refined Sugar and Processed Foods

Refined sugar and processed food can be extremely harmful to your health, as they have been linked to many serious diseases like cancer and heart diseases. Sugar is addictive and consuming excessive amounts of sugar can disrupt gut health therefore, lowering immunity.

To enjoy good health, boost your immune system, and avoid these pitfalls, here’s a list of tips to help you kick the refined sugar and processed food habits:

Get motivated: To get motivated about kicking the bad habit of consuming refined sugar and processed food, read some articles, blogs, or books that might help you, such as “Suicide by Sugar” by Dr. Nancy Appleton.

Avoid drinking any form of soda and sweetened drinks: The amount of sweetener in soft drinks is extremely high. Eliminating soft drinks and other drinks containing refined sugars can give the immune system an instant boost as well as help balance blood sugar levels.

Don’t eat or buy packaged foods: Even organic packaged foods may contain significant amounts of sugar. Stay away from organic as well as non-organic packaged food and don’t keep it at home to resist temptation. Try to make your own snacks at home, such as homemade popcorn, homemade muffins, hot cereals, eggs, and toast, to name a few healthy options. Note: If it comes in a package most times there are added sugars so be sure to pay attention to food labels.

Choose wisely when eating out: Sugar is hidden in many dishes at restaurants; try to stick to baked or grilled meat and steamed or roasted veggies.

Eat a balanced diet that includes protein and veggies: If you add more veggies and proteins to your diet, you will notice that you feel much better, and you don’t crave sugar as much. Removing sugar and refined foods from your routine is not enough; you must also include some healthy food options in your diet to boost the immune system and get healthy over time.

Deal with cravings: You may experience some serious cravings for sugary foods once you try to leave it behind for the better. The best way to fend off such cravings is by opting for fermented foods or drinks such as homemade sauerkraut, coconut kefir, or kombucha. The sourness of these foods negates the effect of sugar cravings and provides the body with healthy probiotics to reduce cravings and boost the immune system.

Find ways to occupy your mind: Find other great distractions to avoid eating unhealthy foods like taking your kids to the park, reading a good book, indulging in a new hobby, or enjoying nature. Start enjoying life and better health without sugar.

Want to learn more about how sugar affects your health? Check out my blog 7 Reasons to Quit Sugar. 

Add Immune-Boosting Medicinal Mushroom Teas

Mushroom teas are the new superfood that help improve the immune system. They can be used as dried mushrooms, whole or in powdered form, and brewed in hot water. There is nothing new in using mushrooms to improve health; they have been used to promote health and vitality for thousands of years in Eastern cultures, Russia, North America, and Canada.

Why Drink Mushroom Teas

It is essential to maintain a healthy immune system which leads to both a healthy mind and body. Mushrooms, also known as “medicinal mushrooms”, are “adaptogens.” Adaptogens are immune modulators because they are the only plants that can balance the immune system and improve health. However, these mushrooms have low bioavailability unless they undergo a hot water extraction process. In simple words, we are not able to absorb mushrooms’ nutrients as the fungi lock their immune activating beta-glucans and polysaccharides in chitin cell walls, which are indigestible to humans.

Mushrooms are brewed into the tea to facilitate this extraction. When choosing your mushroom tea, look for organic mushrooms; cultivated mushrooms absorb pesticides and heavy metals from the environment. Here are some healthy mushroom drinks that promote good health and help to naturally boost your immune system. These include Reishi and Chaga mushroom teas.

Reishi

Reishi is known as the “Queen Healer” and the mushroom of immortality in Chinese medicine. It is the most famous of all the healing mushrooms and is a true adaptogen. It is believed to promote calmness and centeredness. There are six types of Reishi, among which red Reishi is the most potent. The mushroom has a distinct bitter flavor due to the large number of triterpenes present in it, compounds that contain antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Reishi is famous for its anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. It fights toxins, improves circulation, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and blood sugar, and more. Unlike other mushrooms, Reishi can grow on both dead and living trees.

Chaga

Chaga is also known as the “King of Plants” because it contains beta-glucans, compounds which help the body fight diseases. It is often consumed to alleviate upset stomachs, hunger, fatigue, and to increase energy. Chaga can both quiet and activate the immune system which encourages internal balance. An over-active immune system tends to create skin disorders, allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disorders, so it is important to the immune system. Chaga helps to eliminate toxins, has anti-viral abilities, stimulates the central nervous system, and has a high level of antioxidants. Wild Chaga is found on trees that are at least 40 years old, and it takes between three to five years for the fungus to reach maturity before harvesting. Chaga quality and potency depend upon the conditions in which it grew. The best Chaga grows in harsh climates.

Breathe

Immune systems are affected both by negative thought processes and stress. Our lives begin and end with the breath and, in between these two moments of birth and death, most of us will take countless breaths but rarely give it a moment’s notice. 

Scientists have observed that animals know how to shake off the stress of life-threatening situations via proper breathing to bring themselves back to a relaxed state. This ability to maintain balance is an intuitive trait for both animals and humans. However, humans have suppressed this ability and have become unable to maintain the equilibrium due to the modern lifestyle, which includes unnatural living conditions, high stress, environmental pollutants, and poor quality of food.

