Strengthen your immune system - 6 tips for your immune defense

Strengthen your defenses for the winter

It's not easy for our immune system this winter either. Influenza, cold and new types of viruses challenge the body's defenses. With these 6 tips you can strengthen your immune system.

A strengthened immune system usually copes well with attacks from the environment. If it is weakened, pollutants and toxins, viruses and bacteria from the outside can easily penetrate the body. People with weak immune systems are therefore more prone to infections and colds. The human immune system is divided into an innate and an acquired one. Lymphocytes play an important role in the immune system. Specifically the so-called B cells and T cells. B lymphocytes develop antibodies against bacteria and viruses. You can even recognize the germ in question at a later point in time by developing memory cells. T lymphocytes are proactive and kill pathogens and support the immune cells. The older we get, the fewer B and T cells our body produces. A healthy lifestyle and diet can help slow down the steady decline. What else can you do to strengthen your immune system? 6 simple tips to help your body fight bacteria and viruses faster!
 

1. Vitamin D

Our body cannot produce vitamins at all or only inadequately. For this reason, the chemical compounds must be regularly supplied from the outside, for example through food. Vitamin D is a very special vitamin because it is produced in the skin through the body's own synthesis with the Support of sunlight. In the process, cholesterol is converted into provitamin D. Vitamin D supports the normal functions of the immune system on a large scale, for example by strengthening the above-mentioned T cells. A lack of vitamin D weakens the immune system. Especially in the dark season, you should 3 to 4 times a week in the sun for about 30 minutes walk. If this is too time-consuming for you, you can also provide vitamin D to the body in the form of high-quality supplements.

 

2. Avoid stress and get enough sleep

Stressful situations that persist for a long time can have negative effects on our health. Regardless of whether it is stress at work, in the family or suppressing traumatic events. In an acute stressful situation, the body uses all of its energy to fight it. Because stress means for him there is great danger. The T cells in particular are stressed and the immune system is weakened. In addition, enormous stress demands the consumption of more vitamin C, which in turn can lead to a deficiency. Sleep also affects T cells and the immune system. The more you sleep and the more regular your sleep, the better for your health.

So try in your everyday life:

1. Avoid constant stress
2. Improve sleep with:

• fixed sleep-wake times
• Cut down on caffeine
• don't eat too late before bed
• Avoid light from smartphones and laptops before going to bed

 

3. Healthy eating

A varied, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Around 70 percent of all immune cells are located in the intestine, which is why it is all the more important to provide it with high-fiber food and to promote the diversity of the microbiome.

Tips for a strong immune system:

• Mainly feed plant-based
• Food with bitter substances such as rocket, chicory,
  Artichokes, Brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, coriander, sage, dandelion
• Pre- and probiotics – certain vegetables, kombucha,
  Sauerkraut, yogurt, water kefir
• Enough drinking water – 30 ml of liquid per kilogram
  Body weight per day
• Avoid fast food
• Healthy fats and proteins
• Rice, bread, pasta in the Whole grain variant
• Avoid too much salt and spices like Turmeric and Ginger
  use more

 

 

 

4. Moderate exercise

Also regular exercise in the form of light physical activity strengthens the immune system . It is important to pay attention to the type and duration of the sport. Too much exercise can even put a strain on the immune system. When doing sport, adrenaline is released. This leads to active defense cells that multiply faster. There are then too high numbers of white blood cells and lymphocytes in the blood. When the adrenaline drops again after exercise, the activated immune cells also decrease. But that's not bad at all, because the short-term activation alone helps the cells to act faster in a real emergency and to react to bacteria and viruses.

We recommend endurance sports such as light jogging, swimming or cycling. But a relaxed yoga or Pilates session also activates the immune cells.

5. Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin in actively supporting the immune system. Our body cannot produce the vitamin on its own and must get it from food. An adult human should consume around 100 mg of vitamin C with their food each day. That corresponds roughly to 100 g of raw broccoli. Vitamin C is actively involved in the defense against bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. It enriches the leukocytes and activates the T cells.

Vitamin C is, for example, present in high form in various types of vegetables:

• Red pepper
• Brussels sprouts
• Kale
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• Kohlrabi
• Red cabbage
• spinach

The vegetables should only be cooked briefly so that the vitamins are not destroyed by the heat.

 

6. Sauna and contrast baths

The immune system can be trained with regular saunas or alternating showers. Above all, the recovery effect and the resulting avoidance of stress can help the body to be prepared for demanding times.

Thank you for reading! You can find more of my articles from A, such as non-alcoholic kombucha cocktails to Z, such as lemon- Ginger kombucha, on oursKOMBUCHERY blog. Let's learn more about kombucha together! Merle from Kombuchery