With flu season in full swing and respiratory infections on the rampage, many of us are wondering how to build a strong immune system. After all, there’s little worse than being sidelined week after week from rampant infections.
In this post, I’ll talk about the best way to support a healthy immune system. I go over practical tips and tricks that can help protect you all year round.
Remember that I’m not a medical professional. Before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine, speak to a healthcare provider. Likewise, if you are experiencing any illness, speak to a doctor.
Increase Your Vitamin Intake
The first recommendation is one that is probably familiar to most of us: take your vitamins or, more ideally, eat your vitamins. Vitamins like Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin B, and Vitamin E are all important for immune system function. For example, Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects our bodies from free radicals that cause cellular damage. It also helps with wound healing and the production of white blood cells, which are key for our body’s natural defenses. On top of that all, it helps us absorb iron and produce collagen.
Likewise, Vitamin E protects our body’s against free radicals and strengthens our immune system. It even prevents blood clots from forming.
Zinc helps produce immune system cells and spurs them into action. Like Vitamin C, it helps with wound healing as well. Vitamin D boosts the immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties. Indeed, those with Vitamin D deficiency are more susceptible to flus, colds, and other respiratory infections.
Finally, while B vitamins don’t play a major role in the immune system, they do help transport nutrients through the body. Consequently, they play a helpful supporting role.
The Importance of Whole Food Vitamin Sources for Your Immune System
When many of us get sick, we rush to take a Vitamin C and zinc supplement. However, this is rarely the best way to support our immune cells. Supplements can be helpful. However, our bodies are best designed to absorb nutrients when we consume them in whole foods that have a combination of other nutrients like fat, water, and a range of vitamins and minerals. Consequently, you are likely not getting the full health benefits of the nutrients in your dietary supplements.
Instead, you should try to get your vitamins and minerals from a range of healthy foods. And this is especially important when you’re sick or at risk of becoming sick.
You can find Vitamin C in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, and leafy greens. Whole grains like oats, brown rice, and quinoa are high in B vitamins. Eggs, nuts, seeds, oysters, and some kinds of beans are rich in zinc. And nuts, seeds, and avocados contain Vitamin E. Luckily you’ll notice that there’s a lot of overlap in foods that are high in a variety of nutrients.
We absorb Vitamin D most efficiently from the sun. However, be careful to not spend too much time exposed to the sun or you risk sunburn and a higher skin cancer risk. Consequently, some people may benefit from taking a Vitamin D supplement or consuming foods enriched with Vitamin D like milk and fortified cereals.
Eating a healthy diet rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds is one of the best things you can do to boost immunity. Nutritionists frequently recommend the Mediterranean diet as a great example of a well-balanced diet that includes many of the foods listed above.
Healthy Fats and Your Immune System
Many of us know that we should ideally incorporate lots of vitamins and minerals into our diet. However, fewer people realize that healthy fats are also pivotal for our overall health. Healthy fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids help provide our cells, including our immune cells, with energy. On top of that, they help reduce inflammation in our body. Inflammation can majorly hurt our immune system by diverting resources to inflamed areas of our body. As a result, our body may struggle to fight off illness elsewhere.
Moreover, healthy fats can even promote weight loss by keeping us full for longer. This too can translate into lower inflammation because overweight and obesity frequently go along with chronic inflammation. As a result, getting enough fat from the right sources is pivotal for a healthy body and healthy lifestyle.
Where to Get Healthy Fats
You can find healthy fats in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and dairy products. Additionally, lean proteins from chicken, turkey, fish, and bone marrow also contain healthy fats.
I personally love making a chia seed pudding with plain whole milk yogurt (1/2 cup), chia seeds (3 tablespoons), unsweetened nut milk (1/2 cup), maple syrup to taste, and a dash of cinnamon for my breakfasts. For instructions, mix all ingredients together and chill in your fridge in a sealed tupperware for 4+ hours. It is satiating and includes lots of healthy fats and protein.
If you think you’re getting sick, making yourself some chicken soup (especially if you can make your own chicken or bone broth) is a great way of getting lots of great fat and protein. Plus, chicken soup has anti-inflammatory effects. Some research even suggests that it can reduce congestion!
Boost the Good Bacteria In Your Body
Another important tool in your health arsenal is bacteria, that is, good bacteria. When our bodies are invaded by viruses and/or harmful bacteria, one of our best defenses is the bacteria in our own gut microbiome. This bacteria destroys disease-causing cells and bacteria. On top of that, it helps regulate our immune system so that our immune system is better at recognizing real from fake threats. The latter is an issue when it comes to autoimmune disorders. Good bacteria helps our body focus on the true threats to our health.
