Our natural immunity is strained as the season for colds is still in full swing. I don’t watch that much TV at home (thankfully!), so I miss a lot of commercials. Recently, however, I planned to have a movie night so I sat in front of the tv for the evening. I have the impression that for every 20 min of a TV program, there are 5 commercials. Apart from the painful announcer, I was terrified by the fact that 90% of the ads were for drugs. Some of them were for diseases that I had no idea about, the vast majority for colds, flu, runny nose, fever, weakness, and increasing immunity … And I thought then, have we completely forgotten the natural methods of boosting our immunity?
I think we have to stop fooling ourselves that some great pill will wipe out all the neglect we’ve done to our bodies.
What is natural immunity?
Simply put – the body’s immunity is a natural defense force that is present in all of us. Thanks to it, the body can deal with attacking bacteria and viruses on its own.
Resilience, like any other skill or strength, can be exercised and strengthened. It can also be weakened.
It is weakened by stress, lack of rest, antibiotics, too little sleep, stimulants, or poor diet.
We can strengthen it just like the muscles in the gym – by exercising, caring for, and providing the right nutrients. Unfortunately is not going to happen without our input.
21 ways to boost natural immunity
1. Get enough sleep
To prevent colds and to strengthen immunity, you need to get enough sleep. An exhausted body is more susceptible to infections. Therefore, it is not worth it, and even one missed night of sleep has a huge impact on our well-being, vitality, and immunity. We all know that on average we need 7 – 8 hours of sleep.
2. Remember to rest
Stressful situations weaken the body’s immunity. Our immune system is closely related to the nervous system, and prolonged stress reduces the efficiency of our defense forces.
Stress cannot be avoided, so you need to learn to deal with it. It is worth spending some time every day to relax, unwind, and wind down. Do something for yourself every day that you like and allows you to relax. The world can do without you for a few minutes.
Also, remember not to suppress your emotions.
3. Bet on physical activity
Movement is one of the best ways to reduce the negative effects of stress. There is no substitute for daily physical activity. Especially the one in the open air, which will effectively remove the seeds of infection and strengthen the body. No matter what you choose: running, swimming, cycling or gym. The most important thing is that it gives you satisfaction.
4. Make time for a daily walk
“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” – Paul Dudley White
Walking is one of the basic habits that you should implement if you want your body to be strong. Walk, even if though weather often doesn’t encourage you to do so.
There is never too much movement in the fresh air, and we can march on our way to or from work or to shops.
5. Maybe yoga?
Thanks to the practice of yoga, we not only relax but also stimulate the work of our bloodstream. Many positions, such as the head-down dog known to most people, massage the heart muscle by descending towards the diaphragm. This, combined with the subsequent relaxation in the final part of relaxation, stimulates the heart’s functions which naturally will boost your natural immunity.
Relaxing in savasana also means that the blood does not meet the resistance of gravity and flows freely throughout the body – especially useful when we feel that “something is catching us”. Regular practice strengthens the entire body and makes us much more resistant to disease.
NATURAL IMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD
6. Take care of what you eat
It has been known for a long time that you are what you eat. Therefore, it is good to put good quality products in your body.
The immune-boosting diet should include vegetables and fruits that are rich in so-called antioxidants and which – by fighting free radicals – promote our immunity.
We mainly think here about vitamins A, C, and E. Where to find them? Best in carrots, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, citrus, currants and strawberries. Surprisingly they do not come in tablet form at all 😜.
Eat vegetables with each meal, preferably raw or steamed.
7. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is considered the key in the process of building the body’s immunity. It takes part in building a protective barrier against microorganisms. It also helps rebuild damaged cells.
You will find vitamin C in rosehips, sauerkraut, citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, cranberries, parsley
8. Be sure to start your day with breakfast, a warm breakfast
The body needs the energy to fight disease and overall well-being. And this energy also comes from food. Don’t go out without breakfast! It is best to eat your first meal within an hour of getting out of bed. During cold mornings, breakfast should be warming and filling, while not overburdening the digestive system.
During this period, I focus on baked porridge and millet prepared in all possible ways, both sweet and savory. you can check my Instagram feed for inspiration!
9. Soup to warm you up
Winter is the perfect season for soups, especially those cozy and warming cream soups. They provide many nutrients and are very light, so they do not burden our body while warming it up. A warm body is less susceptible to infections.
For soups and other winter dishes, choose warming spices: cinnamon, chili, ginger, curry, pepper, and paprika.
Try some of those great recipes-natural immune boosters:
10. Natural immunity through spices. Ginger
Ginger improves digestion, warms you up, and heals colds, so it’s worth having it in the kitchen.
I use it to enrich my morning water with lemon juice, or to make a ginger drink: pour over a thinly sliced piece of ginger root some warm, but not boiling water. To this add some honey, and lemon, sometimes I also use raspberry juice. Quiet often I just add a small slice of ginger to my black tea.
11. Fruit teas and warming infusions
To increase immunity, instead of coffee and regular tea, it is worth using fruit and herbal substitutes. Rosehip, raspberry, chokeberry, elderberry, fennel, linden, or blackcurrant tea will not only warm you up but also provide significant amounts of vitamins. Throughout winter I find myself drinking more herbs than just clear water.
Every year I prepare a syrup that is a huge hit in my house. My teenager loves adding this to his black tea. It is my DIY cough healing tonic.
12. Natural remedies for natural immunity – eat your ferments!
Pickled things have a wealth of ingredients, especially vitamins C, A, K. They also contain lactic acid and a large number of probiotics. You can eat them as an addition to dinner dishes or drink only the juice.
