You must first have a strong immune system to ensure that your body can fight against viral infections. Your lifestyle and dietary habits should be rounded to ensure your body can produce and receive nutrients for boosting the immune system. The body will often start showing signs of deficiency of such nutrients, such as blurry vision, frequent infections, tummy troubles, and slow-healing wounds. These are clear signs that your immune system is weak and needs boosting your immunity.
1. Ensure you Get Enough Sleep.
The recommended amount of sleep an adult should get is seven or more hours, teens 8-10 hours, and kids up to 14 hours. Why do doctors recommend bed rest even when the patient is not critically ill? This allows the immune system to fight the illness better since, at the moment, only little strength is used for movement. People with severe insomnia should visit a doctor for sleep-enhancing pills and find alternative ways to improve their sleeping habits. It is also recommended that people having trouble sleeping reduce their screen time before sleep since the blue rays disrupt the circadian rhythm, which is the sleep-wake cycle.
2. Eating Whole Plant Foods and Fruits.
Immune-boosting nutrients like zinc, vitamins A, E, C, and selenium are present in various fruits and vegetables, which are easily accessible. These foods include red meat, poultry, seafood, cruciferous vegetables, citrus fruits, peanuts, mangoes, avocados, fortified cereals, and animal organ meat, among others. The body does not naturally produce these nutrients; hence, ensuring that your meals are rich in immune-boosting nutrients is essential. Vitamin E, for example, is a natural immune booster that helps prevents the clotting of the heart arteries and enhances the functioning of the immune system.
3. Limiting Intake of Added Sugars and Refined Carbs.
The most common effect of added sugars and refined carbs is being overweight and obese. There have been cases weighing over 700 pounds which is around 300 kg. Such people find themselves in situations where they can no longer move around or do simple tasks like even showering. Such people are at a very high risk of infections and getting sick. Intake of large amounts of added sugar also puts you at a very high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease as they weaken your immune system. It would be best if you strived to take at least 5% of added sugars and carbs on your daily calories for a strong immune system.
4. Increase the Intake of Fermented Products.
Fermented foods are rich in bacteria called probiotics which are beneficial in populating the digestive tract. Fermented products include yogurt, fermented milk, kimchi, kefir, and natto. Fermented products help flourish the gut bacteria network, allowing the body to differentiate between normal, healthy, and harmful invading organisms. If you are low on the intake of fermented products, you can take probiotic supplements. The need to improve gut health is because it is interconnected with the immune system as it helps identify and destroy harmful pathogens in the body.
Conclusion
A healthy and strong immune system is essential in preventing and fighting against viral infections, which are hard to treat using pills. A balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are critical to a strong immune system and improved overall health.