How to naturally boost your immune system this winter
Written by Michelle Sanchez, Naturopath, Nutritionist and Medical Herbalist.
Keeping yourself well is essential during the colder months. The best way to boost your immune system is by adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle. Reducing your toxic load, eating immune-boosting foods and detoxing your body can help achieve optimal gut health to keep your immune system functioning as well as possible.
Top tips to boost your immune system naturally:
1. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption as it can aggravate your gut and have a negative effect on your immune system.
2. Eat a healthy diet full of fresh organic immune-boosting foods including:
- Garlic, ginger and turmeric
- Sweet red peppers
- Kiwi fruit, oranges, lemons, grapefruit
- Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries
- Leafy green vegetables – kale, spinach, chard
- Brassica vegetables – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
- Mushrooms – shiitake and oyster
- Sunflower seeds and almonds
3. Reduce sugar intake as it prevents your phagocytes from working efficiently.
4. Limit pasteurised dairy products as it can be very mucus-forming and aggravate the gut.
5. Detox your body by:
- Cleanse your liver and kidneys by drinking lemon or organic raw apple cider vinegar in warm water.
- Do a colonic to clear out toxin build-up in the gut.
- Take liver- and kidney-cleansing herbs and nutrients.
- Have an Epsom salt bath which helps draw out toxins from the body.
- Practise dry skin brushing to eliminate toxins, improve circulation and stimulate the lymphatic system.
- Use a sauna to gently sweat out harmful toxins through the skin.
6. Engage in regular exercise; movement promotes circulation and stimulates your immune system.
7. Stay hydrated by drinking filtered water and herbal teas.
CNM trains successful practitioners in a range of natural therapies. Voted Best College/University in the 2021 IHCAN Education Awards.
Learn more at: naturopathy.ie
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