6 Natural ways to boost your Immunity
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The most powerful therapeutic in the world is our own Immune system.
Do you have
low immunity? Do you catch a cold every now, and then or Do you feel tired most
of the time? Or you’re facing skin issues, or maybe patchy hair loss?
Well, all
these are the signs of a weak immune system. Don’t worry as, in this blog, I’m
going to share with you 6 ways to boost your immunity system naturally at home.
Immune system
is a group of organs that protect our body from infections. Immunity is a
natural defense against disease-causing bacteria and viruses.
A weak immune system is like an invitation to
health problems. Sometimes the immune system gets so weak that it mistakenly
starts attacking our own body due to which it causes autoimmune deficiency
diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, etc.
Stress,
unhealthy lifestyle and aging are some of the causes of a weak immune system.
Even if we have a strong immune system at this age, we should not take it for
granted and should actually put an effort to keep it strong so that we can
enjoy the long term health benefit. As said, “Boosting the immune system is a
long term health investment”.
So, here are 6 natural ways to give a boost to your immune system naturally:
#1: Ginger
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| Source: WC |
Ginger is a strong anti-oxidant that naturally boosts
the immune system. It helps kill cold viruses and combat chills and fever.
Ginger is also a superb detox i.e. its root helps relax the intestinal tract
and eliminate intestinal gas.
Ginger is anti-microbial i.e. it kills bacteria
including salmonella. It contains anti-inflammatory agents and helps eliminate
congestion. Ginger root tea eases throat pain and it is beneficial to prevent
constipation related cancer.
How to consume ginger?
You can eat in its raw form, you can mash it and
add it to your drinks, and you can put it in your soups. You can add grated
ginger in your meals. Mixing ginger with clove, black pepper, and garlic and
making a tea out of it acts as a concussion to boost your immunity to fight the virus.
Some of the health benefits of ginger when consumed on
a regular basis is as follows:
- Extract of ginger causes lung cancer death.
- It helps prevent heart attacks.
- It cleanses the colon.
- It lowers blood cholesterol levels.
- It prevents internal blood clots.
Moreover,
apart from these benefits, ginger is high in potassium and manganese which
builds resistance to disease, protects the lining of heart, blood vessels, and
urinary passages.
There is
absolutely no question that ginger has many more special health qualities that
we haven’t recognized yet. Enjoy it as one of the superfoods God gave us to
boost our immune system.
P.S. Consume
ginger in its raw form or semi-cooked form to derive maximum benefits.
#2: Garlic
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| Source: WC |
Often called the stinky rose, this pungent bulb can
keep colds and flu viruses away.
Garlic has been used for centuries. Historically it
has been used to treat many medical issues including cholera, the plague, etc.
Garlic contains compounds that help the immune system
fight germs. It has lots of sulfur that makes it stinky. It contains lots of
nutrients that are good for our health like arginine, flavonoids, and selenium.
Garlic is a powerful anti-viral.
How to consume garlic?
You can eat this raw, you can mash it, you can put it
in your drinks, you can put it into your soups, and you can mix it with a tbsp.
of honey. Chopped garlic stored in honey for 2-3 days and have a garlic clove
every single day is a fantastic way to boost your immunity, your immune system
to basically fight the virus.
One of the best ways to add garlic in your diet is by drinking garlic tea early in the morning. Some of the ways in which
garlic boosts immunity are:
- It gives your T-cells a boost i.e. eating garlic can boost the number of virus-fighting T-cells in your bloodstream.
- It guards against cold and flu.
- It can be a stress buster.
- It keeps away germs.
- Eating garlic on a daily basis reduces cholesterol levels because of the anti-oxidant properties of Allicin.
P.S. It is
important to consume garlic raw or semi-cooked to derive any of its benefits.
#3: Turmeric
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| Source: Australian Business Coaching Club |
This has existed in the wisdom of our country for years and years and also in the Middle East and several other countries around the world. It's called a superfood, sometimes referred to as yellow gold. This spice has existed in our country for thousands and thousands of years.
