Best Ways To Improve Immune System Health
Your immune system is a complex system that involves many different functions and organs. You can think of improving your immune system as a holistic approach to health that requires you to adjust your diet and lifestyle habits to protect your body. A healthy immune system ensures that you’re able to fight back against different illnesses and infections, but how do you encourage a healthier immune system?
In this post, we’ll be discussing some of the best ways to improve your immune system to ensure that it’s working optimally.
Regular exercise
One of the most common suggestions for improving your immune system is regular exercise. While many people see physical activity as a way to build muscles and improve your cardiovascular health, it can also support a healthy immune system. This is because a physically healthy body has better circulation, making it easier for immune cells and other bodily defences to move around and attack infections.
In fact, studies have shown that physical activity can boost your immune system in a variety of ways. Physical activity could flush bacteria out of your lungs and airways, and it can even change the antibodies and white blood cells to detect illnesses earlier. Exercise can also slow down the buildup of stress hormones, resulting in better protection against illnesses.
However, it’s important not to overdo your exercise just for the sake of increasing your immunity. There are other methods, such as watching your diet and taking supplements, that can further boost your immune system. We suggest that you engage in light activity every day, such as cycling or taking daily walks, to encourage your body to build up its natural defences.
Switching to a healthy diet
Perhaps the biggest factor in improving your immune system is maintaining a healthy diet. Of all the different things that you could do to improve your body, a healthy diet is probably the most important thing to focus on. You’ll want to balance your nutrition with plenty of vegetables, fruits, protein, and even healthy fats. But in addition to a balanced diet, you can also get plenty of micronutrients from your food to further boost your immune system.
Studies have shown that some micronutrients are critical for the growth and function of immune cells. This includes:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Iron
- Protein (including the amino acid glutamine)
By focusing on these micronutrients and eating sources of food that are high in each of them, you’ll have a better chance of improving your immune system and fighting off all kinds of infections and illnesses.
Taking the right supplements
Experts believe that your body is more responsive to nutrients when they’re from dietary sources. As such, you can’t eat supplements alone and expect to have a balanced diet or a strong immune system. However, there are times where getting a little boost from your supplements can help a great deal, especially if they’re taken shortly after food and are suitable for your personal situation.
For example, an Elderberry Immune Support supplement with Vitamin C contains an essential blend of nutrients and herbal extracts to boost your immune system and also alleviate upper respiratory symptoms and discomfort. It contains essential micronutrients that are key to boosting your immune system such as Vitamin C and Zinc, and also contains Elderberry and Echinacea which are two herbs that have been shown to support your immune system.
Another good example is an Omega 3 Fish Oil supplement. Omega-3 is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but new research has shown that it also further supports the immune system by influencing how our immune cells function. Healthy fats are also a staple in any balanced diet and it also promotes joint flexibility. This is a great example of a versatile supplement that has the power to improve your immune system.
Do supplements really help boost your immune system?
However, many people are still sceptical about supplements and they’re unsure if they should invest in supplements or how they should take them. As we’ve already mentioned, supplements aren’t intended as a complete replacement for food which is ultimately the best source of nutrients and thus the best way to improve and maintain our immune system. But that doesn’t mean nutrients have no place.
Nutrients are great for when you need a little boost in nutrients due to your diet or lifestyle choices. For example, some people may find it difficult to include fatty fish in their diet. Perhaps they don’t enjoy the texture, maybe fish isn’t readily available, or perhaps they don’t like to cook it. In cases like this, having an omega 3 fish oil supplement can be a fantastic alternative. It’s not as nutritionally dense as regular fatty fish but can supplement your diet which is ultimately the intended purpose.
It’s also a good idea to look at the ingredients used in a supplement. Labels must be accurate and you’ll find just how much of a particular nutrient is in each capsule. This will help you get a rough idea of how many capsules you might need to take to replicate a similar amount of nutrients from food, and it also gives you an idea of how large your dosage should be. Some people don’t really take this into consideration when taking supplements, hence they don’t get the intended effects or they don’t believe that supplements are actually that helpful.
By reading supplement labels, you’ll get a much better understanding of how supplements work and also which supplements are worth taking and which you can skip. Just remember that supplements are intended to be taken alongside your food to promote certain effects such as a stronger immune system, but they shouldn’t be taken alone as a replacement for food. With this in mind, supplements can have a strong positive effect on your health when used correctly.