Is boosting your immune system on your mind this summer?
When I think of summer, I think of patios, drinks with friends, and reducing daily stress of work by being on vacation. The reality is that our immune system doesn’t go on vacation. It is on all the time. This is why I wanted to give you some tips that you can implement right now to boost your immune system, even during the summer.
If the health habit you want to focus on is making your main meal healthier, here are a few suggestions. When you go out to a patio, what veggie option comes with the meal you want to have? Can you add a side salad? Every chance you have to put more veggies into your body you are boosting the antioxidants in your body which battle the free radicals caused by pollutions, chemicals, stress etc. Help your body win the battle with additional antioxidants there to fight.
If you are going to a cottage or the beach, this may require some pre-planning to pack some additional healthy options. I am NOT suggesting you have to cut out eating marshmallows if you want them. I am encouraging you to buy a fruit and a veggie tray (which is already pre-cut) and throw it in the cooler as well. There are pre-packaged healthy foods that can be helpful to support that amazing immune system of yours. Think = COLOURFUL, FRESH FOOD. It is making the decision to bring those things along that is key here.
If you are concerned about how your alcohol consumption has been impacting your immune system, simply consider how awful you feel with a hang over. Your body is deeply dehydrated and essentially your cells have been bathed in the liquid of your choosing for some hours.
“Alcohol has diverse adverse effects throughout the body, including on all cells of the immune systems,” said Dr. E. Jennifer Edelman, a Yale Medicine addiction medicine specialist. Similarly, alcohol can trigger inflammation in the gut and destroy the microorganisms that live in the intestine and maintain immune system health.”1
Additionally, normal healthy gut bacteria are killed by alcohol, and this is where much of our immunity begins. If this is an area of your health that you want to work on, I encourage starting with replacing one of your beverages with a sparkling water with lemon or lime. There are antioxidants in those fruits and water to rehydrate and flush out the alcohol. As with anything, an all-or-nothing approach rarely is sustainable. But if you decide to boost your immune system, reducing the alcoholic beverages you consume is a good place to start if that feels right for you.
As mentioned, the quality and strength of your good bacteria in your gut really matters for your immune system.
“Research suggests that probiotics, including Bifidobacterium BB-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG, may play a role in sustaining healthy immune function. More immune cells are found in the gut than in any other region of the body. This makes sense, because a healthy GI tract is a central line of immune defense. Because it serves as a protective barrier.” 2
If you want to do something to boost your immune defenses, I highly recommend the product I personally trust and have recommended for 12 years called USANA Probiotic. “With USANA Probiotic there’ll be even more good bacteria to fill attachment sites on the intestinal wall. So, your gut barrier will be fortified, helping you to stay healthy.” For more info on this amazing product, go HERE.
Your level of stress impacts your immune system in a big way. If this is the area of your health you want to focus on here are a couple things to consider. Stress takes many forms. Acute and immediate stress, chronic long-term stress, and stress from previous experiences. “When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections.”3
I want to challenge you to reflect on activities in your life when you feel happy, joyful, peaceful, calm and relaxed. List as many things as you can think of under each of these feelings. These are the activities to begin adding into your life. Choose one or two and add it into your actually calendar. Don’t just say yu will do it. We learn from high performers everyday that the things we place value on go into the calendar and are scheduled in a a non-negotiable like going to the dentist or the doctor. Make feeling happy, joyful, peaceful, calm and relaxed a priority in your life and it will go a long way toward reducing your stress AND boosting your immune function.
There are many things that impact our immune system including the quality of the food we are putting into our body, the amount of alcohol we are consuming, the quality of the bacteria in our digestive system and the level of stress we are under. Many aspects of life impact our immune strength. But the good news is that there are some key habits that could go a long way to supporting and strengthening your immune system. What will you focus on today?
If you are still quite concerned about supporting your immune system, here is a link to a great article:
Perhaps you want more info on how supplements can support you, please check out this article or simply book a 30 minute FREE consultation with me to talk about supplements that could support your specific situation for a more personalized approach.
Another helpful article:
References
2 https://askthescientists.com/qa/usana-probiotic/#A_Healthy_Gut_is_a_Strong_Barrier?id=3682616&source=copiedlink 3 https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-immune.html