How Can You Strengthen Your Immune System?

To be immune is to be protected from something. And that is the purpose of the immune system. It is the body’s natural defense to fight infections. This is why the body’s capacity to cope with these infections is reduced when the immune system is weak. You become vulnerable to certain diseases. Below we will give you tips on how you can strengthen your immune system naturally.

Do not forget that physical health has a great impact on the mental, and vice versa.

The main cells in the immune system are called leukocytes, or white blood cells. Therefore, when the organism detects a threat, these cells are mobilized, and travel through the bloodstream until they reach the invader. Their function is to repair damaged tissues, serve as a barrier to stop the infection and produce algal substances that cause pain.

Inflammation is the immune system’s way of dealing with infections, whether caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa or prions. Your immune system detects the particles that are harmful to your health. In response to this invasion, it responds by attacking and destroying them. The swelling disappears only after the threat is gone.

When the immune system is lowered, there are many negative consequences for the body. Immune deficiency is one of them – this is when the system “lowers the guard”. Immune deficiency causes the natural protection and defense mechanisms to be less active than normal.

Another negative effect is the emergence of certain autoimmune diseases, which cause the system to incorrectly attack the body’s healthy cells. The organism ceases to be able to distinguish between its own tissue and infections.

Due to this mixture, healthy body parts become inflamed. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Although the cause is in many cases unknown, it is believed that there is a strong hereditary component. The prevalence in women is also higher.

Just as there are internal factors that interfere with the body’s function, there are also external components you can control better. Therefore , you can intervene and modify these external factors to strengthen the immune system. What are these factors?

A well-balanced diet

This is the main factor in strengthening your immune system. This means that your diet must be based on the consumption of all the nutrients the body needs, and in the right amounts.

A well-balanced diet includes monounsaturated fats (nuts, salmon, tuna, olive oil), dairy products, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In addition, other nutrients that can benefit the immune system include:

• Vitamin E: Found in wheat germ oil, sunflower, safflower, corn and soybeans. You can also find it in almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts, as well as in leafy vegetables such as spinach.
• Vitamin C: It is found mainly in vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, as well as in fruits such as orange, grapefruit, guava and lemon.
• Vitamin A: Found in milk, butter and cheddar cheese. Also in vegetables such as carrots and cabbage.
• Iron: found in lean red meat, such as veal or beef, as well as seafood, liver and eggs.
• Zinc and selenium: this is found in large quantities in beef, turkey and chicken, as well as in shrimp, lobster and most fish. The good thing is that these minerals are found in almost every food that people consume daily.

Avoid infections

On many occasions, personal hygiene and food hygiene are deficient. During the day we place our hands in many different places: door handles, bathrooms, keyboards… Because of this we can be affected by many viruses and bacteria from the environment.

Therefore, you should wash your hands thoroughly before putting anything in your mouth. It may seem obvious, but it is important and a very good way to prevent infections.

Even if the food goes through a food safety process , it is similarly recommended to wash fruits and vegetables well. Using water and vinegar is usually enough. From the same point of view, it is recommended to keep the chain cool when cooking meat and fish.

Exercise to strengthen your immune system

Physical exercise for 30 minutes at least three times a week is a habit that will benefit you greatly. This regularity keeps the muscles active. It also helps the cells in the body to become oxygenated and to perform their functions.

It is vital that the activity you decide to exercise includes almost all muscle groups in the body. For example, swimming, tennis, cycling, running or walking. All these activities promote the coordination, flexibility and complete movement of the body.

But be careful! Just as a sedentary lifestyle damages blood circulation and promotes cardiovascular disease, too much exercise can increase the vulnerability of the immune system.

Exceeding your body’s limits damages the defenses because extreme levels result in fatigue. It is important to calibrate the intensity of the training and know how far you can go.

Meditation and relaxation

In many cases, stress, anxiety and depression can have the power to reduce your ability to cope with adversity. If it happens continuously, in addition to disturbing your state of mind, it can worsen and weaken your defenses, and increase the risk of disease.

A good way to avoid this and strengthen your immune system is to practice yoga, tai-chi, mindfulness or meditation. These are relaxation techniques that allow you to improve your breathing. As a consequence, the balance between body and mind is also improved.

You are constantly exposed to harmful substances: smoke from tobacco, environmental pollutants, dust, aerosols. Therefore, the best way to prevent damage to the body is to strengthen the immune system. If you follow these simple guidelines, your immune system will be strengthened, which both body and mind will appreciate.