There are internal and external factors that alter our defenses.. When these begin to weaken, the body sends very clear warnings for us to take the necessary measures to strengthen ourselves.
Feeling fatigue or muscle pain without an apparent origin, or continually getting sick are clear signs that the immune system is weakening. Making some changes in our routine is enough to help the body and avoid getting sick easily.
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Strengthen your immune system with these 8 strategies
Our immune system defends us from diseases.. External factors such as the environment can not be controlled, but we can fight these factors so that they do not affect us, or at least minimize their effects on our bodies.
The internal factors we can control with greater ease and precision. We speak of internal factors to refer to everything that we feed our body, or the habits that weaken or strengthen it. This is entirely in our hands, and we must act to achieve an immune system capable of protecting us.
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1. Reduce consumption of saturated fats
Saturated fats should be consumed in moderation, or preferably avoid their intake.. All fast food and convenience foods have high amounts of saturated fats that do not provide any nutrients to the body.
These foods are very “filling” and also offer convenience, which is why they have gained popularity, especially among young people. However, the risk of consuming these foods too often is that no nutrients are being given to the body and we are introducing into our body a quantity of toxins and fats that are harmful to the body.
This type of food can be eaten sporadically. But we must understand that digesting these foods requires too much energy to the body, the fats remain settled in the adipose tissues of the body and take a long time to be discarded, and at the same time nothing nutritious is offered to the body.
2. Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Nothing better to strengthen the immune system than eating fruits and vegetables.. The goal is to provide the body with a vitamin cocktail through our regular diet. For this reason, adding natural foods is one of the best strategies to increase the immune system.
The body needs Vitamin A, C and E, as well as Iron, Zinc, Selenium and all the B vitamins. As long as the intake is constant and balanced, the body will have better defenses to face external factors that we cannot control such as climate, pollution and the spread of viruses and bacteria.
Although consuming a food supplement is of great help, it is best to ingest all these foods in their natural form, i.e., through fruits and vegetables, since absorption is greater and fiber is also consumed in this way.
3. Exercise
Physical exercise is an excellent way to strengthen the immune system.. Although virtually any sporting discipline helps this purpose, aerobic exercise is the most recommended as a strategy to strengthen the immune system.
If you are a person who does not have regular physical activity it is best to start slowly without pushing your body to the extreme or running out of air. Doing it suddenly and intensely will not improve the result. We must allow time for our body to adapt to the changes and improve its efficiency (and therefore its health).
The goal is to strengthen the body through exercise. This can be done in a gradual way by gradually performing routines that over time will intensify. It is important to remember that exercise must be accompanied by proper nutrition.
4. Getting enough sleep
Getting enough rest is necessary for the body to strengthen its defenses.. An adult should sleep at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Moreover, this sleep should be deep and truly restorative. This is known as “quality sleep”.
Sometimes the importance of rest to stay healthy is underestimated. But it must be understood that during sleep, the body produces immune system cells and recovers the energy lost during the day.
If there is no adequate rest, the body takes energy to continue the next day’s activities and this decreases the reaction of the defenses against the arrival of a virus or bacteria.
5. Eat fermented dairy products
One type of food that helps to strengthen the defenses is fermented dairy products.. Within the diet rich in nutrients should be added this type of product. Yogurt and kefir are ideal for this purpose.
Milk as such is not the most advisable, in addition to the fact that lactose intolerance is common in many adults. However, yogurt and kefir do help strengthen the immune system.
They should be consumed in moderation and can be useful as a breakfast option with fruit. Yogurt with natural flavor should be preferred and fruit should be added to it, instead of those commercially available flavored yogurt, since they contain a lot of sugar.
6. Consume foods with monounsaturated fats
Monounsaturated fats help the immune system.. The fat contained in these foods is necessary for the body and helps strengthen the defenses, unlike saturated fats that do not provide any nutrients.
The foods where monounsaturated fats can be found are: olive oil, nuts, soybeans and oily fish. All this in combination with fruits and vegetables, will be properly nourishing the body.
In addition to this, it is important to remember that a balance and equilibrium must be maintained in the diet. That is to say, that together with foods with monounsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables should be consumed.
7. Emotional health
A fundamental aspect to strengthen the immune system is to have emotional balance.. Often this aspect is not given enough weight, but it is important that the attitude we have on a daily basis is positive.
Although it is difficult to deal with some situations in life, we must work on being able to maintain harmony and peace in our attitude. All this contributes to our body not being weakened and exposed to diseases.
Prolonged stress, anguish and sadness weaken the immune system. This is because these emotions produce excessive cortisol in the body, which causes an increase in blood sugar and this affects the body’s defenses.
8. Superfoods
In recent years, some surprising properties have been discovered in some foods.. These have been called “superfoods” because in many cases they contain high amounts of vitamins, antioxidants or minerals.
For this reason it is recommended to include two or more of these superfoods in the traditional diet. Although they are not miraculous and should not replace a balanced diet, the high concentrations of very positive elements for health help strengthen the immune system.
Among the best known superfoods are: chia, turmeric, flax, moringa, noni, acai, brown rice and espeta, among others. Some are difficult to obtain in some areas, but in every region there is an endemic superfood that can be consumed.