How to strengthen immunity? Learn about 10 effective ways to

For years we have been struggling with infections, diseases or minor dysfunctions of the body, not being able to find a way to permanently get rid of the problem. Most often we remove or reduce the symptoms of diseases, taking drugs or using household specifics. Of course, recipes for various ailments passed on to us by daughters of the family are often very valuable and advisable, but this is not a sufficient resource of actions that will help us to keep the body in constant health.

Build health from scratch instead of patching holes

Our biggest mistake is to treat the body as a set of separate parts, which are repaired in isolation from the rest. It is naive to expect that such action will bring good results.

Focusing on patching holes is finally worth replacing by treating the body as a system of mutually dependent and cooperating elements. Instead of removing the negative symptoms of declining health, let's focus on strengthening what's good in the body before we get sick.

Resistance and the immune system are key terms that need to be worked on. The whole set of organs that make up the immune system, which reacts well or badly to your actions. If you follow a healthy diet, lead an active lifestyle, but still catch infections and illnesses, it is a sign that an element has been neglected and you should look at it.

10 ways to build your body's immune system

Diet - our menu should be designed so as not to overeat, absorb as many beneficial substances from food as possible and provide the body with appropriate conditions to defend itself against diseases.

The largest role in building a strong immune system is played by the intestines. In optimal conditions, the intestines are rich in microflora, which is an excellent protective barrier, there are few harmful microorganisms in them, and they are not a friendly place for the development of parasites.

Reasonableness must be maintained in the provision of food. It is important to eat foods that are a vitamin and mineral bomb for the body and contain a number of other substances that have a beneficial effect on our health.

We don't have to eliminate all the products we eat with appetite and pleasure, even though their effect on the functioning of the body is at most neutral. However, let's accept the rule that cakes, sweets and other delicacies, which are considered unsuitable for the proper development of the body, are eaten from the holiday.

The daily menu should be rich in fruit and vegetables. 8 - 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day is the optimal dose, where 1 serving should fit in a basket made of hands. Let us make sure that at least half of these products are eaten raw. In this way we will ensure the supply of phytochemicals and fiber, which improve the functioning of the digestive tract.

Let us also supply probiotics. We can draw them from silage prepared by ourselves, soups, juices, fermented dairy products, apple vinegar, fermented soy sauce or fermented tea (kombucha). Probiotics should be one of the 8 portions of fruit and vegetables we eat.

Fatty acids are other ingredients that we must ensure for the health of the body. Omega-3 have anti-inflammatory properties. Fatty acids are contained in linseed and linseed oil, green-leaved vegetables, walnuts, sea fish. Hardened fats, i.e. trans fats such as margarines, confectionary fat, refined oils, should be completely eliminated from the diet.

When consuming sea fish, remember that their meat may contain heavy metals. In order to bind metals and get rid of them from the body it is necessary to take a lot of fruit and vegetables and other products that protect us from toxins. Strawberries help to remove mercury, apples - arsenic, spirulina - uranium, tea from the horsetail and lamb's groats bind and remove aluminium. Garlic in particular seems to be helpful in the excretion of metals, binds cadmium, mercury and lead. Raw pepper, or more precisely vitamin C contained in it, removes lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, nickel. Bathing in Epsom salt and eating onions, garlic, ginger, eggs and cruciferous vegetables can be helpful. Thanks to them, our body produces metallothionine, which absorbs heavy metals.

When it comes to diet, water should not be forgotten. It is important to drink a variety of teas and juices (necessarily freshly squeezed from the fruit), as well as to drink clean water.

Our body consists of 70% water and we lose it on 4 roads:

- through the skin,
- through the lungs,
- through the kidneys,
- by the intestines.

To replenish your body's water supply, you should drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day. We drink according to the needs of our own body, which may require a little more or less. At the same time, we remember to provide ourselves with more than average amount of water during periods of heat or increased physical effort.

Let's include the so-called. super-foods. These include linseed, algae (spirulina and chlorella), curcuma, sprouts, green tea, Spanish sage seeds, honey, bee pollen, pepper, propolis, royal jelly, herbal jelly, fruit (goji berries, acai, white mulberry, Chinese lemon, Incai berries, kiwifruit, pomegranates, avocadoes, blackbirds), grass juice.

2. dietary supplements - in addition to a solid, healthy diet, sometimes a supplementation of valuable ingredients will be useful. It is worth to include them in the menu when we are extremely exposed to stress, we are attacked by an illness, we take medicines, the continuity of tissues has been interrupted (e.g. as a result of injury or surgery), we are exposed to temperature fluctuations, we stay in an environment polluted with toxins, we use stimulants. Women should remember about supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Supplementation can be ensured by drinking freshly squeezed juices from wheat or barley grass, rich in nutritive value. To very healthy juices belong also these, prepared from more common vegetables or fruits, e.g. carrot juice.

When we can't provide ourselves with rich content from fresh juices, don't be afraid to reach for ready-made dietary supplements. Although this is an unnatural way to obtain valuable substances, however, when we have a ready-made supplement or nothing to choose from, let's decide on the first solution before the loss of vitamins and minerals will be difficult to rebuild.

