7 Tips to keep your immune system strong and things to avoid that weaken your immune system.

By Sophia McDermott, Lifestyle Coach & Fitness Expert. 

With the pandemic keeping our immune systems strong has been a focal point. And as we age our body becomes less equipped to fight bad bugs. No longer can we go all day without food or hit the clubs all night long and then go to work the next day with no sleep. This is why daily habits through a healthy lifestyle are essential to prevent us from getting sick. What people don’t realise is that bugs such as microbes, viruses and bacteria are around us constantly. In fact, they are on every inch of our skin.  There are good bugs and bad bugs. The good bugs are the ones in our gut that keep our immune systems strong because they are the ones that fight off the bad bugs. 

What we want to do is keep our immune system strong so that if we ever encounter the virus or other bad bugs, our immune system is better prepared to fight them off. 

I’ll be sharing tips and methods that BOOST your immune system as well as sharing things that LOWER your immune system that should be avoided. 

The food we eat is very important for immune health since our immune system starts in the gut, so let's look at this first. 

TIP 1 - Fruit & Veggies, Grass-Fed Proteins & Good Fats!

Eat loads of fruit and veggies. Pile your plate high particularly with green leafy veggies that are packed with antioxidants.  Eat good quality proteins from sources where the animals are free to roam, such as eggs from pasture-raised chickens, wild caught salmon and grass fed meats. Add other healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil and coconut oil to your diet.

TIP 2 - Drink lots of fresh filtered water

Purchase a good filter to install at your house and aim to drink up to a gallon a day. Store-bought bottled water is better than nothing but one knows how long the water has been sitting around in the plastic bottles and if it's been exposed to sunlight where the BPA can leak into the water. Staying hydrated is very important for overall health and essential for removing waste and toxins from the body.

TIP 3 - Movement

When you exercise or workout your body releases their feel good hormones called endorphins which manage pain but also contribute to your immune system. Movement increases your blood circulation and gets your lymphatic system moving which is part of your immune system that works to filter waste from the body. So get moving to get your systems going and to give your immune system a boost. 

TIP 4 - Sleep

Sleep is where our bodies recharge and heal. This is where your body releases the most Human Growth Hormone for healing and repair. If you skimp on sleep then your entire system suffers because it hasn't been recharged. Aim to get a good 8 hours sleep a night to keep your immune system strong. 

Here are some supplements that are essential for overall health and work to boost your immune system too:

TIP 5 - Multivitamins

Vitamins are packed with all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs for optimal function. Try to find vitamins that are natural rather than synthetic so your body can readily absorb the nutrients.  

TIP 6 - Probiotics

Foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. Greek yogurt with no added sugar is packed with probiotics. The bacteria from these fermented foods add good bacteria to the gut. Supplementing with probiotics such as acidophilus and Bifidus is an option too. 

TIP 7 - Fish Oil

Fish oils reduce inflammation in the body which will help to reduce inflammation in the gut. If the gut is inflamed the internal flora is affected which can reduce the number of good bacteria and affect or immune-supporting bugs. 

Now that we are up to speed on how to keep our immune systems strong, let’s look at things that lower your immune system - and should be avoided. 

Things that lower your immune system - and should be avoided.

Stress.

Stress is a major factor that affects health and aging. More and more studies are showing that stress is a factor in a myriad of health issues. There are many ways that you can put your body in a stressed state such as lack of sleep, over-exercising, not eating or eating too much of the wrong foods. But also your state of mind affects stress levels exponentially which affects your health. Worrying or being in a state of anxiety puts your body in a highly stressed state which in turn can lower your immune system. In a study performed by Richard J Davidson PhD, Author on The Emotional Life of Your Brain, he shares results for a test he performed whereby groups received the flu shot and those who reported they were happy and who performed specific stress-reducing practices such as focused meditation produced higher antibodies from the flu shot than those who did not practice stress-reducing activities. This indicated that the stress-reducing group who had stronger immune systems responded more effectively to the flu shot. 

Reduce stress by meditating daily. Results have shown that by spending as little as 10 mins a day to stop, breathe and clear your mind can have powerful effects on your state of mind, your youthfulness, your health and your immune system. 

Lack of sleep. 

As mentioned in stress, lack of sleep is a major contributor to poor health. If you aren’t getting enough sleep then your body will not have the opportunity to replenish and repair. You’ll be spending your days running on empty and this is when you can get sick. 

Try to get a good 8 hours in a night and try to get to bed earlier and wake earlier. Your body works best when it follows the pattern of the sun. 

Inflammation.

Inflammatory agents are triggers for all that goes wrong in the body basically. When your body is inflamed, this can lead to any and all sorts of diseases and illnesses  as well as increase the rate of aging. Increased inflammation is a major factor in a reduced immune system. So let's start by looking at foods that create inflammation in the body.

Highly inflammatory foods. 

When you eat food that creates an inflammatory effect in your body it puts your body in a stressed state that lowers your immune system. Foods that create an inflammatory affecting your body are: 

• Refined white flour such as white bread
• Cheese and other processed dairy products  
• Fatty red meat like burger meat and processed luncheon meats 
• Spreads made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
• Foods deep-fried in processed refined vegetable oils that are high in omega 6 fats
• Sugary foods such as sodas and foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup...

So I’m guessing you can deduce that a burger and fries and a soda is a horrible combination for health and keeping your immune system strong. :(

Basically, the inflammation in your gut caused by these foods affects your internal flora, the good gut bugs, the ones that fight off infection. So to keep your gut bugs healthy and ready to fight off external things like viruses, make sure that your internal environment is on point. Avoid inflammatory foods full of chemicals and trans fats and opt for whole fruits, veggies and healthy proteins. 

In order to have a strong immune system the foods you eat, your state of mind and your sleep all play a huge effect. To give your body a bit more of a boost, take the essential supplements I recommend. Make sure to move your body and get out and get some sunlight for some vitamin D also.