Boosting Your Immunity Naturally
Winter is a season committed to breaking down our natural defenses against illness. When the temperature drops, so does our immune system’s ability to defend itself against abrasive environmental factors. Cold temperatures and high winds can cause skin irritation, cough, flu and increase susceptibility to other viruses. So, how do we stay healthy? Below are four easy ways to boost your immunity all year round.
1. Sleep
Between 50 and 70 million adults in America suffer from sleep disorders or the inability to stay awake and alert. It's no secret that lack of sleep can be the major cause of a large number of health issues, especially when it comes to keeping up an effective immune system.
How does sleep affect immunity?
Essentially, when we do not get enough sleep, our T-cells go down, and inflammatory cytokines go up. In layman's terms, this means the body is more susceptible to foreign invaders like viruses and germs. Sleep is not only important to stave off illness, but it is integral to fighting off the virus once we have already got it. The fever is the body's way of telling us it is fighting off whatever is plaguing our insides, and our body can fight harder while we are sleeping. This is one reason why fevers rise at night. Beyond the flu, sleep loss inhibits our body's defenses against more serious long term health risks like heart disease.
Studies have shown that a person deprived of sleep shows heightened levels of C-reactive protein, a red flag indicating inflammation that may play a role in heart disease. If you have trouble sleeping, try developing consistent sleeping patterns and routines and avoid caffeine after lunch and TV in the bedroom. It may also be worth investigating cognitive-behavioral solutions to thoughts that may keep you awake at night and stressed during the day.
2. Add Produce To your Diet
The value of raw vegetables in a daily diet cannot be overestimated. Why? The right vegetables are full of antioxidants, or the nutrients that protect and help to repair cells that have been invaded or damaged by free radicals. The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.
For beta-carotene, buy asparagus, beets, broccoli, carrots, green peppers, kale, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tomatoes and other citrus-colored vegetables.
For Vitamin C, try berries; red, green or yellow peppers; broccoli; cantaloupe; cauliflower; grapefruit; honeydew; kiwi; nectarines; orange; papaya; snow peas; strawberries.
For Vitamin E, eat chard, mustard and turnip greens, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, spinach, and sunflower seeds. It's possible to get these vitamins through supplements, but you will be missing out on some other important nutrients that you can only get by eating vegetables, such as Quercetin— a plant-based chemical found in apples, onions, some teas, and red wine that also helps to fight inflammation and reduce allergies. Luteolin—a flavanoid found in celery and green peppers. It fights inflammation and may help prevent against inflammatory brain conditions. Catechins— a flavanoid found in tea that may help fight against cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.
3. Ditch Refined Sugar
Cutting refined sugar out of your diet can do wonders for your energy level, mood stability, immunity, skin, and your ability to sleep and think clearly. Sugar has a nearly druglike effect on the body, and eliminating it will reduce the cravings, slowly but eventually.
How does refined sugar harm the body?
Refined sugar has been processed so that it no longer contains the vitamins and or minerals it once did. The body cannot use the refined starch that it provides without the nutrients that were taken out during processing, so the sugar ends up demanding a great deal of energy from the body to process, digest and discard it that it drains the system of precious vitamins and minerals in the process, as well as throwing off the body's PH balance so that it has to sacrifice good deals of calcium (weakening bones and teeth) to rectify the imbalance. By changing the way blood cells respons to invaders and inhibiting absorption of essential vitamins and minerals, sugar quite literally sabatoges your immune system. For the complete story on the dangers of sugar, click here.
4. Lemons
Lemons are nature's most effective internal cleanser, but they're also a great way to restore the body's pH balance, improve digestive health, lower the body’s acidity, and create more energy. All you need is a tablespoon or two in your water or tea in the morning and evening. A very simple but very integral step to improving your health overall by preserving the natural alkaline balance.
