Hey Yall! School is back in full swing so keeping your immune system and your kids immune system strong is top priority! I composed some of my favorite immune boosting tips to help you prepare for the sore throats, snotty noses, sinus congestion and tummy bugs!
Little sickness here and there are natural and actually help us to become more resilient and stronger. When we do get sick, however, our goal is to make the illness shorter and less severe since avoidance of illness is not possible.
STRESS REDUCTION:
Stress is an immune system killer! Increased stress naturally increases our bodies cortisol levels which will knock down our immune system. Stress will also increase gut membrane permeability and 70% of our immune system sits inside our gut! Some of my favorite (and free ways) to combat stress:
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Practicing gratitude! Start with just taking a step back, out of the stressful situation, and thinking about very simple things you are thankful for i.e. a roof over your head and clothes on your back. As you get better you can get deeper into what it is you are thankful for. GIVE THIS A SHOT. STUDIES SHOW THIS REDUCES CORTISOL, STRESS, AND BURNOUT, IMPROVES SLEEP AND RESILIENCE, AND INCREASES HAPPINESS AND POSITIVE MOOD 🙂
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Binaural beets. Binaural beats are sounds at specific frequencies for a specified amount of time. These sounds are shown to affect a person’s behavior and sleep cycles. Different beats can promote focus, relaxation, and sleep.
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Epsom salt baths. Epsom salt baths promote relaxation and detoxification. A great option for keeping your adrenals and immune system in check!
GET PLENTY OF REST:
Lack of sleep, interrupted sleep and not achieving REM sleep can negatively impact your immune system. When we don’t sleep our anxiety levels increase and increased anxiety causes reduction in sleep – a vicious cycle. Some of my favorite nutrients/supplements for sleep include:
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Magnesium glycinate. Magnesium glycinate is magnesium combined with the amino acid glycine which is a relaxing amino.
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Epsom salt baths!
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Avoiding blue light 1 hour prior to bed
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Having a cool, dark room
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Avoid caffeine later in the day
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Mediation prior to bed
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An evening walk can help to set your internal clock and let your body know it’s time for bed
IMMUNE BOOSTING FOODS:
Eating a diet rich in color and phytonutrient is essential to having a good immune system. Foods rich in color provide us with antioxidants that help our bodies to fend off free radicals that invaders to our bodies produce. Eat the rainbow! Also important to avoid sugar and alcohol when you are sick. During illness our bodies are under a lot of inflammation and eating a diet high in sugar and/or alcohol only ADDS to that inflammation making illness worse. My favorite immune boosting foods:
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Lemon – fresh squeezed in water or over a bed of greens.
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Rainbow smoothies – choose one food from each color of the rainbow (ideally more veggies than fruit), blend with water or fresh steeped green tea and enjoy!
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Berries – strawberries, blueberries, black berries
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Homemade soup – try one of these soup recipes from the defined dish .
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Seaweed – packed full of vitamins and minerals
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Get in enough protein to support internal detoxification and healing
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GET YOUR GUT RIGHT:
As I mentioned before, 70% of our immune system sits inside our gut! If you struggle with constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, heartburn, food intolerance I would recommend a comprehensive stool analysis to get to the root of your gut dysfunction so your immune system can be optimized. Visit my booking portal for a FREE 15 minute consultation to see how we can help.
OTHER IMMUNE BOOSTING FAVORITES:
The below listed foods/supplements all have phytochemical/antioxidant benefits to fend off and destroy free radical formation. Many of them have the ability to turn off upstream inflammatory pathways to allow the body to heal and prevent overactivation of the immune system.
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VITAMIN C –
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ELDERBERRY
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VITAMIN D – make sure to have this level checked in your blood prior to supplementing. Get natural sunlight exposure to promote natural production of vitamin D!
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ZINC – an important mineral to combat illness. To note, since COVID we are seeing more individuals with high zinc to copper ratios. It is not recommended to dose zinc in daily amounts greater than 50mg for extended periods of time
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TURMERIC
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GINGER
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QUERCETIN
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GREEN TEA
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BROCCOLI
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GARLIC
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OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS
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MANUKA HONEY
Consuming these phytonutrients in foods is a great way to get all their benefits.
MY FAVORITE TUMMY BUG TRICKS:
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SIP ON GINGER, PEPPERMINT OR CHAMOMILE TEA
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BANANAS
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APPLESAUCE
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ELECTROLYTES – E LYTE BY BODY BIO (YOU CAN FIND THIS THROUGH MY ONLINE SUPPLEMENT DISPENSARY)
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NO SUGAR ADDED APPLESAUCE
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ACTIVATED CHARCOAL
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BIORAY NDF HAPPY – THIS CAN BE FOUND THROUGH MY ONLINE SUPPLEMENT DISPENSARY
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HOMEMADE GATORADE: fresh squeezed orange and lemon, pinch of himalayan pink sea salt, and 8 ounces of water
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BONE BROTH – ORGANIC STORE BOUGHT IN THE REFRIGERATED SECTION OR MAKE YOUR OWN! see recipe below:
HOMEMADE BONE BROTH:
Ingredients:
Bones from poultry, fish, beef, lamb, shellfish or whole chicken or whole carcass (remove meat when cooked – about 1 hour)
8-10 cups of water
1–2 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar
1– 2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Carrots
1 onion
2 stalks celery
½ c. fresh
Parsley chopped or 2 tbsp dried parsley
1-2 tsp sage
1-2 tsp rosemary
1-2 tsp thyme
2-3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar or 1 lemon
Directions:
Put all ingredients into pot. Bring to boil. Let simmer on low for several hours (4–24) or in crock pot on low. Remove bones and skim off fat. Uses for stock: • Use as stock for soup. • Drink as a warm beverage. • Use as the cooking liquid for vegetables and grains. • Make gravy from the fats.
Recipe courtesy of Liz Lipski, PhD
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