Questions about immunity? Want to know more about how to boost your health routine? We’re here to shine a light on all things wellness, to explain what you can do to support your body every day.
How to Boost Your Health Routine
Check Your Daily Habits
Before making any drastic changes to your everyday routine, take a look at your current habits to see what you could eliminate/incorporate to support your body. Smoking and drinking alcohol have a negative effect on the immune response, so try to limit alcohol and nicotine intake as much as possible.
It’s not all about which habits you can cut out, there are also things you could be doing more of, such as drinking plenty of water. Water helps carry oxygen around the body, which not only has a positive effect on the immune system, but is vital for all bodily processes.
Ensure You’re Getting Enough Sleep
We all know it’s important to get regular, good sleep, but did you know that it’s also vital for the function of your immune system? While you’re sleeping, the immune system releases cytokines, a type of protein that targets infection and inflammation as part of an immune response. A lack of sleep can affect the production and release of these proteins, which can increase the likelihood of getting sick.
Eat a Balanced Diet
We can’t emphasise enough the importance of eating a varied, well-balanced diet. This is essential to ensuring your body gets all of the essential vitamins and nutrients it needs to perform at its best. If you’re looking to support your immune system, these are the best foods for immunity:
- Citrus fruits (vitamin C)
- Red bell peppers (vitamin C)
- Broccoli (vitamins A, C, and E, as well as many other antioxidants and fibre)
- Garlic (allicin)
- Ginger
- Spinach (beta carotene)
- Yogurt (vitamin D)
- Almonds (vitamin E)
- Turmeric (curcumin)
- Green tea (powerful antioxidants EGCG and flavonoids)
- Papaya (vitamin C)
- Kiwi (folate, potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin C.
- Poultry (vitamin B6)
- Sunflower seeds (phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin E)
- Shellfish (zinc)
There are plenty of ways to ensure your daily routine is optimised for the benefit of your health and overall wellbeing. It’s not all about making big changes to your lifestyle, but instead small adaptions to your daily habits. You'll thank yourself for it later.
