“Prevention is better than cure” is the most critical quote when it comes to health. Aren’t we all witnessing this nowadays? COVID-19 19 was a huge lesson for all who took their health for granted. But what is that which helped us get through it? Or made it possible for us to give a tough fight to this deadly disease?
It was your immunity. The stronger the immunity, the lesser is the impact. So, we thought of coming with an article that will help you keep up with good immune.
What Is Good Immunity?
First, let’s understand what immunity is.
Sticking to the def, immunity is the body’s ability to defend itself from any foreign attack. In simple terms, it is the ability of the body to respond and protect itself from the infections and allergies. It also acts as a disease-resistant and possesses a natural capability of preventing diseases.
Immunity acts within the immune system, which is the bodily system where the immune reaction is initiated against any foreign substances, tissues or cells. The system includes the thymus, lymph nodes, lymphoid tissue deposits, spleen, macrophages, lymphocytes and antibodies. There are a few other important factors in the system, like adenoids, blood vessels, bone marrow, tonsils, and lymph vessels.
How Does The Immune System Work?
The human body isn’t attacked only by external factors like pathogens, germs, fungi, parasites, viruses and bacteria, and internal factors like cancer cells, or other mutations due to the changes occurring in the human body. As seen above, Immune system consists of several components like thymus, lymph nodes etc., who work together as a team to fight against illness and diseases.
The immunity function starts with identifying the possible threats in the form of unidentified cells or those cells that may harm the body. The system gets activated as soon as it recognizes the antigens or proteins on the surfaces of the attackers. Thus, the autoimmune reaction is triggered.
The white blood cells are released by lymph nodes, which are known as lymphocytes, to fight infections and allergies.
Another fantastic feature of the immune system is that it quickly identifies the antigens it had seen before and starts the fight immediately. Sometimes it simultaneously fights both the old and new threats.
What Makes The Immune System Weak?
Every person has a different capacity of immunity.
Certain medications, amino acids deficiency, low vitamin D, lack of sleep, high-fat diet, lack of sufficient sunlight, long-term illness, lack of exercise and so many more such reasons are responsible for lowering or ultimately damaging your immune system.
How To Keep Up With Good Immune
We have seen why immunity is essential for human survival and how it impacts our health. We also saw the reasons we sometimes face a lack of immunity power. This section will discuss how we can keep up with good immune and what measures can be taken to tackle the lack of immunity.
Let’s divide the measures to boost immunity levels into three types and check them out one by one.
Lifestyle-Related Changes
Take sufficient sleep
Lack of sleep is one of the most critical causes of less immunity—our body functions in a way where all the bodily functions work in coordination with one another. Hence right food, good quality sleep, proper digestion, detoxification, and a few more functions help each other perform better.
Manage psychological stress
Our body produces specific hormone cortisol during stress. In normal conditions, this hormone works as an immune activation agent. But chronic stress stops this cortisol to no longer activates the immunity levels.
Spend some time outside
Taking sometime of the day to walk around the street or a park helps you get the necessary energy from the most wonderful and natural energy source, the sun. Sunlight is extremely good to fill out the vitamin D deficiency. It adds to your immunity.
Regular workout
Regular workout helps with keeping up with the immunity levels. It enables you to sweat more, drink more water, due to which all the harmful toxins within your body will be removed through sweat and urine.
Keep away from addictions.
Addictions like smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs, and few more are the reasons that hinder your immune capacity.
Dietary And Nutritional Changes
Eat nutritious foods
You should eat nutritious and staple foods that are healthily cooked. It isn’t wrong to enjoy junk foods or outside foods once in a while. But your daily intake of foods that fulfil your nutritional needs is vital to keep up with good immune.
Overcome critical deficiencies like proteins, vitamins, amino acids
It would help if you focused on taking foods that are adequate to overcome deficiencies like proteins, vitamins, amino acids. This means your body does not get enough of these elements, and the deficiency may cause several diseases.
Eat fruits and veggies.
Almost every fruit and vegetable are rich in essential nutrients like flavonoids, vitamin C, zinc, and carotenoids. Leafy green vegetables are the best source of nutrients that make us immune enough to fight diseases.
Take liquids
It would help if you took enough amounts of fluids in a day. It ensures sufficient hydration, improved digestion which further provides healthy gut. Thus, it helps to smooth bodily functions, making you immune.
Eat probiotic foods
The components in probiotic foods improve immune function. Some good probiotic foods are yogurt and fermented foods.
Use supplements
While reading the above points, didn’t you get curious about what if getting all that nutritional food wasn’t feasible in today’s fast life? If you couldn’t keep up with a disciplined life, one needs to manage a perfect diet?
Its isn’t easy, right? That’s why taking extra supplements is a good solution. Usually, dietary supplements have all of the above mentioned immune-boosting nutrients.
Whey proteins that are rich in branched-chain amino acids are one such amazing protein supplement.
Conclusion
We have checked almost every aspect that is essential for good immunity. Why good immunity is necessary for human beings and the importance of daily routine, lifestyle, and dietary nutrition to improve the immune system.
