How to strengthen the immune system: 8 effective strategies

There are internal and external factors that alter our defenses. When these begin to weaken, the body sends very clear warnings for us to take the necessary measures to strengthen ourselves.

Feeling fatigue or muscle pain with no apparent origin, or being continually ill are clear signs that the immune system is weakening. Making some changes in our routine is enough to help the body and avoid falling ill easily.

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Strengthen your immune system with these 8 strategies

Our immune system defends us from diseases. External factors such as the environment cannot be controlled, but we can combat these factors so that they do not affect us, or at least minimize their effects on our bodies.

We can control internal factors with greater ease and precision. We speak of internal factors to refer to everything with which we feed our body, or the habits that weaken or strengthen it. That is entirely in our hands, and we must act to achieve an immune system capable of protecting ourselves.

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1. Reduce consumption of saturated fat

Saturated fats should be consumed in moderation, or preferably avoid their intake. All fast food and convenience foods have high amounts of saturated fat that also do not provide any type of nutrient to the body.

These foods are very "filling" and also offer practicality, for this reason they have gained popularity especially among young people. However, the risk of consuming these foods too often is that you are not being given any nutrient to the body and we are introducing into our body a quantity of toxins and fats harmful to the organism.

This type of food can be eaten sporadically. But you have to understand that digesting these foods requires too much energy from the body, the fats remain settled in the fatty tissues of the body and take a long time to be disposed of, and at the same time nothing nutritious was offered to the Body.

2. Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables

Nothing better to strengthen the immune system than eating fruits and vegetables. The goal is to provide the body with a cocktail of vitamins through our usual diet. For this reason, adding natural foods is one of the best strategies to boost the immune system.

The body needs Vitamins A, C and E, in addition to Iron, Zinc, Selenium and all the vitamins of group B. As long as the intake is constant and balanced, the body will have better defenses to face the external factors that we cannot control such as weather, pollution and the spread of viruses and bacteria

Although consuming a food supplement is of great help, it is best to eat all these foods in their form natural, that is, through fruits and vegetables, since the absorption is greater in addition to the fact that fiber is consumed in this way also.

3. Exercise

Physical exercise is an excellent way to strengthen the immune system. Although practically any sporting discipline helps this purpose, aerobic exercise is the most recommended as a strategy to strengthen the immune system.

If you are a person who does not have regular physical activity, it is best to start slowly without taking your body to the extreme or running out of air. Not doing it in a sudden and intense way will improve the result. We must allow time for our body to adapt to changes and improve its efficiency (and therefore its health).

The goal is to strengthen the body through exercise. This can be done gradually by gradually performing routines that will intensify over time. It is important to remember that exercise must be accompanied by adequate nutrition.

4. Get enough sleep

Resting long enough is necessary for the body to strengthen its defenses. An adult should sleep at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Also, this sleep must be deep and truly restorative. This is what is known as "quality sleep".

The importance of rest to stay healthy is sometimes underestimated. But you have to understand that during sleep, the body produces cells of the immune system and recovers the energy lost during the day.

If there is no adequate rest, the body takes the energy to continue the activities of the next day and this reduces the reaction of the defenses to the arrival of a virus or bacteria.

5. Eat fermented dairy products

A type of food that helps to strengthen the defenses is fermented dairy. These types of products should be added to the nutrient-rich diet. Yogurt and kefir they are ideal for this purpose.

Milk as such is not recommended, in addition to the fact that lactose intolerance is common in many adults. However, yogurt and kefir do help strengthen the immune system.

They should be consumed in moderation, they can be useful as an option for breakfast accompanied by some fruit. You should prefer plain flavored yogurt and add fruit to it, rather than those that are marketed with flavor, since they contain a lot of sugar.

6. Eat foods with monounsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fats help the immune system. The fat in these foods is necessary for the body and helps to strengthen the defenses, unlike saturated fats that do not provide any nutrients.

The foods where you can find monounsaturated fats are: olive oil, nuts, soybeans and oily fish. All this in combination with fruits and vegetables, you will be adequately nourishing the body.

In addition to this, it must be remembered that a balance and balance must be maintained in the diet. That is, along with foods with monounsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables should be consumed.

7. Emotional health

A fundamental aspect to strengthen the immune system is to have emotional balance. Many times this aspect is not given enough weight, but it is important that the attitude we have on a day-to-day basis is positive.

Although it is difficult to deal with some situations in life, we must work to be able to maintain harmony and peace in our attitude. All this contributes to our body not weakening and being exposed to diseases.

Stress, prolonged anguish and sadness weaken the immune system. This is because these emotions they produce excess cortisol within the body, which causes an increase in blood sugar and this affects the body's defenses.

8. Superfoods

In recent years, surprising properties have been discovered in some foods. These have been given the name of "Superfoods", because in many cases they contain high amounts of vitamins, antioxidants or minerals.

For this reason, it is recommended to include two or more of these superfoods to the traditional diet. Although they are not miraculous nor should they replace a balanced diet, the high concentrations of very positive elements for health help to strengthen the immune system.

Among the best known superfoods are: chia, turmeric, linen, moringa, noni, acai, brown rice and espeta among others. Some are difficult to find in some areas, but in each region there is some endemic superfood that can be consumed.

Bibliographic references

• Cabrera Padilla, Antonio María; Sanz Esteban, Miguel; Bárcena Rodríguez, Jesús (2011). "The organization of the body of a living being." Biology and Geology 1. San Fernando de Henares: Oxford University Press.
• Papadia C, Di Sabatino A, Corazza GR, Forbes A (February 2014). "Diagnosing small bowel malabsorption: a review". Intern Emerg Med (Review) 9 (1): 3-8.