Now that peak season for colds and flu is here, now is the time to take preventive action for our health. Once you are sick, you rely on various medications, but they only suppress the symptoms. So it's better to do something in advance so that it doesn't happen in the first place. The best way to do this is to strengthen your immune system. In today's article you will find out how you can do this naturally to protect yourself and the whole family from illness.
As you know, the immune system is responsible for protecting against pathogens. However, you cannot simply rely on it blindly. Because with that oursimmune defenseTo really do something, she has to be strong herself. It is wrong to think that all the medicines that are offered in pharmacies to relieve colds do something against the pathogens. As just indicated, they only alleviate the symptoms that cause them. The cause itself, i.e. the viruses, remains in our organism. They also do nothing to strengthen your immune system.
So don't take it easy and don't believe that there are enough healing remedies available these days. Because that's not true! Medications and the flu vaccination come with risks that are better avoided. It is therefore better for our body and for our future health if illness does not occur in the first place. An important prerequisite for this is that you strengthen your immune system.
Stressful or comfortable everyday life causes our organism to suffer. A lack of exercise, highly processed foods and inadequate vegetables and fruitsweaken the immune system. Harmful acids and toxins accumulate in the body, which not only form the perfect basis for illness. It is even the case that the cold or flu is then used by the body to detoxify. Because it is precisely then, when it is already too late, that we get our body what it actually needs on a regular basis. We provide him with vitamins, rest and sufficient fluids. After all, we want to get well again as quickly as possible. But why wait until you are already sick? It's better if you strengthen your immune system in good time and prevent the painful illness from occurring in the first place.
You can naturally strengthen your immune system particularly well by eating right. A healthy diet is of course very important at any time of the year, but it should be a part of everyday life, especially during cold and flu season. The healthy diet to strengthen the immune system is simply perfect! And among all the many types of vegetables and fruits, you are sure to find some that you like the most. But fruits and vegetables are not the only foods that strengthen the immune system. We would like to introduce you to an important list of foods.
Nutrition with vegetables
Green vegetables in particular are very good for strengthening the immune system. There are also red, orange and yellow vegetables. This is because they are very rich in what is known as beta-carotene, which in turn is a precursor for the valuable vitamin A and stimulates the production of white blood cells. Suitable vegetables with which you can strengthen the immune system include broccoli, spinach and kale, the latter being particularly nutrient-rich, but also tomatoes, carrots, garlic and other leeks and mushrooms. To get the best out of the vegetables, it is recommended to eat them raw. If you don't particularly like this, you can also prepare smoothies as an alternative.
Fruit
It's certainly no secret that fruit is healthy. Citrus fruits that are rich in vitamin C are very suitable for this. These include oranges, lemons and grapefruit. Bananas, guavas and dark fruits are just as helpful in building up the immune system. The latter include cherries, dark grapes, currants, blueberries and blackberries. If you strengthen your immune system with fruits, it is best to always combine several of these varieties.
Spices
Spices can not only be used to improve dishes, but also used to make tea. Only cayenne pepper is not suitable for tea. Cinnamon, ginger, caraway and oregano are very effective and can also be very helpful if you already have a cold. So if you want to strengthen your immune system naturally, you shouldn't do without these spices. The turmeric contained in the curry also strengthens your health. It is a popular spice that can be used wonderfully in cooking. For example, season soups, sauces or various pasta dishes.
Drinks
Start the morning with a helpful, yet very easy to prepare drink of warm water in which you add freshly squeezed lemon juice. The water should not be hot, as this can destroy the lemon's vitamins. Herbal teas, for which it is best to use local herbs, are just as effective. These should also be alkaline in order to balance out the acidic organism.
Tea or water every day
Nettle and hemp tea are very good options. These drinks can be drunk throughout the day. Combine with water only and avoid other sweet or carbonated drinks such as sodas. Alcohol should also be avoided if you want to successfully improve your health. Green tea or black tea contain many healthy substances, but should be consumed in smaller quantities to protect the immune system because they contain caffeine.
a lot of movement
All of these foods are undoubtedly beneficial, but are not sufficient if there is otherwise a lack of exercise. You can also strengthen a weak immune system through exercise or at least long, fresh walks. In this way you can, for example, start the day. Physical activities get the circulation going, which in turn helps the body to better eliminate harmful substances and thus purify. Go swimming or jogging or ride a bike. But don't overexert yourself, because you'll achieve exactly the wrong effect. Approach it moderately!
Peace and relaxation
Stress is just as harmful as lack of exercise. This occurs primarily at work, so a balance must be created. Various relaxation exercises are perfect if you want to improve your health. Sufficient sleep should also not be underestimated. The body ultimately needs this to recover. The basic rule here is 7 to 8 hours. Depending on their age, children may even need more sleep. If this is not sufficient, the body's defense cells are reduced. The result is a weakened immune system. You can strengthen your immune system with plenty of sleep (but not too much!).
Avoid harmful foods
A healthy diet goes hand in hand with avoiding harmful foods so that you can successfully strengthen your immune system. Because unhealthy products weaken it. Harmful products include sugar and unhealthy fats such as lard, margarine or refined vegetable oils. Since you can hardly do without oils in your daily cooking, replace them with olive, linseed or hemp oil. A very good and healthy substitute for sugar is honey. We probably don't even need to mention that fast food is harmful. Also avoid cookies, chips, cakes, sweets and other products that can be bought ready-made and prefer to prepare them yourself using healthier foods.
If you have already developed an illness that you have cured with antibiotics, it is not yet time to breathe out. The antibiotics certainly helped you and your immune system quickly and banished the unwanted bacteria and viruses - but at the same time also all the good microorganisms that live normally in your body and ensure a balanced intestinal flora. In principle, the antibiotic kills everything except fungi. This is also the reason why many patients develop a fungal infection after treatment with antibiotics. Now is the time to boost your immune system.
Probiotics
It is also important to strengthen the immune system weakened by antibiotics and complete the treatment with probiotics. Probiotic yoghurts, which rebuild the intestinal flora, are also suitable for this. Afterwards, ensure that the illness does not occur again by following the tips mentioned above and thus strengthening your immune system.