We should always focus on maintaining a strong immune system, but during this unfortunate pandemic, it seems that we are honing in even more deeply. So let’s take a dive into my favorite immunity-boosters.
1. Take Probiotics
Probiotics help maintain good gut health, which evidence has shown is the foundation of our immune system. Having a healthy gut microbiome means you have plenty of good bacteria in your gut which help our body fight off disease and helps promote repair or damaged tissue. A nice side effect of a healthy gut is being in a good mood! Take a strong probiotic daily (I take 50 billion CFU) and one that has multiple strains of bacteria (mine has 20 different strains).
2. Eat a variety of plants!
Plants are high in minerals and vitamins essential to our health. Antioxidants such as zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D maintain a strong immune system.
Fruits high in vitamin C are guava, kiwi, pomello, lemons and strawberries.
Veggies high in vitamin C are bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and parsley.
Foods high in zinc are lentils, garbanzo beans, tofu, oats, dark chocolate, nuts and seeds.
Eat fungi! Mushrooms are used medicinally across the world because they are full of antioxidants, fight off infections and disease, reduce inflammation and aging, and regenerate nerve cells. The recommended mushrooms to include in your diet are shiitake, reishi, lion’s mane and turkey tale to name a few, which you can find at farmers markets, Asian markets, online in powder form, in capsules or liquid form from Paul Stamet’s company Host Defense. Paul helped his mom beat cancer with medicinal mushrooms.
Another notable mention to include into your diet that I forgot to state in the video, is spices and herbs! Oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and turmeric are among the highest antioxidant-rich foods. I take oregano oil once or twice a week and love adding cinnamon to almost all my breakfast and sweet meals and turmeric to almost all my savory dishes.
*Zinc & Vitamin-C-Packed Breakfast Recipe:
1 cup of oats, 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds, 2 tablespoons of cashews, 1 cup of oat, hemp or cashew milk which yields 11 mg of zinc (the daily recommended amount). Add guava, kiwi or strawberries for vitamin-C!
*Hummus is also packed with zinc since it contains garbanzo beans and sesame seeds (tahini). Eat hummus with bell peppers and broccoli for a zinc & vitamin-c dense snack!
3. Laugh, sing and smile!
Laughing, smiling, being in a good mood… has been proven to increase the number of white blood cells in our body. Force yourself to smile and laugh throughout the day or watch a comedy!
4. Sun exposure!
Make sure you’re in the sun whenever you get a chance to help your body stimulate the production of vitamin D naturally.
5. Water consumption!
We should be drinking half of our body weight in fluid ounces daily. Infuse your water with lemon, strawberries, basil or mint if you don’t like the taste of plain water. Buy a big water canister to help measure how much water you’re drinking daily.
6. Movement
Whatever is accessible for you, do it! Walk, stretch, do yoga, do home workouts for 15-30 minutes each day to keep your immune system strong.
7. Relax
Sleep more, do breathing exercises, take a warm bath, listen to calming music, meditate.
8. Community
Stay connected to your friends and family via calls, video-chat, letter/email writing, etc. It’s important to have someone you can express how you feel with as socializing is part of human survival. Besides sharing how you feel with friends and family, share something that you’ve learned or created with them!
Credits:
Intro music by SNSES
Filming by Desmond Beristain
Editing by Desmond and Andrea