I love picking my own cucumbers and fermenting my vegetables. To start try those 2 staple recipes in my house:
13. Garlic scares not only vampires … natural immunity support
…but also infections. Garlic has the unique properties of a natural antibiotic. You can simply cut it thinly on the sandwich, remember to add butter, oi,l or olive oil to the raw garlic, which will protect the gastric tract mucosa. It is also worth adding parsley, which neutralizes the smell of garlic. I love adding garlic to various dishes, like curries, soups, dressings, salads, paste,s or vegan butter.
14. Eat your onions!
It has similar properties to garlic. Perhaps you have had the opportunity to drink onion syrup for colds or coughs? I have had it!As a child, my grandmother gave it to me quite often. It wasn’t the best-tasting syrup, but it worked.
To make yourself such a homemade onion syrup, just chop the onion finely, put it in a ja,r and cover it with sugar or honey completely. We leave it for 24 hours. Take 1 tablespoon daily.
15. And wear layers……
In winter, you need to dress warmly. It’s… true, but you can’t overdo it either. Better to have more layers and take one off if necessary. Overheating promotes infection as well as freezing.
16. Building up a resistance through cold
In common sense, it is simply getting the body used to cold temperatures. Resistance happens when the body is exposed to unfavorable thermal factors in a controlled and regular manner for a short period. These can be low and high air temperatures and low and high water temperatures. Thanks to this, the body learns not only how to adapt to such circumstances, but also how to protect itself against them.
17. Air the apartment
Perhaps the temperature outside does not encourage you to open windows, but airing the rooms is very important. I always open the window a few minutes before going to bed. Often also when I get up in the morning. I like to sleep in low temperatures, it makes me wake up more refreshed.The best temperature in the bedroom for sleep is 18 degrees.
Airing is also important especially when someone in our home has already been sick.
18. A day with a smile
Laughter has a very positive effect on the immune system. It oxygenates the brain and body thanks to deeper breathing, triggers positive emotions that have a positive effect on the production of immune cells, and (just like yoga) activates the diaphragm.
Laughter is like good old medicine!
19. Pinch of love
When it comes to natural ways of immunity, apart from joy and satisfaction with life, love is also especially important. Remember to hug each other often and express your love to each other. Love can be healing not only for those who feel loved but also for those who love. That’s when its strength and its greatest secret lies.
Happiness hormones – endorphins – created in the body of a person in love, improve well-being and increase stress resistance, which is one of the main factors that weaken immunity. So people who experience love have better immunity, a healthier heart, and live longer.
The touch of a loving person can be healing. Hundreds of studies have been done on this subject, and it has always been found that touching someone can have therapeutic power.
20. Add a furry friend on the couch to help natural immunity!
People who keep pets at home are healthier and more cheerful. Perhaps this is because in contact with an animal we deal with unconditional, free-from-criticism love. Therefore, even if we do not have a permanent partner, all is not lost 😁.
And remember – high natural immunity of the body is achieved by working on yourself, not taking a few multivitamins. 😊
TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF 💗
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I needed some of these ideas right now! I tend to run for the Vitamin C when feeling low but there’s SO much more to our immune system. I need to get more physical activity for sure.
This is a great list and I love the supporting recipes especially the Easy Cough syrup with us coming into winter.. Thanks so much
Author
Thank you! I love the syrup.Is really tasty 🙂
Love all these tips! Thank you so much for putting these together, will definitely integrate a few into my daily life!
Author
Thank you so much! 🙂 Glad you liked it xx
This is such a great list of ways to boost natural immunity! Very helpful, thank you for sharing!
Author
Thank you!
Excellent post. So many golden nuts I can take away here. Thank you for your hard work!
Author
Thank you very much. This comment me so happy 🙂
Soooo many good ideas! Thanks for sharing these, can’t wait to incorporate some of these into my day to day.
Author
Thank you! x
This is very helpful, I always use coffee or tea but I will consider following these tips!
Author
Thank you!
These tips are spot on. Many time, people get sick because they are overscheduling themselves and are not getting enough rest. I make it a point to eat some type of fresh fruit each day. There is a popular diet that does not allow fruit, and I have noticed that people on that plan have been coming down with colds and viruses.
Author
I do agree. Personally, I can’t understand what is wrong with something so natural like fruit… I LOVE THEM!
I am going to have to try out some of the recipes you referenced! I really liked this article and will be book marking it
Author
Thank you very much! 🙂
Thanks for sharing – those are great ideas! I don’t always have time for a warm breakfast, but I always make sure I do start the day with a breakfast.
Author
My favourite meal of the day! 🙂
I totally agree with you, sometime exposing our self to unfavorable situation is actually good. I take supplements, ginger and pickles on regular basis.
Author
Yes, I started experimenting with cold water last year 🙂
AMEN to that!
I was appalled by the fact that all through the pandemic, our government kept talking about social distancing, washing hands, wearing masks and not even once pointed out the importance of strenghtening our immune system by all the things you listed in this post. Why? Big pharma does not make money if people are healthy. My humble opinion.
Author
I agree with you 100% 🙂
I just came back from my daily walk right now and I am going to group yoga tomorrow. I am immunosuppressed so thee are helpful tips!
A great list! I clearly need to incorporate more of these…
Love this! Great ideas, which some of them I do, some I need to start doing.
Thank you!
Author
Thank you for taking your time to stop by 🙂