Thomas Edison once said, ‘The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent diseases with nutrition’. How true could this be? Can we really last on painkillers and vitamin supplements? Imagine yourself on an island. All by yourself. Would you last even 5 days without your health supplements, painkillers and preventive medication? However, good nutrition, home remedies and a healthy lifestyle would get you much further, if you were to ever face your own “castaway”. It’s not rocket science. If you want to have a healthy immune system, you need to laugh often, view life with a positive eye, eat right and put yourself in a relaxed state of mind on a regular basis. It is as simple (and as complicated!) as that.
Your body runs on the fuel you put into it. This is why eating well, along with several other strengthen-yourself tactics, is so important. The immune system is responsible for fighting and warding off illnesses and diseases; to make your body strong enough to carry an illness, but not to let it affect you so. Think of it as a musical orchestra. In a musical orchestra, even if one performer faces a glitch, the entire symphony changes its tune. You want every component of your orchestra to sing beautifully; to bring you to life.
A few changes to your daily diet and everyday activities will go a long way in strengthening your immune system enough to protect you against harmful pathogens. My two bits to the ultimate immune system are simple. All you need to do is ensure of all the following little soldiers stay in line for all your days to come:
Reduce your stress levels: Tone down on the overthinking, shouting, long-term stressing in your life — find an alternative to adverse reactions. Long-term stress in your body results in elevated levels of cortisol — essentially blocking the immune system from kicking into gear to protect your body against stress-induced weaknesses. Choose to practice yoga, tai-chi, or some form of meditation in your regular day-to-day schedule.
Moderate your alcohol intake: We all love our beers and mojitos — but we must limit the number of drinks we consume in a week. Excessive intake of alcohol can slowly break-down and weaken your immune system in a very complicated manner. Slow-paced and limited alcohol intake on a regular basis can do wonders for your immunity!
Get your A-B-C-D-E’s right! An apple a day keeps the doctor away — this is as true as to how vitamins are essential to your immune system. A calculated intake of Vitamins A, B6, C, D & E can help in building your immunity at a normal pace and bring it up to the required levels. Vitamin C is the best way to catch up on immunity boosters — drink a lot of orange juice, spinach smoothies and other citric fruits. Multivitamin boosters, after consulting your doctors, is a good way to ensure a healthy intake. However, I always support and advise catching up on your vitamin intake through natural foods.
Green, nutty and fruity is the way to go! A balanced diet of fruits, organic vegetables and a serving each of seeds and nuts is essential to building a healthy immune system. Cruciferous vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli and cabbage are an essential addition to your daily diet — if you are not already consuming the required portions of it.
Get your gym shoes on! Fixing your health is not only done through diets and meditation — an exercise routine, at least 3 days a week is essential to put together with a balanced diet. Regular exercise — whether it is a visit to the gym, a walk in the park or some sport like tennis, swimming or squash, is essential in mobilising the T-cells of your body, which are a type of white blood cell that guards against infection. Make sure to get enough rest and nutrients after a workout, as excessive and rigorous workout without the right kind of nutrition can be damaging to your immune system.
Sleep — you know you need it! Do you have sore eyes when you sleepless? Do you feel feverish on a morning after less than required sleep hours? Do you feel fatigued when you have an unruly sleep cycle? This is your immune system begging you to make it right — get at least 8 hours of sleep hours in at a scheduled time in the night — whether it’s a 10 to 6, or 11 to 7 or even 12 to 8.
This helps your immune system stay in check and protect you against any viruses and strengthen your fighter’s response to any weaknesses or illnesses.
Morning sun, the best sun! Vitamin D is best consumed when you stand in sunlight -taking in the warm and bright. Essential for the immune system’s functioning, Vitamin D produces antibodies.
Daunting as it may seem, these few changes to your daily routine and regime is the best way to support your overall health, nutrition and immunity. These few steps will reduce the toxins in your body and bring in necessary nutrients that are essential to regularly healthy upkeep. As they say, a healthy outside starts from the inside. Work on yourself internally, and the external will take care of itself!
Written By Gouri Gupta
Week 28, July ’20
