Rev Up Our Immune System to Stay Healthy This Winter

Building up our immune system to fighting fitness always ranks as our first choice of defense against so many diseases and infections. With another wave of the pandemic here and escalating, this is the time to bolster our toolbox to help stave off infection. Not to get sidetracked, but even the leaders in cancer research have finally recognized that strengthening the immune system offers the best protection against disease.

Now, before the temperatures drop and stay down, adding these supplements to our daily routine will help us stay well and keep all types of viruses at bay.

As always, check with your health care provider to be clear of any contraindications.

Supplements That Help Immune System

Here are supplements you will want to consider to boost your immune system:

Vitamin C

At the top of the charts is an old favorite, vitamin C. Some of the latest stats show more than 43 million adults from the age of 20 to 60 are deficient in vitamin C. That number jumps up drastically for seniors.

Why? The short answer is we don’t eat enough fresh fruits and veggies, and the depletion of the nutrients in the soil over the last fifty years has lowered the nutrient content of our agricultural products.

As many respected experts tell us, we now cannot get all the vitamins we need by simply eating the right foods. Added pollution, stress, and medications have also contributed to our deficiency. We get some Vitamin C in our food, but now supplementation is a necessity.

Taking 1000 milligrams, in 2 or 3 doses throughout the day, perhaps at mealtimes, will boost your immunity system. Don’t take it all at once, as it absorbs and is eliminated each time we visit the loo, and so spread out the doses.

Try different types to see which you tolerate best. My personal favorite is 1000 milligrams of time-released vitamin C.

Zinc

Adding this mineral to our daily regime gives us an edge against illness, and it becomes an even bigger gun if we actually get sick.

If a bug finds you, zinc lozenges should be a go-to. Make sure the lozenge contains at least 50 milligrams of zinc; ideally 75 to be effective, but cap the strength of each lozenge at 10 milligrams. Taking more interferes with the absorption of copper.

Some great advice: if traveling, pop a lozenge just before you get on a plane!

Vitamin D

New research points to vitamin D as a frontline fighter against illness. The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) suggests 4,000 IU a day for people nine to 99. I take that much every day.

Multi-vitamin

To this list I add a great Multi-Vitamin with minerals. To insure you are getting a good quality one, the smart money is on buying ones from a health food store, versus say, the drug store or a big box store.

Talk to the store manager or people who work there and ask questions. The popular one isn’t always the best one.

Selenium

Selenium is a key nutrient for immune function. This powerful antioxidant boosts the body’s defenses against bacteria, viruses, and even cancer cells. The IFM says, “It may particularly help to protect against certain strains of flu virus.”

Here is the great news! Eating 2-3 large Brazil nuts a day gives us the selenium we need. Now that’s an easy and delicious prescription.

Additional Ways to Boost Your Immune System

For some additional remedies to boost your immune system to help stave off illness or shorten its duration, have a look at Great Remedies for Winter Illnesses.

If you are already working with a nutritional expert, you are in great shape. For the rest of us, these recommendations will be a good start for super-charging all your disease-fighting systems.

Until next time… Be Vibrant!

What steps do you take to help bolster your immune system? Share in the comment area below.