We are under constant siege of recurring health and emotional issues which constantly obstruct the quality of life. Traumas such as emotional neglect, violent abuse, or physical injury have made us forget our instinctive selves.

Usually, the breath is the first physiological response to being affected by trauma, but the change in breathing patterns is rarely noticed. Breathing can deeply calm the mind and body by bringing a sense of peace and tranquility to whatever you are dealing with. Take some time out from your daily routine to breathe deeply and do so in a fresh, natural environment to enable the inhalation of fresh air and maximize the benefits. Learning to breathe properly will help to boost your immune system.

Here are some of the ways healthy breathing can help to boost your immune system:

• Helps to reduce stress responses by the regulation of the nervous system which starves the energy from the healthy immune system and doesn’t let it function properly.
• Increases vital energy and helps the body in the constant process of self-healing and detoxifying.
• Accelerates the regeneration of tissues by helping the regenerative systems of the body to heal/regenerate.
• Speeds up the recovery process from trauma and disease.

Get Adequate Sleep & Rest to Boost Your Immune System

The body needs regular sleep and rest so that it can perform at its best and fend off illnesses. The aim should be to get at least seven hours of sleep every night with a regular sleep pattern. This helps to create a regular cycle for the body to help restore, rejuvenate, and improve the immune system and make it stronger. Taking a brief nap during the day is also important and helps to switch the mind off and relax which leads to strengthening and balancing of the immune system.

Research has shown that there is a direct link between sleep and the immune system. One of the consequences of sleep deprivation is a weakening of the immune system which leaves us unprotected when the next virus comes to attack and we are more prone to fall ill. Getting enough sleep holds the key to staying healthy and strengthening the immune system.

Research also shows that even a small amount of sleep loss can trigger an immune system response in the body that increases inflammation which may cause tissue damage. And it may also lead to a further linkage between sleep problems and increased risks for diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, obesity, and specific cancers.

The reason that the immune system functioning is so closely tied to our sleep is that certain disease-fighting substances are released or created when we sleep.  Our bodies need these hormones, proteins, and chemicals to fight off diseases and infections but, sleep deprivation decreases the production of these substances, leaving us more susceptible to each new virus and bacteria that comes our way. This may lead us to be sick for longer periods of time as our bodies lack the resources to fight off illness.

Different phases of sleep are helpful for different function s within our bodies.  The first and second phases of sleep help to settle in, which results in rhythmic breathing and a lowered body temperature.  The third and fourth stages involve the restoration process of the body. During these phases, the muscles relax, and the blood supply increases.  The body uses this time to repair tissue damage and grow new tissue. In this way, important hormones are released, and our energy levels increases. The last two stages play a critical role in maintaining a healthy immune system and any sleep disturbance in them may have a direct impact on health.

Consistency is the key to good sleep hygiene and boosting your immune system. The bottom line is that sleep is essential for our body to remain healthy.  Getting a good night’s sleep keeps us alert, active, and in good health during cold and flu season and all year long.

Exercise Daily to Boost Your Immune System

The last—but most certainly not the least—effective way to naturally boost your immune system is to engage in regular exercise or physical activity. Physical exertion helps to decrease the chances of developing heart disease. It also keeps bones healthy and strong.

Physical activity helps flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways, greatly reducing the chances of getting cold, flu or other viral illnesses.

Exercise also helps to bring changes in antibodies and white blood cells (WBC), the body’s immune system cells that fight diseases. These proactive antibodies, or WBCs, circulate more rapidly and detect illnesses earlier than they might have before.

The slight rise in the body temperature during and after we exercise helps to prevent bacteria from growing and aids the body in fending off infections better.

Exercise also proves helpful in slowing down the release of stress hormones. Many diseases attack when we are stressed and vulnerable, so lower stress hormones protect from many illnesses in this way.

The best idea is to engage in a moderate exercise routine and continue it regularly and consistently to maximize the benefits and boost your immune system.

A moderate program may consist of:

• Bicycling a few times, a week.
• Taking daily walks for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Going to the gym every other day.
• Playing your favorite sport regularly

Exercise makes us feel healthier and more energetic and helps to feel better about ourselves. Engaging in regular exercise boosts the immune system and helps to fend off diseases.

Make use of these methods to boost your immune system daily

Consistently incorporating these steps into your life can produce amazing outcomes in terms of boosting your immune system. Build immunity by following a proper diet that includes leafy green vegetables, which are loaded with all the nutrients required by the body to function properly. Juicing also helps to get on the path to a healthier tomorrow. You can also boost your immune system by avoiding sugars and processed foods, which may be attractive and addictive but are extremely harmful to our body and health.

Boost your mind, body, and soul by adding mushroom teas that are considered the superfoods of the year for their great benefits. Getting enough rest and sleep also helps to keep the body on track. Physical exertion and proper breathing are also essential and significant to maintaining your body’s health.

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