Building enough strength should be our number one responsibility to fight influenza this season.
Winter is finally here, a season to pack away those bright coloured floral clothing and get out some of your most fashionable fleece possessions. It is the season when layered clothing is considered to be one of the go-to options for protecting yourself from the cold and wet weather elements outside.
It also plays a critical role in ensuring that we are externally protected from things like colds and flus. While most of the focus tends to revolve around how protected we are dressed externally, the real key to resisting and fighting these viruses is to have a strong immune system.
“Your immune system is your body’s version of the military, sworn to defend against all who threaten it, both foreign and domestic. It has some really interesting soldiers that help make this possible. Your immune system protects against disease, infection and helps you recover after an injury,” explains the health and wellness publication, Healthline.
The above-mentioned publication further explains that there are various ways that we can build a strong immunity.
Some of these include:
- Regular sleep
- Practising good hygiene
- Eating healthy and nutritious meals and exercising. This helps your body fight off infections.
- How important is a nutritious meal in building a strong immunity?
“A good diet cannot boost the immune system, but it’s important to maintain a functional immune system by avoiding immunodeficiency due to malnutrition or micronutrient deficiencies,” explains the Mayo Clinic.
The reason for this is that the immune system is complex and influenced by an ideal balance of many factors, not just diet, and especially not by any one specific food or nutrient.
However, Harvard’s School of Public Health mentions that, “a balanced diet consisting of a range of vitamins and minerals, combined with healthy lifestyle factors like adequate sleep and exercise and low stress, most effectively primes the body to fight infection and disease.”
Meanwhile, the following foods play their part in this process as recommended by Healthline:
- Citrus Fruits
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red Bell peppers
- Spinach
- Yogurt
- Tumeric
- Papaya
- Green tea
Also see: Tips to maintaining good gut health for your child
