8 Natural Ways to Boost Your Immunity

Dec 5, 2014 | Nutrition

immune-system-boost

 

After a week of fighting off the sniffles (well to be exact my head feels like it’s been run over by a bus) I thought it was pertinent to share some of my immune boosting tips because lets face it , at this time of year we will encounter somebody everyday who is snotting and sniffling all over the place! 

 

I have also just realised the irony of writing about said topic as I am still currently blowing my nose into a tissue, but  you know me I always keep it real and don’t ever pretend to be perfect or have it sorted. But believe me I get far fewer colds now than I ever used to (1-2 a year), plus they move on pretty fast meaning I can get on with life. And although I believe one day I will never have any colds (maybe I will need to move to the Bahamas?) for now I am not in perfect health but they is damn sure the direction I am headed in:)

 

So let’s get to it – 8 ways to boost your immunity (without moving to the Bahamas!)

  1. SLEEP. Yes I realised that this is not some new-found sexy strategy, its pretty simple really. It’s also completely natural, free and effective. We all need different amounts of sleep but if you are constantly tired and with a cold then chances are you need more of it. I am an 8-9 hours kind of girl, if I have a few nights when I have only 6 hours (you mums of young kinds may be screaming at me right now) I will catch a cold and be unwell. Its free, its easy to do (just say no to Netflix!) and just sleep. Aim for a dark bedroom, some natural ventilation and say no to caffeine after 12pm for optimum sleepy vibes.
  2. Bone Broth. Again no very sexy but super cheap and amazingly good for you! I won’t go into loads of detail here  but basically its full of loads of natural vitamins and minerals that your body needs and is super healing and gentle, but you can read more about it here in a previous post. I use it in any recipe that calls for stock and instead of reaching for the processed cube I throw in several frozen bone broth ice cubes into my soups, curries, sauces – anything.
  3. Mega Dose on Vitamin C. Maybe controversial and as always all my advice need to be taken at your own risk but I am all about vitamin C mega dosages. Basically this mean  when you take way more than the Recommended Daily Allowance which the government board decided was safe. I have yet to find any evidence of too much vitamin c being harmful (other than it giving you the runs in some cases) and to be honest I stopped trusting government nutritional policies a long time ago. When I feel I am getting a cold or run down in general I take anywhere between 1-5g of vitamin c a day, plus other vitamins to ensure they all work harmoniously together. Now I can’t tell you what is right for you without a one2one consultation as we are al so different but feel free to try it out and your body will tell you what you need. If you take too much you get funny bowels but this has never happened to me.
  4. Eat Your Greens. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, cabbage, rocket, and other green things like avocado, cucumber, courgette are powerhouses of goodness, vitamin c, zinc iron, calcium, manganese and load of other phytonutiritents. I do this by either making green smoothies or fresh juice or hiding them in curries soups and other dishes. They also really help boost your liver in it detoxifying abilities, nourish your adrenals and other glands and are all over winners. If you want to be healthy then you need to eat your green , it is not optional, it is also not expensive – so do it! 🙂 (Click here to join Green Smoothie Challenge!)
  5. Love Ginger. According to Ayurvedic traditions ginger’s help warm the body and break down toxins in organs – especially sinuses and lungs. I love having shots of juiced ginger with lemon in the morning as it feel really cleansing and boosting to my immune system. It is very anti inflammatory (what is snotty nose, sinuses and a sore throats? You got it inflammation), helps boost circulation, aids massively in digestion (goodbye bloating) and helps to assimilate calcium to mention a few of its benefits. So shall we all fall in love with ginger now?
  6. Berry Good. I love mixed frozen berries you can get at the super market shoved in a  smoothie or on some yogurt or porridge. Why? Berries are high in antioxidants, vitamin c and comparatively low in sugar compared to other fruits plus they taste great – winner.
  7. Get magnesium FULL. Most of us our magnesium deficient which “According to a 2008 study conducted at the Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa in Portugal, a magnesium deficiency can weaken the immune system and make the body more susceptible to infection. Magnesium deficiency has been shown to impair immune function and cause an inflammatory response in the body. “* So make sure you have a batch of my magnesium oil and use it every night as it will also help you sleep, help regulate your hormones, deal with restless legs, help with muscle/back pain… the list is endless so get it in your life! 
  8. Reduce stress. Stress has a nightmare impact on all areas of life. It impacts your bowels, your relationship, eating, cravings, sleep pattern and of course your immunity. Now in my opinion  stress comes down to this questions – are you living according to your most  priorities and values? Now this requires  whole series of blog post but to boil it down I often find that the root of stress for me is when my actions don’t align with my values or my priorities in that current season/day/week. So figure what your current top 5 priorities are right and look at whether you weekly activities lines up with those priorities. Also have lots of baths – its hard to be stressed in a bath…

 

So basically have a long lie, followed by a green banana and berry smoothie, spray yourself in magnesium and have lots of long baths and  ginger tea and your immune system should be as hard as nails:)

 

What are your top tips for boosting immunity?

 

*Sources

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2 Comments

  1. My tips would be the same as yours I takeginger tea I use magnesium in tablet form I make green smoothies I must do frozen berry juice thank you for your tips I try to pin them all or write them down regards sheila

    Reply
    • Your so welcome – I love fresh ginger tea, in fact I may make some right now….:)

      Reply

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