09-17-19
It’s that time of year again. The weather is cooling, the days are getting shorter and soon the leaves will be changing. As fall rolls in and the kids go back to school the dreaded runny noses and sneezing begins. Maybe not this year, though. Rather than waiting for a cold to hit, let’s have a look at what we can do to boost the immune system and help prevent it.
Let’s start in the gut…
By maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and strengthening your gut health you are more likely to breeze through this cold and flu season.
Believe it or not, your body actually needs bacteria to stay healthy. Actually, a majority of your immune cells reside in the gut and this bacteria helps to determine how strong or weak your immune system is. Of course, there are good and bad kinds of bacteria. Your gut is actually the place where both kinds of bacteria can flourish. Your goal is to boost the good bacteria while eliminating the bad.
This is where probiotics come in by helping to maintain healthy levels of bacteria. By restoring your body’s levels of good bacteria, you can digest your food better, absorb more nutrients and eliminate harmful bacteria from your body.
Moving along to micronutrients…
You may know micronutrients by other names such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Common examples include Vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium. These substances play many vital roles in our lives including supporting our metabolism and fighting off free radicals in the body.
Your body is constantly making use of these essential micronutrients. This is why it is important to keep your supply of micronutrients up especially during the upcoming cold and flu season. You can arm your body’s defenses by adding nutritious, micronutrient-rich foods to your daily diet.
We can’t forget the mushrooms…
Immune function has been one of the most promising areas of mushroom research thus far and a number of mushroom species have proven immune-boosting effects. Let’s look at a few
Reishi is known as the “mushroom of immortality” and “spirit mushroom.” It has been used medicinally for millennia, revered for its health-promoting effects.
Maitake, also known as “Hen of the Woods” is valued as a gourmet culinary mushroom. It has excellent nutritional value, containing a variety of beneficial phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin D2. Maitake offers medicinal properties comparable to those of reishi and cordyceps, showing a range of positive effects and immune-stimulating properties.
Cordyceps has been shown to be a powerful immunomodulator, with the ability to both boost a depressed immune system and downregulate an overactive one.
Shiitake has been used in Japan and China for its benefits for thousands of years. This mushroom has been extensively studied for its health-giving properties. It’s among the most popular and most studied medicinal mushrooms.
This list could definitely go on. If you are looking for an easy solution to incorporate a variety of immune-boosting mushrooms into your diet look no further than Defend, a combination of six amazing mushrooms, beta-glucans, and our own organic Wild Microalgae®, a type of blue-green algae!
Exercise is a piece of the puzzle…
You don’t have to turn into a gym rat to enjoy the immune-boosting benefits of exercise. We are talking about moderate physical activity here. Not only will it help boost mood, improve muscle tone, and maintain weight-it can also improve the antibody response to infections.
And finally, rest up…
Do your body and immune system a favor by aiming for seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
Will all of these healthy habits ensure you will skip out on the cold and flu festivities this year? No, but they will increase your odds of maintaining good health throughout the season!