3. herbs and spices - these ingredients can be consumed in various forms. Brewed teas, addition of dried herbs or spices for sandwiches, salads, sauces. Although, due to the intense aroma and distinctive taste, we can't eat many of them in one meal, let's make sure to add them a little bit to each dish.

Some of the herbs are excellent adaptogens, i.e. ingredients that help the body to adapt to different or unfavourable conditions. Adapters include ginseng, mountain rosary, Chinese lemon, ginkgo biloba.

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, taking herbs and spices must consult a doctor. Some herbs (warming up, dilating blood vessels, may cause miscarriages.

Sleep and rest - sleep is needed for both body and spirit regeneration. It is especially needed by people who are overloaded with stress, excess of duties, unusual physical effort, etc., but who are not able to cope with it.

Sleep is the time when the production of adrenaline and cortisol, secreted during everyday stress, stops.

In addition to a good dose of sleep, we should ensure that we can rest during the day. It doesn't have to be a nap, but a relaxation, the deepest possible. It is also important to provide yourself with a certain amount of entertainment. Let us remember that just as adrenaline and cortisol have a devastating effect on our health, so endorphins can fill the body with energy and strength. If we have nothing at hand to entertain us, or if our state of mind is very far from joyful, we can use a well-known and very effective trick to deceive the brain. It is enough to smile, even artificially, for the brain to start producing endorphins. If you don't want to, you will feel better.

5. getting rid of unhealthy substances from home - everything that occupies the body with something other than the protection of one's own health deserves only to be placed in a rubbish bin. These products include refined sugar. By consuming 1 teaspoon of sugar, we suspend the body's work on health care for more than an hour. Other products from the category of "garbage cans" are refined flours, refined flours, refined salt, refined oils, ice cream from the shop, bought meats, dairy products, stimulants, synthetic sweeteners, medicines (those that we do not necessarily have to use).

6. cleaning in the body - under this mysterious slogan hides the hygiene of our body conducted from the inside. Care should be taken to ensure that toxins do not accumulate in the body. We can excrete them through the lungs, skin, kidneys or intestines.

An additional cleansing system is the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system, which act as our personal filters.

We eat every day for a minimum of 8 hours. Naturally, this happens while we sleep, when we stop taking food. How important for the body is a temporary hunger strike can make us aware of our own defensive reaction during illness. It is then that the appetite decreases, the body itself introduces a period of fasting to cleanse itself of what is harmful and regenerate the system.

In a healthy body, periodic starvation can prolong life and improve its quality. Thanks to them we will reduce the risk of diseases, even the most serious ones, such as cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and other civilisation diseases.

8-hour fasting a day is very necessary for our body to regenerate every day. Longer hunger strike can contribute to health in a longer period of time. Remember not to extend the fasting beyond the period of 6 weeks. 1.5 months is a sufficient period for the body to renew itself, instead of falling into malnutrition.

7. physical activity - movement is just as important for keeping the body healthy as a proper diet. Daily portion of physical activity allows to get rid of toxins from the body. Sport also strengthens the immune system, movement also enables proper circulation of the lymph and does not allow to find fluids in the body.

If you don't like to force yourself at the gym or during an aerobic session, let's choose a quick walk, a short but regular gymnastics at home, dancing, or anything that gives us pleasure and puts our body in motion.

It is the hardest to start, but physical activity is addictive to a certain extent, and every day we get a small dose of movement makes it more and more necessary to repeat it the next day.

8. sunshine - Sunlight activates the production of vitamin D in our bodies. Staying in the sun strengthens the body just as much as other actions taken to maintain health. Just remember not to fry in the sun, but only to allow enough light. Too long and intensive exposure will not be perceived by our body as something positive, on the contrary, an excessive dose of sun can lead to burns and even cancer. So let's enjoy the sun, collect vitamin D in our "basket", let's be optimistic, but let's choose the time of day when the rays are not too aggressive, and if we stay in the sun for a longer time, let's protect the body, for example by covering it with bright clothes and necessarily with a headgear.

9. avoidance of toxic environment - Staying in a polluted environment is often a necessity. Leaving the house forces us to absorb an infinite amount of exhaust fumes, dust, toxic fumes, but also in our own apartment we can encounter substances dangerous to our health. A good solution is to give up the use of chemicals in the form of cosmetics or detergents. Home cleaning can be carried out successfully with acidic liquid (e.g. vinegar) and purified soda. Many cosmetics can be replaced by natural products or even treasures from the fridge.

Let's get rid of synthetic containers, cans, cosmetics based on synthetic compounds, detergents, aluminum, additives such as: synthetic sweeteners, flavors and dyes, medicines that we don't have to take, antibacterial agents (triclosan).

It is worth knowing that toxic substances, also known as persistent organic pollutants, accumulate in the fatty tissue. Contaminants that are constantly present in the body lead to hormonal disorders, libido decline, fertility problems, as well as accelerated adolescence in children. The way out of this state is a diet based on natural products. Only in this way will we cut off the toxins' access to our bodies, and as the days go by, the contaminants in the body will be removed.

Avoiding sources of radiation - The achievements of modern technology can make life more pleasant and unpleasant, so it is worth keeping them as far away from the body as possible. All types of electromagnetic field generating devices, including mobile phones, computers, microwaves, wireless devices, etc., are harmful. The field produced by these objects is recognised by the WHO as potentially carcinogenic.