Immune system is your body’s mechanism for fighting various infections and diseases. It consists of cells, cell products like antibodies, tissues, and organs. The main function of immune system is to guard the body from illness by identifying and destroying microbes. A strong system can efficiently perform this task, whereas a weaker one fails to function properly and makes your body prone to infections. Taking some basic steps to improve your immune system can help to keep you healthy.

Many of us don’t pay enough attention to the health of our immune system until something goes wrong in the body. Once the immune system becomes weak, its ability to protect your body from bacteria and infections diminishes. Therefore, you should always take good care of your immune system, regardless of your current state of health.

You can do so many things to boost the immune system. Getting enough exercise, eating a balanced diet, getting adequate sleep, maintaining good hygiene, maintain a healthy weight, and taking good care of your mental health are some ways to strengthen your immune system. Among all these, eating a healthy diet consisting of immunity boosting foods is the most important. Some of the best natural immunity boosting foods include vegetables, fruits, fish, and mushrooms. Herbal ones include ginseng, garlic, sage, and basil. Since there is no single food or herb that can provide your body with all the immunity boosting vitamins and minerals, eating a balanced diet becomes important.

Best Ways to Boost Immunity

Because of today’s hectic lifestyle, most people just don’t seem to find enough time to exercise or eat properly. The stress that comes with pressure and expectations in this modern lifestyle takes a toll on you immune system, causing it to become weak and also making your body prone to various illnesses.

Foods that are rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be very beneficial for boosting the immune system. However, there are a few vitamins and minerals that require the assistance of other vitamins and minerals to get properly absorbed in the body. For example, the all important vitamin C requires help from calcium and magnesium to be utilized efficiently. Calcium, on the other hand, produces best results in combination with vitamin D. Therefore, getting all the important vitamins and minerals through your diet is a must for enhancing immunity.

Most fruits and vegetables are good for the health of your immune system. Strawberries, papaya, kiwi, guava, orange, cantaloupe, pineapple, and grapefruit are some of the best immunity boosting foods. Besides these, whole grains, most edible mushrooms, vegetable oils, yogurt, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, grapes, cilantro, red berries, blue berries, nuts, cereals, garlic, onion, flaxseed, legumes, seafood, and green tea are all effective for strengthening the immune system. In addition to eating these immunity boosting foods, you should avoid unhealthy foods like processed foods and junk foods. Increasing your daily water consumption is also necessary.

Regular exercise helps to boost immunity by encouraging the production of antibodies. It also eases stress, which is one of many causes of a weak immune system. Getting proper amount of sleep and doing yoga are two other ways of keeping stress levels under control. Since smoking also impairs the functioning of your immune system, stopping it once and for all is necessary for good health.