Tips to build immunity this winter

Like flowers need water to flourish and a car needs an oil change to run well, your body need a boost during the winter months. In the long-term, this helps your body provide a stronger defense against autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease, which affect thyroid hormones.

Immune system & immunity

The immune system has a remarkable set of functions and processes that keeps disease-causing organisms under control. The body has two defense systems: non-specific innate immunity and specific acquired immunity. The former attacks all kinds of intruders while the latter target specific ones. They work in tandem and keep you secure from infections and illnesses.

Tips to build immunity

We can strengthen our immune system by following a healthy lifestyle . Here are some tips to maintain a healthy immune system.

• Eat breakfast

Are you sure you want to start work with a babbling stomach? If you skip breakfast then you are more likely to develop winter illnesses including the common cold. If you don’t break your fast then your blood sugar levels drop due to an extended time without food. This results in feelings of mental fog, anxiety and sugar cravings. This raises stress levels and stress hormones like cortisol. This can then put your body in a state of fight or flight that lowers your immunity. So, get out of bed a little earlier and ensure you have time for breakfast.

• Put mushrooms on the menu

These small powerhouses of nutrition are immuno-modulators. This is due in part to their high levels of beta-glucans, which help activate macrophage and natural killer cells that are pivotal to your immune defense. Beta-glucans protect you against viruses like colds. A research found that when firefighters (who suffer many respiratory issues due to smoke exposure) were given beta glucans daily, they experienced 23% less colds. (Source: Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism) Add some mushrooms to an omelet, green smoothies or dishes like salads, soups and stews. If you’re sensitive and mushrooms are off limits as they upset your stomach, try medicinal edible mushrooms like Reishi, which might be better tolerated.

• Think about zinc

Zinc puts the brakes on the immune system when it goes into overdrive, reducing the risk of autoimmune disease. Most importantly, zinc boosts immunity. Zinc deficiency is found in about 2 billion people worldwide. (Source: International Zinc Association) When zinc is deficient, there is reduced function in your T cells which act as a defense force for your immune system . Zinc can be helpful during colder months. Research shows Zinc may reduce the duration of a cold by three days. (Source: British Pharmacological Society Journals) A review confirmed that zinc can help knock a cold if taken in the first 24 hours after symptoms appear, reducing the severity and duration of the virus. (Source: NIH) Make sure you don’t overdo your zinc intake though. Too much can lead to a copper deficiency. This can cause anemia.

• Take turmeric daily

This triggers an increase in an important protein that helps your immune system fight off fungus, viruses and bacteria.

• Sleep tight

Your body repairs and renews cells during sleep, which may be why skimping on sleep increases the risk of catching a cold. A study showed that people who slept for eight hours a night developed an improved antibody response when exposed to a cold virus. (Source: Carnegie Melon University)

• Address asthma and allergies

Do you have allergic reactions like eczema, asthma and hay fever? Then your immune system must be continually dealing with chronic inflammation. This makes you more vulnerable to catch every cold or flu that’s going around.