Top tips to Boost your immune system to help you stay safe during Covid-19 pandemic - FANTASTIC INFORMATION from Cath Finegan our Nutritional Therapist
Along with government guidelines on staying safe during this pandemic, here are some additional ways you can boost your immune system to give yourselves better protection.
The more immunity-boosting habits you can adopt, the better your chances of staying healthy. While most of these nutrients won't "kill" the virus per se, they CAN give you a nice boost to your immune system, which can reduce your risk of catching the virus, or can also reduce the severity and duration of the sickness if you do contract it.
Here's some of my recommendations:
· Eat a healthy diet with plenty of colourful vegetables and fruit.
· Probiotics - your immune health starts in your gut. Beneficial bacteria live mostly in the gut and provide you with the foundations of a strong, healthy immune system and without these good bacteria you are less able to fight off the bad bacteria. There are around 100 trillion bacteria that line your intestinal tract and defend our bodies from outside invaders. Taking steps to nurture this important internal army, will support your immune system and help you to experience better health overall.
Fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha and kimchi are a great addition to the diet as they supply beneficial bacteria that are quickly incorporated into the gut population. Alternatively, taking a daily multi-strain probiotic supplement to support an optimal balance of bacteria in the gut is a good option. Choose a supplement that contains specific strains that have been well researched and demonstrated a high level of effectiveness, eg. A multi-strain product that contains Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces Boulardii.
· Vitamin C - Always at the top of the list for immune support. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory activity and supports the body’s ability to fight infection. Studies show that vitamin C also helps to support a healthy stress response and so it may have added benefit when worries are heightened. Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, berries, bell peppers, leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, Brussels sprouts, and papaya. Supplementing with 2000-3000mg of vitamin C is a recommended optimal daily amount.
· Vitamin D - deficiency in Vitamin D is associated with increased susceptibility to infection. Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is important for supporting the body’s ability to fight infection. Unlike most essential nutrients however, you can’t rely on food to keep your levels optimal. The main source of vitamin D isn’t food, but sunshine; your bare skin produces vitamin D when it comes into contact with the sun’s rays, so try to get outside to boost your immune system. If you need to supplement, then 2000-4000iu (50 -100mcg) daily is recommended.
· Sunshine - also improves your mood, serotonin levels and helps balance hormones. So do try to get outside for daily walks in the sun without having your skin fully covered, since you need skin exposed to get the majority of the benefits. Or do some gardening or even just lay out in the sun (without getting burnt of course).
· Selenium - is an important micronutrient which helps lower oxidative stress in your body. This mineral helps to reduces inflammation and enhances immunity. Studies have demonstrated that increased blood levels of selenium are associated with enhanced immune response and can be instrumental in reducing viral replication. For general immune health, it certainly seems prudent to ensure that selenium levels are optimal. Brazil nuts, oats, sunflower seeds, fish, turkey and chicken typically contain good levels of this important mineral. The optimal daily amount is 200mcg daily.
· Zinc helps keep your immune system strong. Multiple studies have shown that a deficiency of zinc can have a negative impact on the immune system’s ability to deal with infection and a severe deficiency is known to suppress immune function. The body doesn’t have much ability to store zinc so it’s crucial that your daily diet supplies plenty of this immune boosting mineral. You’ll find high levels of zinc in meat, eggs, chickpeas & lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds. You can also take extra zinc in supplement form to keep your levels topped up and gently support your immune function. Suggested daily amount is 20mg. If you regularly take zinc in supplement form however (such as in a daily multi) it is important to balance this with copper, as excess zinc can cause copper deficiency and vice versa.
· Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant that helps fight off infections. Almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds are all high in vitamin E.
· Sleep – Try to get adequate sleep. Even one night of poor sleep (generally, less than 6-8 hours) can result in a reduction of infection-fighting antibodies.
· Exercise regularly – as little as 20 minutes of exercise can have anti-inflammatory effects that boost the immune system.
· Limit your intake of processed sugar and alcohol as both of these are immune system disrupters.
Cath Finegan
Naturopath and Nutritional Therapist ND, mFNTP, HIr