How to Boost Immunity With Self-Care and Superfoods

Keeping our immune system strong and healthy is crucial, especially during a pandemic. Our daily habits and the foods we eat have a huge impact on our bodies defense mechanism. 

Boost Your Immune System for Good With These Tips. 

Your immune system helps your body fight against disease and now, more than ever, it’s necessary to strengthen your body and boost your health. 

When it comes to improving your immune system, there is no secret recipe or food that’ll do the trick if you only do it once. A balanced and healthy lifestyle is necessary to succeed. 

Eating whole foods, exercising, and supplementing your body with the right nutrients is key to boost our immune system. But for your immune system to work properly, you also need to have a healthy mind. 1

A healthy lifestyle is not only about eating healthy and exercising - you have to care for your mental health too.  

Superfoods are an extraordinary addition to your diet for health benefits. They’re defined as foods loaded with nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They aid your body to function properly and help you reach your daily nutritional goals. 

Certain superfoods can even help you improve your mood! 2

With foods that are nutrient-dense and easily available, why not include them in your diet? 

Below, you’ll learn the ultimate tips for a healthy body and mind, so no virus can catch you off guard. 

The Impact of Stress on the Immune System 

Your immune system is complex and its ability to fight disease depends on many factors. Some of them you can’t control, but with healthy habits and the right response to stress, you can influence it positively and strengthen it for good. 

When you put your body through chronic stress, you leave it in a vulnerable state. That makes it easier for viruses, bacteria, and pathogens to harm us. 3

“It's not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye

Learning how to manage stress is essential to keep your immune system in tip-top shape. Stress can bring the right amount of motivation to get work done, but when it’s constant, it becomes overwhelming and harmful. 

These are some techniques to help you cope with chronic stress:

Self-Care Practices 

Eating your greens and staying active are two impactful ways to practice self-care. Physical and mental health are strongly connected. Healthy body = healthy mind. 

But to manage chronic stress, you need to take self-care a step further. 

Besides a healthy diet, exercise, and good sleep, you can use these tips to take your self-care game to the next level:. 

• Practice Mindfulness: More often than not, stress is based on future events or upcoming deadlines. Mindfulness helps you be present. This fulfilling activity brings peace and calmness by allowing you to live in the now.

• Take a break: If stress is taking over, it's time for a break. Take a walk or watch a funny video. Let your mind rest! Taking a little time for yourself helps you be more productive. 

• Write it out: Writing down your feelings is a great way to let them go. It helps relieve stress and organize your ideas better. 

• Take a deep breath: Breathing deeply brings instant relief to stress. And the best is you can do it anytime, anywhere. Breathing is a powerful tool - use it. If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress, take a deep breath. Inhale through your nose and slowly release through your mouth. Repeat at least 3 times. 

Self-care is about what makes YOU feel good. Be honest with yourself! Take a practice that works for you and make it a habit. 

Superfoods That Boost Your Immune System

Nutrition plays an important role when it comes to a healthy immune system. You need to give your body the right nutrients to strengthen your immunity... and superfoods do just that.

To boost your bodies ability to fight disease, keep these superfoods within a hand’s reach: 

• Spirulina 

Spirulina is a must-have superfood. It has multiple health benefits and it’s considered one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Sounds good, right? It gets better. 

Also known as “the protein queen”, spirulina supports immune health by increasing antibody production. This allows your body to fight viruses and bacteria more effectively. It contains all eight essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source. 2,4

It’s the perfect supplement to level-up your smoothies and juices, giving them a nutritional boost. 

• Turmeric 

Turmeric has very powerful immune boosting properties. Its active ingredient, curcumin, is a polyphenolic compound that helps fight inflammation on a molecular level. This helps prevent and treat various diseases. 

Turmeric is also a strong antioxidant that helps your body fight free radicals. 5

• Leafy Greens

Including plenty of greens in your diet is crucial for a healthy immune system. Spinach, kale, and collard greens are great examples of highly nutritious leafy greens. 

Spinach has lots of health benefits. It’s loaded with nutrients like vitamin A, K and K1, folic acid, iron and calcium. It supports eye and heart health, and helps reduce blood pressure levels. 6

Kale and spinach are a great source of zinc. It helps boost your immune system and helps heal wounds faster. 7

Supplementing Your Body With Superfoods 

Superfoods have at least a dozen unique nutritional properties, including trace minerals. They help you nurture your body with all the nutrients it needs in an easy and delicious way. 

Including superfoods in your diet is a great way to feel energized. It gives you a boost of overall wellness. Some superfoods, like matcha and cacao, support mental health by helping you relieve anxiety and improve your mood. 

When it comes to boosting your immune system, lowering your chances of getting sick, and feeling happier - superfoods are your best bet. 

Most superfoods, like spirulina, matcha, maca, and turmeric, come in a powder form. This makes it easy to use them every day! 

Add them to your smoothies, juices or shakes. Mix them in your yogurt or sprinkle them on an açai bowl. Use them as toppings on your morning toast or spice up a fruit salad. 

The options are endless and the nutritional properties are definitely worth it. 

Take your healthy lifestyle to the next level with self-care and superfoods. 

_________________________

About the author: 
Ana Mexia - Sustainability Copywriter

We're excited to announce Ana as the first Spotlight Editor featured on Yourlixir's Health & Wellness blog! Ana Mexia is a wellness enthusiast, superfood company co-founder and sustainability writer.  Stop by her page and show her some love!

*If you want to nominate a health and wellness writer to be featured in next month's spotlight, send us an email with their info and why you think they're awesome! 

contact@yourlixir.com

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/
2. David Wolfe (2009) Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, California. 
3. https://www.apa.org/research/action/immune
4. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/spirulina#:~:text=Immune%20Support,chronic%20illnesses%2C%20such%20as%20cancer.
5. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section2
6. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/spinach#vitamins-and-minerals
7. https://www.everydayhealth.com/pictures/best-food-sources-zinc/