Boost Your Immune System

Back to school is often a time of year associated with coughs and sniffles. While infections from colds and flu bugs seem inevitable, there are ways you can strengthen your body’s response to fighting those nasty germs.

1. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables

Processed, high sugar foods don’t help to build strong white blood cells, one of your body’s key defenses in fighting bacteria. When you choose a diet high in fruits, vegetables and nuts that promote immune health your body receives the nutritional support to help it fight invading viruses and bacteria.

2. Chill Out

When you’re stressed your adrenal glands produce adrenaline and cortisol. Short term stress pumps up the immune system but longterm stress causes the immune system to weaken. We can’t eliminate stress from our lives but we can learn to react to true emergencies and not fire our responses to issues we can’t control, such as traffic delays. Include stress-reducing activities such as meditation, listening to music or exercise to reduce cortisol levels and help support the immune system.

3. Socialize More

It is tempting to think that the more people you interact with, the greater the risk you have for picking something up. In studies where subjects were intentionally exposed to common cold bacteria, individuals with limited social interactions had a significantly greater chance of developing symptoms. Those individuals with greater social interactions were less susceptible to developing common colds and if they did get sick, they had fewer symptoms for a shorter period of time.

For a list of foods to help support your immune system click here: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-that-boost-the-immune-system#bell-peppers

Denise Boyd, BSc, Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RNH) with a specialization in Cognitive and Immune Support.