As you already know, your immune system is designed to protect your body from illness. That’s why it’s important to do as much as you can to help it fight off diseases and sicknesses. So how can you build your immune system so you stay as healthy as you can? We’ve put together some of the most important things you can do to support your immune system and keep yourself healthy.
Maintain a Balanced Diet
Your body needs nutrients and antioxidants in order to fight off harmful pathogens. You can get a huge portion of these from the foods you eat. That’s why your diet should be balanced and include vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, proteins, and whole grains. Here are some of the
most important nutrients that specifically support your immune system:
Vitamin B6 - chicken, salmon, tuna, green vegetables, bananas, and potatoes with skin
Vitamin C - green bell peppers, spinach, oranges, and strawberries
Vitamin E - almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach, and peanut butter
Zinc - red meat, poultry, beans, and dairy products
Magnesium - nuts and seeds
Exercise Regularly
Another way you can build your immune system is to exercise regularly. Moving your body provides several benefits, including contributing to weight loss, releasing endorphins, and building muscles. Specifically, for your immune system, regular exercise moves immune cells outside bone into the bloodstream, and immune cells in bloodstream into tissues.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is something else you can do to help build your immune system and protect you from illness. Hydration itself doesn’t protect you from getting sick, but it does prevent dehydration, which affects organ function, physical performance, and other bodily functions. If your body isn’t working properly from not getting enough water, it can make you more susceptible to illness.
Quality Sleep
Sleep and immunity are more connected than you might think. Inadequate and poor sleep quality is actually linked to being more susceptible to sickness. It’s why if you are sick, you’re more likely to sleep so your body can fight the illness.
Reduce Stress
When you’re trying to determine how to build your immune system, something you may come across is reducing stress. Cortisol can affect how you sleep, eat, and drink, which all affect your immune system. Chronic stress also promotes inflammation and imbalance immune cell function. You should learn how to recognize stress and find the best ways to reduce it in your own life.
Stay Up to Date With Vaccines
Another important thing you can do to protect your immunity is stay up to date with your vaccines. They build immunity against specific diseases and protect you from getting as sick as you could without them. It’s been proven to be a safer way to introduce your body to illnesses through vaccines compared to the actual infection.
Now you know how to build your immune system so you can stay healthy. All aspects of your health are important to us, and we can help protect you from getting sick with supplements, vaccinations, and more. If you have any questions about how we can help you support your immune system, reach out to us today!
Medicinal Mushrooms
One of the best things that we have found to boost the human immune system is edible, medicinal mushrooms. These fungi contain beta-glucans, which are polysaccharides that attach to receptor sites on immune cells and activate them. According to research, the mushrooms stimulate our immune system when there is a disease or virus to fight against and reduce the response when the system overreacts. So incorporating medicinal mushrooms into your diet will help your immune system work properly.
Now you know how to build your immune system to fight against foreign cells and viruses, keeping you healthy! Do you need to get a vaccine or pick up some supplements we talked about? Come visit our pharmacy, or reach out to our pharmacy techs to see if we have what you need!
