Tips Of The Day

Dietician Sheela Sherawat

5 incredible ways to boost your body's natural defenses

5 incredible ways to boost your body's natural defenses

The immune system – the body's natural defense mechanism is like a pillar behind our strong foundation, safety, and health against all harmful elements that keep attacking us all the time. This amazing creation of nature guards us all the time and in conditions when the body is weak and tired and the immune system is neglected, our life is at the utmost rick from possibilities of succumbing to dangerous and harmful disease-causing pathogens – viruses, infections and numerous microorganisms that are there waiting for such opportunities to invade us.

Dt.Sheela Seharawat, expert and acclaimed dietician, women's health specialist, and renowned health advisor claim that the human immune system is the body's main and the only line of defense against the bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that try to cultivate infections within it. When disease-causing virus or microbe makes an attack, our immune system jumps into action, releasing special molecules, proteins, and cells that hunt down the invaders and kills them. Thereby keeping us guarded and safe from any health issues, keeping us safe and healthy.

While bolstering your immunity is easier said than done, several dietary and lifestyle changes may strengthen your body's natural defenses and help you fight harmful pathogens or disease-causing organisms.
Since the Coronavirus attack and the scare it has created in the minds of people, it is never been important to keep the inner guard in the best of conditions. It is nothing new and innovative that eating well and healthy, gaining a proper night's sleep, and maintaining the highest standards of hygiene like regularly washing hands and exercising will go a long way in keeping us safe and protected.

Let’s look at some of the most incredible ways to naturally boost our body’s defenses and stay safe and healthy:

1. Eating Well
Nutrition plays an important role in immune health. What we eat matters a lot in developing a strong defense mechanism of our body. Plant foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are enriched with the goodness of natural nutrients and antioxidants that always provide the body an upper hand in is fighting dangerous pathogens.
Antioxidants found naturally are such foods combat the unstable compounds called free radicals by decreasing inflammation which otherwise is highly dangerous to the health. Inflammations have been the root cause of various critical health conditions like cancers, Alzheimer's, and heart ailments. Fibers found in plant foods fuel the good bacteria in our gut and help in building strong immunity. Also, fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients like vitamin C, which may reduce the duration of the common cold and reduce the chances of many infections.
Healthy fats, like the ones found in olive oil, salmon, and other foods, boost our body's immune response to pathogens by reducing inflammation. All these anti-inflammatory properties in foods can decrease the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Plus, the anti-inflammatory properties can naturally help our body fight off harmful disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

2. Get good sleep and rest
Sleep and rest are the two elements that have a close association with the health of our immune system. One cannot go well without the other's support. Many studies confirm that improper sleep has been the root cause of many sicknesses. Making sure to get adequate rest will help strengthen the body's natural immune response and also will aid in fighting the illnesses better in case we have been harmed.
Age is critical that determine how much we sleep. But, as a general norm, adults must aim to get a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep and teens should aim for ten hours and infants at least fourteen hours a day.
Always try and aid sleep by adopting certain means like limiting screen time for about an hour before bed or sleeping completely in a dark room withies any disturbance of noise and other factors and exercising regularly.

3. Always stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is very critical for our overall health, though it might not be directly responsible for the health of our immune response. Lack of proper hydration or staying dehydrated can propagate irritability; induce headaches and even deter your physical performance. It can cause mood instability, fluctuations, cause difficulty indigestion, and slow down the functionality of the heart and kidneys. All these complications can increase the susceptibility to all sorts of illnesses.
As a general thumb rule, we should aim to drink when thirsty and stop when no longer thirsty. You will need more fluids if you exercise intensely, work outside, or live in a hot climate. It is important to consider that elders begin to lose the urge to drink water, as their bodies do not signal thirst more prominently. They need to drink regularly even if they do not feel thirsty.

4. Always try and manage stress as much possible
In today’s world, stress is unavoidable, yet it is important to take note that stress has a bigger role to play in our overall health and the natural defense mechanism of the body. Prolonged periods of stress can be detrimental to our health as it might promote inflammation and severely damage the cells of our immune system. It can also seriously damage the immune response in children to a bigger extent.
Meditation, exercise, yoga and other mind full practices are some good activities that we all should learn to undertake to manage stress efficiently.

5. Take your supplements
However, the claim of using supplements to fight off infections and especially the recent COVID-19 pandemic is still under research, it is sure that certain supplements, like the ones mentioned below, may strengthen your body's general immune response:

- Vitamin C - Taking adequate amounts of vitamin C per day can reduce the duration of colds and flues in adults and children. Yet, supplementing did not prevent the cold, to begin with.
- Vitamin D – Deficiency of vitamin D can increase our chances of getting sick, and hence supplementing may counteract this effect.
- Zinc - Supplementing with more zinc per day can help reduce the duration of the cold by 33%.
- Garlic. A high-quality supplement of garlic can help reduce the incidence of the common cold by around 30%. However, more research is being done on the subject.

You should try and make several lifestyles and dietary changes today times to strengthen our immune system. These include reducing our sugar intake, staying hydrated, working out regularly, getting adequate sleep, and managing our stress levels. Although none of these can prevent COVID-19, they may reinforce our body's defenses against harmful pathogens and keep us safe, strong, and protected.