{"id":3536,"date":"2022-10-07T07:54:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T02:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.myhealthvectors.com\/?p=3536"},"modified":"2025-03-21T16:31:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T11:01:15","slug":"ways-to-boost-your-bodys-natural-defenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/ways-to-boost-your-bodys-natural-defenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to Boost Your Body\u2019s Natural Defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

If you want to boost your immune health, you may wonder how to help your body fight off illnesses.\u00a0
Several dietary and lifestyle changes may\u00a0strengthen your body\u2019s natural defenses and help\u00a0you fight harmful pathogens, or disease-causing\u00a0organisms.
Although none of these suggestions can prevent\u00a0COVID-19, they may reinforce your body\u2019s\u00a0defenses against harmful pathogens.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eat more whole plan foods <\/strong>
Whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds,\u00a0and legumes are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that\u00a0may give you an upper hand against harmful\u00a0pathogens.\u00a0
The\u00a0fiber in plant foods feeds your gut microbiome, or\u00a0the community of healthy bacteria in your gut.\u00a0
A robust gut microbiome can improve your immunity and help keep harmful pathogens from entering your body via your digestive tract.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"Mother<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Engage in moderate exercise <\/strong>
Studies indicate that even a single session of\u00a0moderate exercise can boost the effectiveness of\u00a0vaccines in people with compromised immune\u00a0systems.\u00a0
Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, steady\u00a0bicycling, jogging, swimming and light hiking.
Most people should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Get enough sleep <\/strong>
Sleep and immunity are closely tied.\u00a0
Poor or inadequate sleep is linked to a higher\u00a0susceptibility to sickness.\u00a0
Getting adequate rest may strengthen your\u00a0natural immunity.\u00a0
Also, you may sleep more when sick to allow\u00a0your immune system to better fight the illness.\u00a0
Study in healthy adults found that those who\u00a0slept fewer than 6 hours each night were more\u00a0likely to catch a cold.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"A<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Limit added sugar <\/strong>
Sugars\u00a0and refined carbs\u00a0contribute to\u00a0overweight and obesity.\u00a0
An\u00a0observational study in around 1,000\u00a0people with obesity who were administered\u00a0the influenza flu vaccine were twice as likely to\u00a0still get the flu than individuals without obesity\u00a0who received the vaccine.\u00a0
Reference<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Stay hydrated <\/strong>
Dehydration can cause headaches and hinder\u00a0your physical performance, focus, mood,\u00a0digestion, and heart and kidney function.\u00a0
As a general guideline, you should drink when\u00a0you're\u00a0thirsty and stop when\u00a0you are\u00a0no longer\u00a0thirsty.\u00a0
You may need more fluids if you exercise\u00a0intensely, work outside, or live in a hot climate.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"A<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Manage stress <\/strong>
Relieving stress and anxiety\u00a0is key to immune\u00a0health.\u00a0
Long-term stress promotes inflammation, as\u00a0well as imbalances in immune cell function.\u00a0
Activities that may help you manage your\u00a0stress include\u00a0meditation, exercise, journaling,\u00a0yoga, and other mindfulness practices.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eat more healthy fats <\/strong>
Healthy fats, like those found in olive oil and\u00a0salmon, can boost your body\u2019s immune\u00a0response to pathogens by\u00a0decreasing\u00a0inflammation.\u00a0\u00a0
Olive oil, which is highly anti-inflammatory, is\u00a0linked to a decreased risk of chronic diseases\u00a0like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.\u00a0
Plus, its anti-inflammatory properties may help\u00a0your body fight off harmful disease-causing\u00a0bacteria and viruses.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

\"Jars<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eat more fermented foods or take a probiotic supplement <\/strong>
Fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria\u00a0called probiotics, which populate your\u00a0digestive tract.\u00a0
These foods include fermented vegetables,\u00a0yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir etc.\u00a0
Research suggests that a flourishing network\u00a0of gut bacteria can help your immune cells.\u00a0
If you don\u2019t regularly eat fermented foods,\u00a0probiotic supplements are another option.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Supplement wisely <\/strong>
Studies indicate that some\u00a0supplements\u00a0may\u00a0strengthen your body\u2019s\u00a0general immune\u00a0response.\u00a0
These include Vitamin C, Vitamin D\u00a0Zinc.\u00a0
In a review in 575 people with the common\u00a0cold, supplementing with more than 75 mg of\u00a0zinc per day reduced the duration of the cold\u00a0by 33%<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> The advice provided is intended for informational purpose only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.\u00a0\u00a0Consult with your doctor if you\u2019re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.\u200b<\/p>\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you want to boost your immune health, you may wonder how to help your body fight off illnesses.\u00a0 Several dietary and lifestyle changes may\u00a0strengthen your body\u2019s natural defenses and help\u00a0you fight harmful pathogens, or disease-causing\u00a0organisms. Although none of these suggestions can prevent\u00a0COVID-19, they may reinforce your body\u2019s\u00a0defenses against harmful pathogens. Eat more whole plan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3536"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6440,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions\/6440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}