Why boosting your immune system important

1. Staying Active  

Staying active is beneficial for more than just maintaining a healthy weight. Maintaining a good fitness level is also important in boosting your immune system. Staying active can help flush out toxins from your lungs, including bacteria and other pathogens and even COVID-19. These bacteria can otherwise lead to colds and respiratory infections. When we stay active and keep our bodies moving, our body can circulate antibodies and white blood cells more rapidly. White blood cells fight off bacteria and pathogens. 

When white blood cells go around your body at a faster rate, they can respond to any potential harmful bacteria earlier, limiting the severity of a cold or virus. Exercising also leads to a rise in body temperature if we push ourselves to raise the heart rate. Because certain bacteria can not grow above a certain temperature, by raising our body temperature during exercise, we are limiting the ability of harmful bacteria to grow. Exercise also helps you sleep better! So, staying active can give you one more weapon in your arsenal in protecting your body against getting sick.

2. Boost your Vitamin C 

Your body needs vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, for the proper growth, development, and maintenance of all your body tissues. Not only that, but vitamin C is also essential in order for your body to absorb iron, heal after an injury, and maintain cartilage, bones, and teeth. If that wasn’t enough reason for you to get more vitamin C in your diet, Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant and prevents your cells from being damaged by otherwise harmful molecules like pollutants and chemicals. This activity can prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. 

Vitamin C can also reduce the length of flu and flu symptoms and reduce the severity of pneumonia and lung infections. Because of the antioxidant property of Vitamin C, there is less damage to the cells in your body when you have a cold. Studies suggest suggest that your body needs 500mg of vitamin C each day for a noticeable benefit to health and boost your immune system. Skin spots and bruising from broken blood vessels, swelling and bleeding gums, hair loss, fatigue, and iron deficiency could indicate a lack of vitamin C. 

Where to find Vitamin C	How much Vitamin C
Orange	131 mg
Kiwi	70mg
Grapefruit	½ a grapefruit 38.4mg
Bell Peppers	½ cup 75-95mg (more in red bell peppers compared to green)
strawberries	½ cup  72mg
Tomatoes	15 mg
Cruciferous Veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage)	½ cup has 65mg
White potatoes	1 medium potato 27mg
Orange Juice	1 cup 97mg

3. Get enough vitamin D

Vitamin D is important to boost your immune system for a few reasons, but it is important to remember that vitamin D is fat soluble. Getting enough Vitamin D is an easy way to boost your mood and reduces your risk of prolonged depression. Vitamin D can also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease because when vitamin D levels are low, you are at increased risk of hypertension, heart failure, and even stroke. Maintaining vitamin D levels is also essential in preventing chronic diseases and can lessen the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, including IBS, diabetes, and arthritis. And, similar to the wonders of vitamin C, vitamin D levels can reduce the severity of the flu, COVID-19, and colds. Low vitamin D levels can increase the symptoms of respiratory diseases.  

Aim for getting 400-800 IU of vitamin D per day

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to get more vitamin D is by getting some time in the sun. Your body naturally produces vitamin D 

Where to find Vitamin D	How much Vitamin D to avoid deficiency
Sunlight	Fair skin – 10 minutes in the summer. 2- minutes spring/autumn, and 30 minutes in the winter Dark skin – 20 minutes in summer; 60 minutes fall/ spring; 90 minutes in winter
Milk	115-124 IU per 8 oz
Salmon	447.1 per 3 oz
Egg yolk	74.2 IU per 2 eggs
mushrooms	2.5 IU per ½ cup

4. Check your Zinc levels 

Zinc has several roles throughout the body, including maintaining metabolic function, helping heal wounds, and is also important for your senses of taste and smell. Food sources, like red meats, are high in zinc. Zinc is necessary for your body to maintain a strong immune system. Your body needs zinc to trigger immune responses, an inflammatory reaction, and to prevent chronic diseases and oxidative stress. A deficiency in zinc can increase the inflammatory response and also lead to chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and impaired cognitive function. Those at risk of zinc deficiencies are the elderly population and vegans and vegetarians. 

Men should aim for 11mg of zinc each day and women should aim for 8mg of zinc each day.

Where to find Zinc	How much Zinc 100g
Beef steak	8.2mg
Lamb shank	10mg
Pumpkin seeds	7.5mg
Crab	6.4mg
Almonds	3.5mg

5. Stay hydrated 

Water is important for every function and system working in your body. Aside from maintaining hydration levels, which you need to do, water is also vital to keeping healthy and boosting your immune system. One key way that staying hydrated helps boost your immune system is by maintaining gut health. Staying hydrated health maintains a balance of healthy gut bacteria which acts as a barrier and prevents pathogens. But, when we neglect basic nutrients, like water, our gut microbiota, and therefore immune system, become weaker. 

The gut microbiota produces short-chain fatty acids when we eat carbohydrates high in fibre. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the primary energy source of your cells that make up the structure and function of your colon. Together, this boosts the immune system, the ability for our bodies to heal when we are injured, and the SCFA also helps act as anti-inflammatory agents to our gut cells. Water is essential for your body to absorb water-soluble nutrients, vitamins like vitamin C, and minerals like zinc.  

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6. Getting enough sleep

Losing sleep seems to be a common theme nowadays- some even wear their lack of sleep like a badge of honor. Sleep loss negatively impacts almost every body system and especially can cause a decline in your immune system. Neglecting your sleep can also raise your risk of heart issues and metabolic disorders, diabetes, and nutrient deficiencies because there are fewer active antibodies circulating which means more chance of inflammatory issues and diseases. Some studies have even found that a lack of sleep (~4 hours) reduces the natural killer (responsible for tumor suppression) by 72% and a 50% reduction in antibodies compared to people who had a full 8 hours of sleep each night. Each night, try to turn off technology about an hour before you plan on getting to sleep–this helps turn your brain off by limiting the blue light but also slows your mind from worrying about what someone on social media posted. Your sleep is more important. I recommend reading a good book before bed, spending time with a journal, or my personal go to reading the Bible. If you find it difficult to get to sleep, check your mattress and if it is time to get a new one, invest in a good mattress with soft, heat dissipating bed sheets, and a comfortable pillow. If you are not comfortable, you will not have restful sleep and could wake up with aches pains.