Boosting Immunity: 7 Steps to Superwoman

Ever since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic, many people have become hyperconscious about their health. It’s hard not to be when everyone’s walking around in masks and maintaining a 6 foot distance from everyone else. The whole world’s starting to look like some sci-fi movie. So what does boosting immunity look like in corona virus times? Not much different than any other time, honestly. Except you get to look like a bandit, if you’re into it, and nobody will bat an eye.

Because boosting immunity isn’t just something we should be doing because a pandemic comes knocking on our collective door, but something we’re actively doing all the time. Lifestyle choices often determine how well our bodies are able to deal with life’s stressors.

It’s interesting that it takes a worldwide health crisis to stun people into action. It’s also important to recognize that nothing short of social distancing, practicing good personal hygiene and wearing masks in public can sufficiently inhibit the possibilities of contracting the corona virus – if only by making it harder to transmit. One thing’s for sure, though: whether younger or older on the age spectrum, it’s the people with compromised immune systems who suffer the worst if they do get COVID19.

The biggest reason why this virus has been so deadly for the elderly is that they may already be suffering from pre-existing conditions and are already immuno-compromised. They are not likely to fare well with the common cold either. But a foreign virus that we’re all just trying to understand will certainly have the upper hand when it comes to a fragile immune system.

So, if we can’t beat it, what do we do? We make ourselves into a fortress. If we want to get through these stressful times, we have to minimize stress and make ourselves as strong and healthy as we can be! That’s what boosting immunity is all about! Because the old adage holds true: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. And if food is (preventative) medicine, then raw vegan foods are a defense staple!

Immune Booster 1: Eat a Diet High in Raw Vegan Foods; Keep Processed Food Out of Your Diet

A predominantly raw vegan diet allows an appropriate and natural balance of sugar, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Most importantly, by definition, raw foods are unprocessed and this means nothing bad is added and nothing good is taken away. If there’s one thing we don’t want to be inflicting on ourselves it’s processed food, because this is actually not real food at all.

A plant-based diet is proven to be the healthiest but this all goes down the tubes when the plant-based food you’re eating is ultra-processed. There are many vegan foods that fit the ‘plant-based’ profile but aren’t healthy at all. Oreos and french fries, for example. The diet of a junk food vegan can be extremely high in the sugar and fat that are hiding out in processed foods but that we want to minimize in our own bodies. Undoubtably, this kind of diet supports animal and environmental welfare more than it supports the vegan who’s eating it!

That’s why, right now, a diet high in raw vegan foods is more important than ever for boosting immunity. Because a clean body is a healthier body. The fact is, if we’re talking raw, we don’t even need to go into a long list of what’s better or worse for you. Eat a combination of all different colors of fruits and vegetables and you’ve got it all working for you! The one thing we’re really looking for is color! Pigment is indicative of anti-oxidants so choose the greenest greens, red onions over white… you get the picture. The more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the more powerful its anti-oxidant capacities are.

Immune Booster 2: Sleep

Even if you think you can get by on six hours sleep, your body doesn’t really support that notion. At this point enough studies have been done on sleep and cognitive function that we’re able to confidently advise 8 hours of sleep a night. Tests show that there are marked differences in performance between those who sleep even as much as 7 hours a night from those who sleep 8 to 9. But performance aside; the body needs sleep to repair itself. Absence of sufficient sleep severely impacts your immune system response.

Immune Booster 3: Drink Lots of Water

Keeping your body hydrated is essential to keep it working properly. Water aids in flushing out toxins. Water should be the first thing you put into your body every morning. We actually lose 200 millilitres of water ever night, mostly just through breathing! Add a tiny pinch of Himalayan salt (never table salt, which is demineralized through high heat) with a little lemon zest to activate enzyme functions in your cells and remove toxins from your system. Drink like this thirty minutes before a meal and thirty minutes after.

There is extensive evidence suggesting not getting enough water, either through fluid or fruits and vegetables, can be associated with a slew of health issues. These include heart disease, kidney disease, kidney stones, bladder and colon cancer, cavities, urinary tract infections and decreased immune function.There is definitely a connection between not drinking enough water and general unhealthy lifestyle practices.

Immune Booster 4: Get Some Sun and Some Air

Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common especially due to the fact that most of us spend an inordinate amount of time indoors. Low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to autoimmune diseases. One of the best things you can do for yourself first thing in the morning is to go outside. Or – if that’s not possible – go to a window and just hang out there for 15 -20 minutes. This helps to set our circadian rythym and ultimately allows for better sleep at the end of the day. Sunlight also boosts seratonin and that just puts us in a calmer, better, more focused mood.

Even something as dire as the corona virus, shouldn’t keep us indoors. If possible, get outside! Fresh air is the one of the best ways to make yourself feel good. There are a lot of wide open places where no ones going to get close enough for anyone to worry about masks. Whether a park or a hiking trail, get out there and breathe deep!

Immune Booster 5: Don’t Sit On Your Butt – Move It!

More people are exercising in recent years but the benefits have been outweighed by the fact that, for the rest of the time, the majority are spending more time on their butts. Sitting down for long periods has become an epidemic in itself! Maybe you have a desk job? Or maybe you just love hanging out watching Netflix? You might say you’re chillin’ but the health detriments of a largely sendentary lifestyle are nothing to be laid back about.

Even an hour of hard-core daily exercise doesn’t markedly affect the health of someone who sits for seven! Meaning all that exercise is for nothing if thats all the movement you get. It’s not making you any healthier. And if you never exercise at all, things are even worse for you. Even if it’s just a few short walks throughout the day, you’ve actually got to get up and move around. Keeping sedentary time to a minimum is going to better your health and lengthen your life.

Immune Booster 6: Meditate

Meditation is a double-whammy when it comes to boosting immunity. It’s a great de-stressor! It also encourages lung function through deep, slow breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is at the center of meditation and is otherwise known as belly breathing. While it can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, it is especially useful for stress relief.

Your breath is your life force and learning to maximize its potential through deep breathing, helps to remove toxins, bolster immune function, energize you and get you to sleep better at the end of the day. Plus, it strengthens the lungs, improving breathing capacity. This turns up the volume of your total body health. A sendentary lifestyle doesn’t exactly encourage your lungs to work at full capacity. You end up missing out on a whole lot of extra energy that increased lung capacity can give you.

Deep breathing is something that can help you out in small stressful moments, as well. It brings you back to center when things are rough. And the real bonus is: you can take it with you, wherever you go. That’s immunity boosting at it’s best.

Immune Booster 7: Laugh

Antibody producing t-cells are increased through laughter. Laughing turns out to be the ultimate stress relieving immune booster. And it’s contagious too! No one can deny that it’s fun to laugh. Maybe it doesn’t seem that there’s much to laugh about right now but, once you get started, there’s usually no holding back. Laughter even heals pain; it eliminates toxins from the body just like crying does. Laughing is usually a better experience though. Better for you, better for everyone around you. You know what they say: ‘Laugh, and the world laughs with you; cry, and you cry alone”. Actively pursue what and who makes you laugh. It could be a life saver.

Diet isn’t enough all by itself, although a clean, healthy diet does give us an upper hand. But combine these 7 steps to boosting immunity and you’ll be creating a fortress that has a good chance at surviving COVID19. Or anything else that comes at you. I throw in some oregano oil capsules too, for good measure. Because you never know…