You can help your body fight infections by boosting your immune system. The immune system is the body’s defense against threats to health. It is a vast network of cells, organs, and tissues that coordinate the body's defenses against invaders. Without the immune system, the body will be exposed to viruses, bacteria, and toxins. The immune system relies on defensive white blood cells known as leukocytes that originate in our bone marrow. These cells migrate into the bloodstream and the network of vessels, which helps clear toxins and waste in the body. However, to make the immune system function well, the right amount of vitamins and nutrients has to be in place.
(To summarize what I wrote in the first paragraph), it means the body can fight against infections to an extent on its own if it has the right amount of water, nutrients, and vitamins.
Ways to boost the immune system
- Getting enough sleep is essential for a strong immune system. Sleep is good lifestyle medicine that restores immune system function. People who sleep 6 hours or less are more likely to develop a cold than those who sleep over 7 hours. People who don’t sleep enough are more likely to get cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, and so on.
- Water is cheap and very common, but it is highly needed in the body. It helps to clean the body's system.
- Eat fruits and vegetables: This provides us with the basic nutrients to boost the immune system. Some examples of vegetables and fruits that help boost the immune system are citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, almonds, pawpaw, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and bananas.
- Vitamin D: This vitamin helps boost the immune system. Vitamin D is mostly gotten from sunlight; that is, exposure to the sun. We can also get it from foods like egg yolks, dairy products, cereals, oranges, and beef.
- Vitamin C, also called Ascorbic Acid, is an essential micro-nutrient for our health which holds a high reputation as an immune system booster. Vitamin C helps detoxify the body, protects against viruses, supports the good bacteria in the body, destroys harmful bacteria, and neutralizes oxidative damage in the body. It also protects against colds and flu.
- ZINC: Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, kale, and garlic. It helps the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses, boosts natural libido, supports digestion, is good for skin health, the nervous system, and more. A lack of zinc can make a person more susceptible to disease and illness. It is responsible for a number of functions in the human body.
Habits that weaken the immune system
- Poor Sleeping.
- Increased consumption of refined sugar.
- Excessive smoking and alcohol consumption: Those who smoke and drink excessively are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Excessive consumption of caffeine-containing foods.
- Excessive eating of junk food: This also causes abnormal weight gain.
- Drinking less water. Water is perfect for our immunity. When the body doesn’t get enough water, it will get dehydrated.
- Lack of exercise.
