How to Boost Your Immune System Naturally With Food

When it comes to warding off colds and flus, food is a powerful medicine—no prescription necessary! Here are some immune-boosting foods to keep viruses away and survive this winter season! 

Tis the season for the scarves, gloves, jackets, honey tea and immunity juice shots. Our immunity is up against the brittle Canadian winter and the common cold is a far too common enemy to our immunity, so we’ve got to focus all of our energy to combat this foe that’s running more rampant during this time of the year! The reason our immunity has to work harder in colder weather is because during colder temperatures, our blood vessels constrict and thus areas of our body, more specifically the throat or respiratory tract, gets fewer of the crucial white blood cells that are needed to fight off common infections like the cold! And while flu shots can definitely help around these times, another big part in boosting your immunity is the foods and beverages you consume, everything can play a crucial part in not only boosting your immunity but also providing your body with nourishment, nutrients and other essential minerals that just keep you feeling, well, great! A healthy body equals a happy mind as they say after all, and here  at NaturaMarket, we’re all about healthy eating! 

From honeys to vitamins and soups, we’ve compiled a list of tips on how to keep your immunity stronger throughout the winter months! 

Take vitamins and probiotics! 

When the sun’s out, our body enriches itself with that handy dandy vitamin D! But of course, this may pose a problem when it comes to the winter months, when the days are shorter and the skies are sometimes more gloomy than sunny, so there’s a lesser amount of natural vitamin D that your body takes in during this colder period! Vitamin D is crucial for our bodies to help in building bones and boosting immunity, but not only that, studies of this necessary vitamin also shows that it can reduce cancer cell growth, inflammation and can help in controlling infections, among many other benefits! There are other essential vitamins that can be taken to boost immunity like zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin A; all of which are known to boost immunity by helping fight off infections. 

There are also certain probiotic strains that can benefit in boosting your immune system, and most can be found in yogurts and fermented foods, but if these aren’t your jam, you can get your fill of probiotics through supplements, vitamin gummies, and also probiotic beverages!    

Get that boost in vitamin C with fruits and veggies!

Okay, okay so maybe you want that boost in vitamin C but you don’t want to rely on capsules or gummies, we totally get it, so this is where a diet rich with citrus comes into play! Studies have shown that vitamin C can aid in the support and repair of tissue all over the body and helps maintain healthy bones, skin and cartilage! Not only that, but because of its antioxidant properties, it also helps in combating free radical cells in your body, which may help to delay or even prevent certain strains of cancer cells and heart disease. While vitamin C doesn’t prevent you from catching a cold (not vitamin really does), it does boost your immunity so that if you ever fall under the weather, an abundance of vitamin C can reduce the time of sickness! Many different fruits are packed with vitamin C like a variety of citrus (orange and orange juice is the most common iteration of an easy vitamin C intake), but other fruits like grapes, strawberries and vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers and cauliflower are all great sources of vitamin C, and all of which assist in boosting your immunity! 

Get jiggy with health shots and detoxing with teas!

Let’s chug some shots for immunity! Of course, not the kind to imbibe with, but with juice and health shots! An easy and efficient way to get a boost of immunity are with juice shots that are curated for the sole purpose of aiding your immune system, and thus also helping in preventing or limiting the time your body fights for infections and needs for tissue repair. Health shots are good to take preemptive to feeling the symptoms of a cold, or if you’re already fighting one off! If health shots aren’t your jam though, there’s tons of soothing juices, and teas that can assist both with reducing inflammation to digestive health and aid in boosting immunity as well! Teas are a great source of hydration and are a fantastic antioxidant, and many types of teas have both antiviral and antibacterial properties that help in combating infections, most notably ginger teas! You can also boost your tea game by adding in honey, which also has soothing properties, especially if you got a tickle in your throat due to the dry winter air! So stock up on your teas and juice shots during the winter months, they’ll go a long way in helping boost your immunity!      

Swoon your heart out with hearty soups! 

We hear that soup is for the soul and that in part is true, but it’s so much more than just for the soul, it’s also great for your body and how it helps in fighting off infection, especially during the colder months! Why do you think the number 1 food whenever you’ve got a cold is a hot bowl of soup? Soups, more notably chicken broth soups, provide your body with amino acids that help your body in building antigens that fight infection! Adding a variety of vegetables that contain other necessary nutrients also boost up the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, all in one simple bowl of soup! Not only is soup soothing for the soul (and throat when you’re having a hard time swallowing solids, which does happen quite frequently when you’re feeling under the weather), but you can make soup so easily with a variety of different broths that are infused with bones, gelatin, vegetables, and many more powerful ingredients that boost your body’s immunity! 

Drink plenty of water!

This is an obvious one, but just drinking a regular 8 oz of water every day can benefit you and your body in a variety of ways. Not only is it hydrating for you, but drinking water naturally aids in digestion and detoxing your body! Water is essential for survival, and is an essential part of the lymphatic fluid in your body, which contains specialized white blood cells! These white blood cells are what help your body in fighting off infection and other impurities like viruses and bacteria, so it’s crucial to get as much water in your system as you can! But of course, sometimes drinking this amount of water may not come so easily, we get it (and we’re sometimes guilty of it too, especially when life’s already so busy), but what really helps us out in getting in that necessary water intake is to get flavored water drops, or infused water that both satiates your thirst but also provides tons of other minerals! There’s so many ways to get your daily water intake and with a regular 8 oz of water every day, your immune system will thrive throughout the winter season!   

Get some sleep!

You know how they say you need rest days when you’re on a fitness journey and they stress how important it is to give your muscles a break? Sleep works the same way too when it comes to building immunity! While we’re asleep, our bodies produce T-cells, which are a type of white blood cell that helps in fighting off infections! Not only does our body naturally produce T-cells, but during sleep, we also produce a protein called cytokines, which also targets any areas of inflammation and stress, thus building and creating an immune response to it! This is why, like rest days when you’re working out, getting a good amount of sleep is imperative for our overall health and immune system! Why do you think whenever we’re under the weather, the first thing we do (aside from eating a delicious bowl of soup or drinking tea) is get some rest? Sleeping properly plays a crucial role not only for our physical bodies, but also our mental state too! If you find that you’re having some trouble catching those Z’s though, things like melatonin, tea with honey, or just drinking water all can aid in getting a good night’s sleep! 

We hope that these tips help in keeping your immunity boosted and you feeling great this winter season, and all throughout the remainder of the year too!