Tips for a Stronger Immune system

Tips for a Stronger Immune System

Importance

A healthy immune system is crucial for keeping the body free of viruses, sickness and fatigue. WebMd describes the immune system as, “a balanced network of cells and organs that work together to defend you against disease. It blocks foreign proteins from getting into your body. If a few happen to sneak by your biological sentry, not to worry. With a powerful ‘search and destroy’ task force, your body deploys a host of additional immune cell forces designed to hunt down these unwanted invaders and ultimately works to destroy them.” There are various factors that play into building a strong immune system, but a strong immune system is usually a result of a healthy lifestyle that consists of eating right, regular exercise and sleep.

Diet

I have the most information on diet. This is because your diet can significantly help or hurt your immune system so it is extremely important to choose foods that support your immune system.

Eating foods high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants help aid the immune system because extra nutrients help fight off free radicals. According to Livestrong.com, eating foods high in Vitamin-C aid the immune system due to the fact that, “Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient that provides potent antioxidant, or disease-fighting, effects.” Eating a diet plentiful in fresh fruits and vegetables will provide you with a multitude of vitamins and antioxidants.

Livestrong.com states that whole grains and fatty fish are among some of the best foods to eat in order to support a healthy immune system. Whole grains “contain all nutritious parts of the original, unprocessed grain, they provide more vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein than refined grains such as enriched flour. Increasing your fiber intake through whole grain consumption is a valuable dietary step toward improving your immune system.”

Fatty fish is highly beneficial to our immune system because it is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, a fat that our bodies need in order to function normally. Since our bodies do not efficiently produce omega-3 fatty acids, we must get omega-3 from our diet. For an explanation of omega-3 and its benefits, click here!

Also, do not forget to hydrate! Hydrating allows the body to function normally, so if you do not hydrate enough, you are putting your body at a disadvantage that can lead to a list of unpleasant effects.

Eating a healthy diet will not completely prevent you from sickness, however it will definitely help prevent sickness and help enhance recovery. 

Exercise

Regular exercise helps excrete many of the body’s toxins and helps relieve built up stress from life’s stressors. Stress severely harms the immune system, so get up and sweat! Try and aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day.

Sleep

Everybody needs different amounts of sleep, but the average person needs 6-8 hours a night. If your body does not get enough sleep, you are likely to experience irritability, lack of motivation and lack of focus and according to discoveryhealth, some studies show that “chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.”  Sleep is essential to the body and if we do not get enough sleep, our body cannot function properly and therefore, our immune system fails to do its job.

As a college student approaching midterms, I especially need to follow my own advice right now. I cannot afford to get sick and I need to be awake and energized in order to study and preform well on my exams!

Leave me a comment! What has worked for you?

Acai Bowl

The Acai Bowl

The acai bowl is a traditional Brazilian breakfast that is filled with antioxidants and vitamins. You probably have heard of the acai berry due to its recent publicity as a “superfood” because of its rich antioxidant content. The acai berry comes from a species of palm tree that is native to South America. The acai berry contains anthocyanin and flavonoids, and according to WebMD “...anthocyanins and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against life's stressors. They also play a role in the body's cell protection system. Free radicals are harmful byproducts produced by the body. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease process by neutralizing free radicals.” If you counteract the destruction of free radicals by having a diet abundant in antioxidants, it can reduce your chances of some diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So, if you’re looking for a quick and delicious way to pack vitamins and powerful antioxidants into your diet, this may be the snack for you!

click picture for source

Inspiration

I have been going to this amazing vegan café called Judahlicious to get my acai fix. I have to take two busses and walk quite a bit to get there, so I thought that I would try and make it myself to avoid the unpleasant trek (and to save my wallet). I am usually a disaster in the kitchen, but acai bowls are actually very easy to make, so I did not have a problem.

It turned out like this!

picture taken by me!

What you’ll need to make this acai bowl:

(recipe serves one person)

½ organic acai packet (you can buy this from Wholefoods or Costco)

1 ½ cups organic frozen berry melody

¼ cup (approximately) orange juice

1/3 cup organic frozen mangos

2 bananas

2 cups granola of your choice (I used mango passion granola from Trader Joes)

& a blender

Step-by-Step

First, break up the acai in the unopened packet. Next, add the ½ of the acai packet into the blender and blend it by itself. Now you can add in the rest of the ingredients. Only put one of the bananas into the blender (the other banana is used as a toping). (Also, feel free to substitute out the mangos or add another frozen fruit of your choice.) Blend until there are no more frozen food chunks left in the blender.

Next, pour half of the granola at the bottom of your serving bowl, then pour your acai mix on top of the granola. Now pour the other half of your granola on top of your acai mix and then slice the other banana and garnish the top of your acai bowl with your banana slices.

There are many different recipes for acai bowls that you can try. Many recipes do call for a sweetener such as sugar. It is best not to add a sweetener, especially because fruit can be high in sugar, but if you must, you can try adding a natural sweetener such as honey or agave. My recipe calls for a couple bananas and personally, I think that the bananas create a sweet enough taste. 

Let me know how your acai bowl turns out! 

Enjoy!