How to keep your Immune system boosted through winter

With the change of seasons, there tends to be flurry of colds and sniffles making their way around the office, schools, daycare etc.  Although getting a cold is actually beneficial for your immune system because it activates it and increases its own antibodies, it is not something that we want more of than one mild cold which doesn’t require sick days each year. So the question is, how do we avoid getting sick all the time?

First and foremost is living a healthy lifestyle.

• Ensuring you are eating a well balanced diet, full of a variety of vegies, salads, fruits, meat, eggs, nuts and seeds.  This will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to keep your immune system healthy and strong.
• Make sure to get adequate protein with each meal as this is the basis of the growth of your immune system.
• Including fermented foods in your diet daily will help increase your healthy gut flora which is essential for the health of your immune system.
• Drink plenty of water.  As the weather starts to get colder, the amount of water tends to reduce.  Try to keep on top of your water consumption as it helps to rid the body of waste reducing extra load which can lead to you feeling fatigued and run down.
• Maintaining regular exercise.  Try to do something active each day.  This doesn’t have to be high intensity, merely just a 10-20 minute walk.  Yoga/pilates and something to make you sweat are also important to keep in your weekly routine.  Yoga/pilates to help calm the nervous system and adrenals, and some high intensity helps to keep the lymphatic system healthy which means your clearing out old white blood cells and waste more efficiently.
• Get plenty of sleep.  This one is so underrated but really is the foundation of good health.  Try to maintain an average of 7-9 hours of good quality sleep each night, ideally asleep by 10pm.
• Cut out sugar.  Sugar will compete with Vitamin C to get to your cell and will always win.  Sugar feeds your bacteria and viruses to thrive more.

Added extras to add in to your daily routine in winter to help boost the immune system would be:

• Having a lemon and ginger drink each morning.  This helps your body on so many levels.  Not only with the extra Vitamin C from the lemon but also the added benefit to supporting liver and digestive health, as well as circulation from the ginger.
• Chicken soup – its not just a myth.  A well brewed chicken broth loaded with vegies and protein will boost your immunity up!
• Add garlic, ginger and tumeric into your daily diet.  Fantastic immune boosters and anti oxidants.
• Good Green Stuff added into water or smoothies daily is a wonderful immune booster full of phytonutrients to provide your immune system with all it needs to thrive.
• Take a daily probiotic.  80% of your immunity is derived from your gut.  If your gut bacteria is out of balance the likely hood of you contracting viruses is tenfold.
• Take a daily Vitamin C drink.  A high potency Vitamin C powder will provide your immune system and adrenals with so much more love than the sugary tablets from the supermarket.
• There are also many herbal remedies to help boost the immune system or to fight off a virus knocking on the door.  These can be quite specific to each person or situation so a individualised remedy is generally the best way to go with this.  Talk to me if you want me to make something for you.