Boosting Your Immune System
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Nobody likes getting sick, but for many of us, even catching a cold just doesn’t feel like it’s an option. There are some practical things you can do to boost your immune system and hopefully they will help prevent you from getting sick.
Drink more filtered water! For added benefits, squeeze half a lemon in your water. Water is essential to your body and it also helps flush out toxins.
Eat clean. The better your diet is, the better chance you have to stay healthy. That means avoid sugar and processed foods and whenever possible eat organic fruits and vegetables and grass fed beef, pastured pork and chicken, and wild caught fish. Choose healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseeds and chia seeds. Pastured eggs are also terrific—they also taste so much better than eggs from industrialized farms.
Go nuts! Nuts are so good for you and make a great snack in between meals. Raw nuts are best, but if you want roasted nuts, make them yourself by tossing raw nuts with olive oil and sprinkling with Himalayan sea salt before roasting them in the oven.
Sleep. Make sure you are getting enough sleep—shoot for 8 hours or quality sleep. Create the best environment you can in your bedroom. Get an air cleaner. Try using a diffuser with essential oils—I love lavender. If you have any sinus issues or allergies, tea tree oil or eucalyptus oils are both wonderful.
Feed the good bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics, the bacteria food, are critical for your gut health—which essentially IS your immune system. Strive for 2-3 servings a day. Feast on apples, bananas, berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, asparagus, garlic, leeks, onions, beans, barley, quinoa, potatoes, yams, flaxseeds and chia seeds. Probiotics, the actual bacteria, are also critical. Eat yogurt (with live cultures), cheese (preferably raw), kefir, fermented vegetables such as pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented soy such as miso and tempeh, and kombucha.
If you do get sick, there are certain things you can consume that may help lessen the severity and duration of your illness. Chicken soup really does help, but you need the kind that comes from homemade chicken stock, preferably a pastured, organic chicken. Most canned soups do not fit the bill—just read the labels if you don’t believe me. So many additives and preservatives and very little real food. Garlic has long been known to be good for you—when you are sick it has properties that can help you feel better, sooner. Fresh ginger is another natural immune booster and healer that has been used for thousands of years. Try making a tea out of a few peeled knobs of ginger—just boil some water with the ginger and let it steep for five minutes or so. For a real boost, add some fresh lemon juice and honey to the ginger tea. Green tea is another star when it comes to your health.
Hot Tip: Try mixing up an immunity elixir. Fill up a big pitcher with filtered water, peeled and sliced fresh ginger, freshly squeezed lemon juice, fresh mint leaves and some steeped green tea. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator and try to drink it in a day or two. Bring a few bottles of it to work or take it with you while you run errands.