Winter Means Time to Boost Your Immunity

Your health and life are important and nobody, but you are responsible for yourself.  Take note of this maxim: “Medicus curat-natura sanat!” which translates to say, “The physician cures, prescribing therapies, but it is nature that heals!”

I strongly believe that the best way to achieve a healthier life is prevention and boosting.  Our body chemistry and food is related, and we should be aware of how our body is an extraordinary machine that works to heal itself.

How to meet your body’s needs?

To keep our bodies in a good state you should follow these important points: eat good and healthy seasonal foods, exercise, breathe in fresh air, drink clean water, make sure you rest and exercise your brain with creative activities.

No matter how busy you are, be it you’re running after kids or going to meetings, you need to keep these things in mind as you create your to-do list.

Boosting your immune system

With the colder season here, we need to look after ourselves more and boost our immune system as much as possible. Along with the time change, it doesn’t make it easier for us as our bodies need to adjust.

It must be made clear that the common cold and flus cannot be treated using antibiotics, as antibiotics kill bacteria but colds are not always bacteria related. Furthermore, it can be already too late to treat it with antibiotics or it’s simply not needed. Instead consider my other options below, to avoid taking unnecessary antibiotics.

1. Stock up on probiotics such as L. rhamnosus which may be the best thing to take all winter to prevent coughs and colds. Also, you should eat fermented rich food such as Kefir, Kombucha, Kimchi and Natural Yogurt (with no sugar). Probiotics are fermented good bacteria that exist and live in your gut and help to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal system. 70% of our immune system is in our gut, so a healthy gut means a healthy body! When the digestive system is working, germs have less of a chance to thrive. Keep in mind that probiotics are best taken on an empty stomach.
2. Cut out the sugar. Sugar is our bodies worst enemy because it causes inflammation in our body which is what we don’t want during flu season. Inflammation is triggered by sugar that creates the perfect environment for pathogens like the flu virus. Sugar can also disrupt your guts balance.
3. Get plenty of vitamin C from foods and supplements. We know vitamin C is linked to cold and flu prevention and it is also a important antioxidant for brain health and collagen production. The optimal daily dose of supplemental vitamin C is 250mg, however you shouldn’t underestimate the power of consuming good food sources of this vitamin too! Some excellent vitamin C sources are citrus fruits like papaya, strawberries, pineapple, kiwifruit, cantaloupe and raspberries.
4. Vitamin D! Human skin cells can make vitamin D from sunlight however during the winter we are not exposed to enough sunlight. Vitamin D is one of many hormones involved in the maturation of white blood cells, which are a vital part of our immune system. Vitamin D3 reduces the occurrence of the flu. The RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU, but for illness prevention you may want to take between 1,000 and 5,000 IU daily. If you don’t feel confident, please do speak to a health professional to help you choose the ideal dosage for you.
5. There are different herbs and spices that can be taken to boost your immune system. A few effective and important ones are: Elderberry (antioxidant and can stimulate the immune system to help with coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsillitis). Echinacea angustifolia is an antiviral and antibacterial herb which contains polysaccharides that increase the production of white blood cells. Ginger is an antimicrobial and decongestant. Medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, reishi and maitake are great for strengthening the immune system, well known in Japanese and Chinese culture for centuries.