11 Ways to Boost Your Immune System: Various Foods, Remedies & More

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Increasing immunity is done through various methods to keep the body away from pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and other foreign substances that bring about infection or diseases. When the body is infected or invaded, it is the sole responsibility of the immune system to release antibodies to fight the pathogens and kill them. Therefore, the immune system must be highly effective to handle all foreign invasions. This is done by improving the immune system through various factors, which are discussed below:

Ways to Boost Immunity

There are different ways to increase immunity in the body by bringing changes in their day-to-day life. Some of them are:

• Practice laughter therapy. There are no side effects to this, and it makes one feel much better. Research states that laughing helps to increase immunity.
• A whole night of sleep provides strength to help fight different types of illnesses. It is necessary to have at least seven hours of sleep during the night to improve immunity.
• Colorful fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants to protect the body against free radicals and molecules. Go for oranges, bell peppers, broccoli, kiwi, carrots, papaya, and other leafy vegetables to increase immunity power.
• There are some supplements to increase immunity. But one should find more details on its composition and its interaction with other drugs and then go ahead in consuming them.
• Exercises are another excellent method to revamp the body's defense system. It also works on other problems like treating stress, osteoporosis, heart ailments, and preventing cancer. Therefore at least make it a practice to do simple physical activity like a bike ride, yoga, walk, swimming, or other outdoor games to increase immunity.
• Do not consume caffeine or liquor during the nights, as it tends to weaken the body's defense mechanism on regular consumption.
• Make a significant change in life by cutting on smoking. Nicotine habit is terrible for the body's immunity, and therefore try quitting it.
• Develop the habit of washing your hands regularly to fight off all the germs and increase your immune system. Use soap in clean running water containing 60% alcohol and make it a point to do that for 20 seconds. If there is no soap, make use of a hand sanitizer.
• Try to avoid and drive away stress from the mind as it weakens the defense system. To do this, invest in pets or physical fitness to boost health in all possible ways by staying happy and relaxed. Research states people who own pets are seen to have low blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This improves the overall health of the heart. Pets are seen to increase immunity in kids to higher levels that they become resistant to most of the allergies.
• Friends and social life positively affect the body's health, and this will create an impact on the immune system as well. Therefore, try to broaden the circle and get to know more people, involved in many group activities and plans.
• Fill the mind with only good thoughts and try residing in a place that keeps you happy. This develops the immune system in the body.

Foods to Increase Immunity

In order to increase immunity, an individual has to necessarily change his food habits and consume certain food items regularly. They are:

1. Citrus fruits

Which Vitamin increases immunity? The critical function to fight infection is to produce white blood cells. Vitamin C is seen to increase the production of white blood cells, and almost all citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C. The human body does not produce Vitamin C by itself, and hence it is recommended to be added in some quantities into the daily diet. Studies state that the ideal amount is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, and when consumed as supplements, it is always better to take not more than 2000 mg per day. Some of the widely available citrus fruits are oranges, lemons, and grapes. Try to squeeze this into your meal plan to create a difference in health and to increase immunity. Vitamin C is seen to help the body recover from the common cold, and hence it is good for the body to lead a healthy life.

2. Garlic

Garlic contains high amounts of a sulfur compound known as allicin. This is seen to increase immunity. Garlic is a prevalent ingredient in all cuisines globally, and with its high potential to fight infection, it is a must-have for everyone. Create healthy recipes with it to naturally boost immunity. Besides boosting the immune system, it is also seen to slow down the hardening of arteries and decrease the severity of the upper viral respiratory infection.

3. Ginger

Ginger is the best ingredient to decrease inflammation and helps in treating sore throat. Ginger decreases chronic pain and is also seen to reduce cholesterol levels efficiently. This food item is the widely used one to treat nausea and is seen to increase immunity drastically.

4. Turmeric

Turmeric is used in most Indian dishes, and it is a bitter spice that has excellent anti-inflammatory qualities. The higher concentration of curcumin helps to treat the damaged muscles in the body, and they are the most efficient antiviral that is seen to increase immunity tremendously. Besides these, it has the excellent power to treat both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

5. Green Tea

Tea leaves are loaded with flavonoids, an antioxidant, and green tea has high levels of epigallocatechin gallate, another powerful antioxidant, and the amino acid L-theanine. This EGCG is seen to increase immunity and is higher in green tea as it is only steamed and not fermented. Black tea is fermented and hence loses most of the EGCG during this process. The L-theanine develops germ-fighting compounds in the T cells of the body.

Other Supplements to Increase Immunity

Besides the intake of food, the body will require some additional supplements to support and increase immunity levels. They are discussed below:

• Vitamin C is the most essential supplement to act as a natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory to the body, thereby protecting it from all sorts of infections.
• Vitamin D is the next essential supplement to strengthen the immune system as it reduces the risk of all types of flu.
• Zinc reduces and prevents the onset of a number of infections and is also seen to increase immunity.
• Selenium is an active antioxidant to create a higher defense mechanism against viruses, bacteria, and other cancerous cells.
• Vitamin A is seen to help in fighting the infection that targets the respiratory system, and thereby, it is also seen to increase immunity.

Home Remedies to Increase Immunity

The home remedies to increase immunity are:

• Consuming raw honey relieves inflammation of the mucous membrane and has antioxidant properties to fight against microbes. It is the best remedy to treat coughs, sore throats with some tea or hot water. People of all age groups quickly prefer this owing to its taste and texture.
• Include good bacteria called probiotics into the diet, which supports gut health and regulates the human system's functionality to increase immunity. Probiotics are also seen to reduce respiratory infections in children. Therefore, try including more natural probiotics in a child's diet and build immunity right from an early age.

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