12 THINGS YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY TO HELP MAINTAIN A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM
Consume Essential Fatty Acids The benefits of essential fatty acids are almost endless: improved cardiovascular health, muscle tissue maintenance, mental and cognitive improvement, and reduced inflammation. Fish and seafood are generally the best sources of essential fatty acids, especially salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, trout, sardines, and swordfish. If you don’t like or have access to these foods, an Omega-3 (fish oil) supplement can ensure you’re fueling your body with the essential fatty acids it needs.
shellfish, meat, or chickpeas, you may want to consider supplementing with 15 to 30 mg of zinc per day to ensure you’re getting enough in your diet. Eat Lots of Protein Antibodies and your immune system depend on protein, and it’s a critical component in your body’s process of building and repairing tissue. Seek leanproteinwheneverpossible,especially turkey, fish, and chicken. Plant-based proteins from nuts, seeds, and legumes are another good source, as are clean, high-quality protein supplements.
Here’s What You Do: Get up and get moving – for a minimum of 30 minutes or more every day. Whether it’s a leisurely walk, a high-intensity band workout, or another favourite workout, take care of your body by making time for exercise. Keep up you regular Chiropractic , physiotherapy , and massage treatments to keep you pain free and moving freely. Get Extra Vitamin C The benefits of vitamin C on your immune system are well known – it boosts white blood cell production and improves the effectiveness
Here’s What You Do: Eat fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and swordfish 2-3 times per week, or take an Omega-3 supplement if you don’t like fish or don’t have access. Skip Added Sugar Sugar can temporarily halt your immune system’s ability to respond to challenges, so focus on cutting your intake of foods with high levels of sugar and added sugars. “Added sugar” is sugar that doesn’t naturally occur in a food, so we’re not referring to what you’ll find naturally in fruit – we’re talking about artificially sweet treats like candies, cookies, and
Here’s What You Do: Aim to consume half your body weight in grams of protein each day – especially protein from sources such as lean meat or nuts, seeds, and legumes. SLEEP! Inadequate sleep can negatively impact your immune system and increase the likelihood of getting sick. Even as little as one hour less sleep per night can have an impact. Turning off all your electronic devices at least a half-hour before bedtime will quiet your mind, and help switch your focus from surfing the web to something
of these infection-fighting cells. Great sources of vitamin C include oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, broccoli, and green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Here’s What You Do: Consume fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C, and consider supplementing with 600 mg of vitamin C per day if you’re not able to regularly consume those nutrient-rich foods. Get Zinc Zinc plays a critical role in our immune system and people who are deficient in zinc are more susceptible to pathogens. Great sources of zinc include shellfish (like oysters), red meat, chickpeas, lentils, and pumpkin seeds. Here’s What You Do: Identify a few foods you like that contain zinc, and ensure you’re regularly eating those foods to avoid a zinc deficiency. If you don’t eat zinc-rich foods like
relaxing and serene. Here’s What You Do: Get at least 8 hours or restful sleep per night, and allow your brain and body to fully recover by committing to a nightly routine and a consistent bedtime. Get Probiotics into Your Diet A balanced digestive system is necessary for optimal health, and probiotics help keep your digestive system in balance. You can get probiotics from a supplement or from fermented foods like yogurt and kefir. Research indicates that probiotics can contribute to healthy immune function, improve absorption of nutrients, aid digestive health, and protect you from harmful microorganisms. Here’s What You Do: Incorporate probiotics into your diet through natural sources like yogurt and kefir or through a supplement.
cakes. Added sugar can even sneak into places you don’t expect, like flavoured yogurt, sauces (BBQ, spaghetti, etc.), and granola. Here’s What You Do: Avoid sugar whenever possible, and especially artificially sweet foods with added sugars. You will find “added sugars” as a line on all nutrition fact panels, so remember to read your food packaging carefully. Move For 30-60 Minutes Each Day Whether it’s a bodyweight and resistance band workout, a long walk, bike ride, or run (if you’re able), the benefits of movement and exercise are endless: improved mood, reduced insulin sensitivity, increased energy, and improved cardiovascular health – just to name a few. Remember to avoid repeated overexertion since it can compromise your immune system, but make healthy movement a daily priority.
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