How To Boost Your Immune System Quickly Naturally
Growing up as a sensitive kid and with a weak immune system and getting sick most of the time, all I could hear from doctors was: “You need to strengthen the immune system”. As you can imagine, the following question was: How do I boost and strengthen the immune system fast in a natural way and not become addicted to supplements or pills? Because for many years, my parents used to get me all these kinds of supplements that doctors described, without questioning them. And don’t get me wrong; they worked, but they weren’t solving the cause of the problem, only the symptoms because every couple of months my immune system would weaken again, and the disease would make her glorious entrance again and have her way around with my body until I added more and more pills.
So I decided I can’t do this again; can’t treat this cause with the same medications and something had to change so I started to do my own research and long story short, realized the cause of my major health problems (rheumatics, yeast infection in all over my body, atopic dermatitis) was my lifestyle and my eating habits. That came as a shock for me, as I thought I was eating clean and was taking care of my body, but no, all I did was to starve it of its nutrients and inflammate it with high inflammatory food and with my reaction to each problem, which caused me major stress. And stress to your body is really bad; it can affect you in so many ways you don’t even realize.
But let’s get back to those foods and habits that weaken your immune system.
Tips to improve your immune system and prevent weakening it
- Limit the intake of sugar. You all should know by now that refined sugar is found in all processed foods and sweets so stay away from those as much as possible and try to cook at home mostly. You can’t imagine how bad sugar is for your body and hormonal balance. This is the number one enemy of your immune system. I totally understand how easy is to become addicted to sugar because I was one myself. But it can be done; whenever you crave something sweet go for a fruit instead of a donut and in time, your body will start craving natural sugars instead of the refined ones.
- Manage the stress level in your life. I know; is easier said than being done with everything that’s going in and everyday life, especially when you have a how to boost immune system quickly job, working from home and a family that you need to take care of. But living a stress-free life and relieving your anxiety is key in keeping an immune system healthy. I remember when most chronic conditions became aggravated after a stressful day so I had to educate myself on how to manage them and relieve them. What worked for me and still works are deep breaths; as simples as these sounds I found them to be the most effective and quick solution to calm myself and inform my body, nothing is wrong so that it can stop releasing bad hormones. I do 5 mins of deep breathes, where I close my eyes and have my hands on my belly, where I focus on my breath and this calms immediately.
- Reduce the consumption of alcohol and animal products. Why? They are inflammatory to your body in so many ways. I stopped eating dairy and meat for more than 3 years and I’ve never felt better in my life. You can start by reducing the number of animal products and see how you feel; just do it as an experiment for a month and see how you feel as each body is different and might react differently. By eating more whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes which are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, you nurture your body and help him fight against harmful pathogens.
But how can you boost your immune system quickly? Is there a natural way?
I’m really fortunate to have in the family, a doctor; my sister in law, who is an oncologist in France, and always shares useful advice on how to boost my immune system whenever I need it. So here are her tips – which worked fine for me every time I applied them rigorously.
- Sleep, sleep, sleep. This is the number one piece of advice. While sleeping, you give your body a chance to rest and regenerate itself during sleep. This helps your immune system and your overall life. So try to go to sleep at a reasonable hour (I always go to bed by 10 pm, and put the kids to sleep by 8) and rest for at least 7–8 hours/ per night. You’re welcome 🙂
- Say yes to Omega 3 Fats; these are your body number 1 ally. Not only they fight the inflammation in your body, but they might help fight off harmful disease-causing bacteria and viruses. These healthy fats found in chia seeds, flax seeds, may boost your body’s immune response to pathogens. I eat these on a regular basis, almost every day; I love my chia pudding with fruits in the morning. Actually, there is this doctor, called Brooke Goldner, who wrote Goodby Lupus, where she talks about her successful healing stories, including her personal one, due to powerful foods like healthy fat. She healed hundreds of people of autoimmune disease, only with the help of healthy foods so I’m a big fan of her immune-boosting green smoothy, which goes like this: 75% green leaves; either is baby spinach, kale, or rucola; water or almond milk, but unsweetened; half of cup of grounded whole flax seeds or chia seeds and fruits for the taste; mangoes, berries, bananas and that’s it. Have this in the morning and it will help your body’s immune system for the day and give you the energy you need to start your day.
- Yes to fermented foods. You can go for sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, my best advice is to make it yourself, or buy the ones without sugar in it; go for the ones fermented with salt. Fermented foods provide beneficial bacteria called probiotics, that keep your digestive system healthy and in the end, may boost your immune system fast by going for the harmful pathogens and destroy them so yes to more good bacteria.
- Increase the Water Intake; The more the better. Can’t stop emphasizing the importance of drinking plain water every day, to keep your body hydrated and help him flush all the bad toxins out. I start my morning with a big glass of water with half of the fresh-squeezed lemon juice on an empty stomach. During the day, drink water whenever you feel thirsty and avoid all types of juices. Unsweetened tea is always a good idea. Ginger tea is a great tea to add to your daily life. My recipe is 1 inch of grated ginger, once inch of bio turmeric root, and 2 black pepper pieces and brig them to build, let them rest for 5 mins and enjoy.
- Vitamin C may help increase to increase the production of white blood cells, which are the best for fighting infections and boost your immune system. When need it, you can increase the dose of Vitamin C, but only need it, don’t overdo it and not every day.
- Garlic has the power to stimulate the natural production of antibodies thus fighting infections and destroying different types of bacteria and viruses. I considered being the most powerful natural antibiotic. So when in need, use it raw every day at least 2 times per day, for several days until your symptoms ameliorate.
- Supplements like Zinc and Magnesium. A healthy diet might bring you the amount of zinc necessary when needing it but when your immune system is low, you can supplement it by taking 20–40 mg of Zinc every day for a couple of days, or at least this is the amount of Zinc prescribed by my sister in law for me. when it comes to Magnesium, which is one of the most important minerals in our body, which impacts our cellular physiology and functions. When the immune system is low or you have a deficit, you can supplement with 400mg/per day, to be taken in the night, as my doctor recommended it, for several days, until your symptoms ameliorate.
Conclusion
You can take several actions that will help your immune system get stronger and fight different pathogens, including the prevention of being infected with Covid-19.
By doing these changes in your lifestyle and diet, your body will appreciate it and will work side by side with you to fight against any battle might arises.