Turmeric, a common spice in Indian cooking boosts the immune system through its amazing anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-fungal, anti-mutagenic, anti-microbial property that it holds. It helps the body naturally cleanse the respiratory tract.
Now you might be
thinking, “Hey, we use turmeric every day in curries, so why to consume more?
You see, we tend to cook the food a lot due to which there occurs a high possibility that turmeric losses some of its benefits during the heating
process.
Research also
claims that adding turmeric externally every day will improve your immune
system. You can consume turmeric milk half an hour before going to sleep at
night.
How to make
Turmeric Milk?
Simply add half
a teaspoon of turmeric powder in hot milk. Mix well and have it 1 hour before
going to sleep at night. This turmeric milk will instantly shield your body
from infectious microbes.
If you’re a
turmeric-lover or are looking for more reasons to include this powerful spice
into your diet, the health benefits of turmeric will take your love for the
spice to the next level.
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| You can read more about the health benefits of Turmeric Milk at Turmeric, The Golden Spice. |
Here are the health benefits of Turmeric you ever
knew.
- It has first aid properties i.e. it has antiseptic properties to help disinfect cuts and burns.
- It helps fight cancer.
- It helps to reduce depression.
- It improves memory.
So, whether you deal with chronic inflammation or are just looking to boost your health, turmeric is an excellent spice of choice to add to your diet.
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| Source: HDW |
While the craze
of green tea is starting to catch on all over the world, it has actually been
in India and Japan for ages. Traditionally, the Indians and Japanese have
utilized green tea in their medicine to boost the immune system and to prevent
various kinds of ailments. It is not until recently that western culture
has discovered green tea and is reaping a lot of health benefits from it.
Tea is one of
those rare beverages that’s pretty much universally accepted by science as a
healthy one. But just remember, as, with everything in life, you can have too
much of a good thing. So don’t overdo it with green tea.
Green tea is
rich in antioxidants called Polyphenols. Polyphenols are efficient infection
fighters. Antioxidants prevent free radical damage to your body and free
radical damage to your body over time causes cancer.
So, here are
some of the health benefits of green tea to improve your immune system.
- Green Tea may help prevent cancer.
- It is great for your mouth i.e. reduce bad breath and also decreases the risk of developing a cavity.
- Great focus booster i.e. it gives you stable energy without all jitters. It has about 30-50mf of caffeine and doesn’t give you that jittery feeling. Another nutrient within green tea that works together with caffeine to boost your brain function is called L-Theanine which gives your brain relaxation without the added sedation or drowsiness.
- It is good for your heart.
It is advisable that you should consume green tea after sunrise and before sunset. And you should not drink more than 2-3 cups a day otherwise it may show a few side effects.
You can read more about the benefits of Green Tea in this paper.
#5: Vitamin C
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| Source: TSC |
Vitamin C is the
number 1 vitamin to reduce immune system deficiencies. It makes antibodies
that fight infections. Antibodies are proteins that fight pathogens, microbes
that shouldn’t be in your body.
Vitamin C does a lot of different things but its influence on your immune system is quite
amazing.
Vitamin C, or
ascorbic acid (C6H8O6), is a water-soluble vitamin. This means, it dissolves in
water and is delivered to the body’s tissues but is not well stored, so we need
to consume it through food or supplements.
It plays a key
role in controlling infections and healing wounds. It is also a powerful
antioxidant that can neutralize harmful free radicals and it also helps in the detox of the body.
It is also involved
in our body’s immune system by
stimulating the activity of white blood cells (WBC). It has a low storage capacity so unless
you’re constantly getting vitamin C you can be deficient within weeks.