You can take probiotic supplements to help boost good bacteria in your body. However, look for supplements that have at least a billion colony forming units (CFUs). These probiotics will be most likely to provide you with enough good bacteria. Also look for refrigerated probiotics since heat kills off good bacteria. Towards that end, capsules are generally better than more processed powders or gummies. Name brands are also more likely to have good quality probiotics that give you what they advertise.
However, just like the vitamin discussion above, you’ll get the most bang for your buck by eating that good bacteria in whole foods. Yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods are high in probiotics. Consuming these foods with fiber is even more beneficial. Bacteria feed off the pre-biotics in fibrous foods.
Incorporate Moderate Exercise
In the long-term, moderate physical activity is also super beneficial for your immune system. The Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of exercise each week, with most or all of that exercise being moderate. Moderate exercise can include brisk walking, cycling, jogging, and swimming. They also recommend 2 days of strength training.
The Benefits of Exercise for Your Immune System
Regular exercise has a few benefits for your body’s immune response. First, it helps maintain a healthy weight, which is very important for our immune systems. Being overweight or obese can lead to chronic inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other factors that can tax our immune system.
Additionally, moderate physical activity helps blood flow, which allows disease-fighting white blood cells to circulate the body more easily. It also supports white blood cells and immune-boosting antibodies, helping them better recognize threats in the body.
Exercise can also boost our mental health and so lead to lower chronic inflammation. Plus it helps get us outside. Spending time outside can improve our mental health and give us a dose of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Keep in mind, however, that doctors recommend you wear sunscreen if you spend more than 20 minutes outdoors.
If you are already sick, light exercise can sometimes be helpful for your symptoms. You should only exercise while sick if you have enough energy, your symptoms are mild, and they are limited to your head (i.e. coughing, sneezing). If you have fever symptoms, body aches, fatigue, or anything other than mild symptoms, doctors recommend you forego exercise. For those who feel up to it, a light walk, yoga, stretching, or gentle cycle can help with congestion and energy.
Manage Chronic Stress to Support Your Immune System
As mentioned above, chronic inflammation can put added pressure on your immune system. It can make your body think there’s a problem (and try to address it) when there’s not. As a result, we should try to manage chronic inflammation by maintaining healthy habits like eating a well-rounded diet and exercising regularly.
Our stress levels also play an important role in chronic inflammation. Indeed, our body cannot distinguish physical from mental stress. So if you have a lot of stress in your life, consider lifestyle changes that can help manage that stress. Therapy, setting better boundaries in our work and social lives, setting aside time for self care, and, if possible, changing the situations that are causing us stress (by finding a new job or leaving a toxic partner for example) can help boost our immune system in the long run.
Get Quality Sleep
Getting enough sleep is hugely important for immune function. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep regularly to support their immune health. However, sleep is somewhat individual and so occasionally people need less or more. That being said, many people think their bodies do fine on less than 7 hours of sleep when the reality is that their bodies are actually suffering.
Stay Up to Date on Vaccinations
Finally, it’s important to get your vaccinations each year. Getting a COVID and flu shot is not a guarantee you won’t get sick. However, it decreases your risk dramatically. And if you do get sick, it may make your symptoms shorter-lived. You’ll be grateful you took a few minutes out of your day to get a vaccination at your local pharmacy when you don’t spend a lot of time feeling miserable. I get a flu shot every year and, knock on wood, the last time I had the flu was over 10 years ago.
Final Thoughts on Boosting Your Immune System
This year, many of us have been plagued by viral infections that have taken us out of commission for days or even weeks. It sucks to be sidelined and to feel awful. However, the good news is that there are a number of lifestyle factors that can improve our body’s ability to fight infection.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, moderating stress, getting enough sleep, and staying up to date on vaccinations can all play a huge role in reducing our risk of experiencing infectious diseases. Plus, these lifestyle factors can reduce our risk of experiencing a wide range of health issues and improve the quality of our lives. That’s what I call an adulting win-win.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider liking, subscribing, or sharing with others. If you’re interested in related content, check out my posts on pairing nutrients for maximum nutritional benefit, the ultimate guide to an anti-inflammatory diet, and the best foods for balancing hormones and health.
Finally, remember that I am not a medical professional. Before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine, speak with a professional.
Absolutely love the focus on getting our vitamins through diet—nature’s way of packaging up those immune-boosting goodies!
Incorporating some regular exercise really has some helpful ways of improving the body’s immune response. This is a great reminder to hit the gym!
A valuable post! Loved reading it. I agree that it is so important to eat healthy. These recent testing times have proven that even more.
So true! Doing a little self care is so important, especially when things are tough.