We are inundated with the media pushing for healthy habits to keep germs at a minimum and our immune system strong. These are great techniques to instill on the exterior but what if your interior environment is not as strong?
I have been a mom for 14 years now. My friends think that I am nuts by how I have fed my children and continue to do so today.
My kids know that sugar will lower their immune system and that sugar is not just sugar. Sugar, flour, dairy, and alcohol all break down and metabolize as a sugar. When our bodies have to digest sugars, certain vitamins and minerals that support our immune function have to “leave their post” to help out in the digestive process, leaving our immune system unattended for a period of time.
This is the time to ramp up your nutrition through your foods. Think of fruits and vegetables as your multi-vitamin. The darker the richer the color, the more nutrients they provide. Set up your kitchen with fresh ingredients in the refrigerator. Next, have your freezer set up for the ultimate back-up. This is where batch cooking is so helpful. You can make some wonderful soups and stews with tons of fresh ingredients and then freeze them for those days that the refrigerator runs bear. My top favorites are Mexican Chicken Soup and Savory Indian Spice Lentils.
The more nutrition you pack into your foods, the stronger your system is to deal with other challenges you may face.
Digestion and stress are very interrelated. We can choose the right foods but if we are not attentive to our stress levels, we miss out on some of the great nutrients we thought we consumed. In other words, if we are stressed, our digestion is stressed, and many of the amazing nutrients are not absorbed as they should be. This can lead to low immunity, if not addressed.
Anything that creates stress in our body will lower the strength of our immune system. This refers to daily stress, illness, life, homeschooling, blah, blah, blah. Some of us can deal with so many things at once, and others cannot. This is where I like to encourage relaxation rituals as your “go-to” in times of non-stop crazy. If you can take yourself out of your current situation, even for a brief moment, you can reset your brain and look at everything with fresh eyes. If you stay on a non-stop hamster wheel, you simply ramp up the stress to volatile proportions.
Relaxation rituals refer to something you truly enjoy, a cup of tea, solving world peace on a video chat, or delving into a great book. You know your thing, so make sure you have what you need to make it happen at a moment’s notice. Journaling can also be a very helpful tool. Having the ability to write out your thoughts and even responding to your thoughts with no judgment from others is very powerful.
When we need to diffuse, sitting still may make it worse. This is where exercise comes in. Exercise is a great way to help relieve stress and help with other areas of our lives. Did you know that exercise will boost the nutrients needed to strengthen our immune system? It sure does, but as long as you are doing it in a healthy manner. There’s a fine line between working out too much and working out enough for health benefits. If you work out so much that you wear yourself out, that is too much. Your goal should always be to work out enough to energize and invigorate your body to feel great.
There’re tons of workout options across the net, and they don’t all have to last an hour. Even a good 15-minute routine can do the trick.
There you have it, a strong immune system is built on great nutrients. You want to make sure to get plenty of rest, lower daily stresses, move, and enjoy a zest for life. It’s time to reevaluate your current habits and start implementing the ones that will make your immune system SuperPower strong!
Stay Well and Stay SuperPower Strong,
Adita
Thanks for these tips, Adita!
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