Protecting and boosting your immune system

How a good immune system can keep you healthy  

The combination of coronavirus and an already severe flu season has stirred up health-related anxieties for many. Health experts are advising against alarmism and panic, but it is certainly worth seizing on this moment of heightened awareness to think about ways to protect and boost your immune system. The good news is that this can become a sustained practice, keeping your health in peak condition even when there aren’t any viruses in the headlines.

Chances are you’ll be hard-pressed to find hand sanitizer on the shelves at your local market for the time being, but there are plenty of other ways to protect yourself. (Just be sure you’re still washing your hands thoroughly and regularly!) 

There are a few basic rules of thumb for staying healthy: eat a well-rounded diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, use alcohol only in moderation, and—perhaps the most difficult with our busy culture—get enough sleep. 

Your immune system needs to stay strong to keep you strong. Getting vitamins in your system is one of the most effective ways to reinforce your body’s ability to protect against germs, viruses, and infections. Three of the most potent vitamins for this purpose are B, C, and D. Your body can get these nutrients with a well-rounded diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and fish. Citrusy fruits are particularly beneficial for their vitamin C content, and vitamin B can be found in dark, leafy vegetables and whole grains. Fatty fish are a great source for vitamin D.

Fermented foods are known for their probiotic content and ability to regulate and balance gut health. Probiotics also have a demonstrable positive effect on health and immunity. Probiotic supplements are always an option, but probiotic-enriched foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kombucha have widely-praised benefits. Scientists are continually discovering the extent to which there is a strong relationship between our immune system and the bacteria in our gut. Gut imbalances can negatively affect our immune system’s ability to keep our body protected and healthy. Dan Peterson, assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says “A huge proportion of your immune system is actually in your GI tract.”  

With its myriad health benefits—including the probiotics and vitamins mentioned above—kombucha is also a great option for fortifying your body’s defenses against sickness. A bottle of ‘booch is a great source of essential B vitamins, and they are water-soluble so the beverage helps your body with absorption. B vitamins are important for everybody, but especially so for people following a plant-based diet. Deficiencies in B vitamins can lead to a whole host of health issues, even beyond a weakened immune system.  Most of us have heard all about the importance of getting sufficient vitamin C since childhood, and there’s a reason for this. It is one of the nutrients with the widest array of benefits, ranging from cardiovascular health to clear skin and—the most important for our present purposes—protection against deficiencies of the immune system. Did you know vitamin C is also naturally produced during the fermentation process of kombucha? 

Seek North kombucha is created with an emphasis on health. That is why it is low in sugar (unlike some ultra-sweetened varieties), relying on the real flavors of natural ingredients for its delicious taste. Our beverages are all certified organic and raw, meaning that you get all of the probiotic goodness that helps to cultivate a healthy gut.

So in addition to taking the precautions that health officials are advising, go a step further as well by making your gut and immune system a daily priority.

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This article was originally published for Seek North Kombucha on Seek North.

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