by Gabby Lois,
UW Stout Dietic Major
With the new invisible enemy among us, that we all know as the coronavirus, it is important to keep strengthening your immune system. This new pandemic is changing our day to day habits and activities and it is difficult to keep your strength up and stay active. Your immune system plays a very important role in protecting your body by fighting disease-causing germs such as bacteria, viruses, fungi as well as to remove them from your body.
There are many factors that can help boost your immune system but the ones I am going to touch on are exercise, nutrition, and getting enough sleep. There are different promotions out there encouraging the consumption of specific vitamins or foods such vitamin C and potassium, but the best way is by practicing an overall healthy lifestyle.
Exercise:
You can boost your immune system through exercise and physical activity. There are many ways to be physically active throughout your day and some may include walking, yoga, strength training or gardening. It is recommended that we get about 150 minutes each week which split up could be 30 minutes each day for five days.
Depending on your daily activities you could be getting lightly to moderate exercise without even knowing it. Some ways to sneak exercise into your day may include walking the dog, making your commute your exercise, playing with your kids and even cleaning the house.
Nutrition:
You can also enhance your immune system through nutrition. The following 4 vitamins/minerals are known to boost your immune system in different ways. There is a recommend amount that we should be consuming everyday but one thing to note is the they each have an upper limit which means taking too much of these can do more harm than good to our bodies.
a. Vitamin C has antibodies which are used to fight bacteria and infections. Can be found in foods such as Oranges, grapefruit, and tomato Juice. The recommended amount that we should be consuming each day is 90mg for males and 75mg for females.
b. Vitamin D is also used to fight infections and maintain strong bone health. Can be found in foods such as fortified milk, salmon, and breads. The recommended amount of vitamin D that we should be consuming is from 15-20mcg
c. Vitamin A helps protect against infections and to regulate the immune system. Can be found in sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach. The recommended amount that we should be consuming around 900mcg.
d. Zinc helps with heal wounds. Can be found in foods such as meats, legumes, and nuts/seeds. The recommended amount that we should be consuming each day is around 11mg for males and 8mg for females.
Sleep:
Try practicing healthy lifestyle habits to elevate your immune system. Some examples of this might be regular exercise, plan out your meals, plenty of water, self-care, and adequate amounts of sleep. Getting enough sleep is one of the more important behaviors that is going to positivity impact your immune function.
The CDC recommends seven or more hours of sleep for adults. Some helpful tips include going to sleep and getting up at the same time, so this means try not to sleep in on weekends. Something to avoid is screen time such as your phone or tv for about an hour before going to bed.
The new coronavirus isn’t the only viruses that targets the immune system, with the flu season among us it is also important to keep our immune systems strong so that we will be able to fight off viruses easier. This is a great time to step back and think about what are some ways that you personally do that are going to strengthen your immune system.