Vitamin
C deficiencies are rare in developed countries but it may occur if your diet is
limited i.e. you’re taking less than 10mg on a daily basis. The most common
signs of deficiency are:
- Swelling or bleeding of gums
- Hair loss
- Delayed healing of skin wounds
- Fatigue
So, if you
want to boost your immune system and your health, then please include vitamin C
rich foods on a daily basis in your diet. Some of the food sources of Vitamin C are:
- Citrus fruits (orange, lemon, kiwi, grapes)
- Bell peppers
- Berries
- Tomatoes
- Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, sprouts, cabbage)
P.S. Foods at
peak ripeness when consumed raw contain the most vitamin C.
#6: Probiotics
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| Source: VI |
Do you eat
healthy, exercise well and still struggle to lose weight?
Do you have poor skin and poor hair quality?
Is the color of your tongue pink
or white?
Do you bloat up easily?
Do you go through indigestion and stomach
cramps?
If yes is the answer, then it could be the health of your gut. Your gut is so important. Most
diseases begin and start in the gut and your immunity also starts in the gut.
Your gut
microflora is made up of good and bad bacteria. We need more of the good
bacteria but most of us have it the other way around and that’s where most
health problems stem from.
Probiotics are
food that contains strains of healthy bacteria. Probiotics promote the
production of antibodies in the body. They have become a necessary part of
modern nutrition just to offset the damage caused to the healthy gut bacteria
by all the inorganic chemicals we ingest in our food and medicines.
Probiotics in the
gut help numerous functions of the bodies such as digesting and absorbing
certain carbohydrates, producing vitamins, absorbing minerals, and eliminating
toxins and preventing allergies.
How does
Probiotics support our Immune System?
Probiotics support
a healthy immunity and we know immunity is everything when it comes to
prevention and healing. Unhealthy bacteria in the gut can manifest in many ways
such as has, bloating, fatigue, sugar cravings, nausea, headaches,
constipation, diarrhea, and despite a
healthy diet and exercise many people may even have difficulty shedding weight
if the percentage of bad bacteria is high.
Sometimes you
have to eat probiotic-rich foods for 6 months to a year depending on how low
your level of good bacteria is.
Best food sources for probiotics that increase
the good bacteria in your gut to improve the immune system of the body are:
- Kombucha
- Pickles
- Greek Yogurt
- Curd
So, you should
always add probiotic foods in your diet at least 3-4 times per week to balance
the good bacteria and bad bacteria ratio in your gut.
P.S. Remember
combining them with meals makes them wait in the stomach for a longer period of
time and the acids and other foods destroy it. A high percentage of good
bacteria may die in this process so it should always be taken on an empty
stomach.
Bonus Tip to boost the immune system
One of the
best ways to boost your immune system is by drinking lung tea every single
day on an empty stomach.
So the process
to make immune booster Lung Tea is:
On a boiling
pan, add water. Now add grated ginger and a clove of garlic to it. Then add a
small cinnamon stick along with a pinch of black pepper powder or crushed
peppercorns. Now let it boil for 2 minutes. Now add a handful of basil leaves
to it and let it further boil for another 2 minutes. Then strain the tea in a
glass by separating the solids. Let it
cool for a minute. Now add 1 tsp. of honey to it and 2 tbsp. of lemon juice to
it. Mix it well.
That’s it.
This simple drink has all the antioxidants to fight the unwanted microbes in
the body.
Conclusion
We discussed
various types of food to boost our immune system and how each of them
specifically helps in preventing and fighting different types of diseases and
why they are important to consume on a daily basis.
It is also
recommended to eat a healthy and balanced diet, including seasonal fruits on a
daily basis, get vitamin D from the sun (i.e. sit in the sun for about 10-12
minutes whenever possible), exercise regularly, minimize the intake of high
sugary foods, drink enough water to naturally detox the body, maintain proper
sleep timings (you can also practice circadian rhythm), and do not excessively
indulge in smoking or alcohol.
Of course, the immune system weakens with age, however following these tips you can be sure of
an extra-strong immune system that will serve you a healthy life.
Which foods
you consume from the given list on a daily basis?
Peace!
2 comments
Very useful tips to boost immune system.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot 🙂
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