6 Nutrients that will Boost your Immune System

• Our immune system can weaken due to stress, insufficient rest, nutritional imbalances and a lack of exercise.
• Basic indicators of a weakened immune system include regularly catching colds, wounds healing slowly, feelings of exhaustions and frequent bouts of diarrhea.
• White blood cells are the body’s personal bodyguards. It strengthens the immune system and protects us from disease.

Here are 6 nutrients you could add to your diet in order to boost to your immune system:

1. Fats: Fats play a key role in hormone production, including sexual hormones and stress-resistant hormones. Consumption of healthy fats can, therefore, boost your immune system. Fish, avocado, rice bran, nuts and grains are all good sources of such nutrients.
2. Mushrooms: These contain a range of essential nutrients. Mushrooms have polysaccharides, which aid white blood cell function, and Beta Glucans, which play a key role in resisting cancers and keeping the body safe from infection.
3. Vitamin C: Found in many vegetables and fruits, vitamin C helps to build up immunity to disease.
4. Probiotics: These work in tandem with health microbes such as lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and can be found in probiotic drinks, as well as yogurts. They boost white blood cell production in the peripheral intestinal mucosa which, in turn, reduces inflammation as well as helps the immune system respond rapidly to danger.
5. Vitamin D: These vitamins boost the immune system’s production of cathelicidin, which stimulates white blood cell function, ensuring it is ready to fight off illness and disease. We can get vitamin D from exposure to sunlight (weak sunlight during the early mornings and evenings is best), various types of mushroom, fish (especially salmon), milk, cheese, yogurt and orange juice.
6. Vitamin A: This vitamin aids white blood cell production, as well as strengthens them. We can source vitamin A from fish liver, carrot, spinach, bitter gourd, tomato, passion fruit and broccoli.

Additionally, try to avoid stress, smoking, alcohol, and a bad diet as these weaken the immune system.

A strong immune system means our white blood cells are strong enough to fight off bacteria, viruses or any other body invaders. It is what will keep us healthy, given any circumstances. Thus, if we focus on strengthening our immune system, we will significantly reduce our chances of getting sick. And if we do get sick, our body will be able to heal itself.