20 Ways to Build Your Immunity Naturally

           Daily our immune system works hard for us, like an army fighting off harmful organisms, bacteria and viruses, to keep us well. While we can’t control everything in our environment, we can actively make choices that will strengthen our immune system, and protect our internal defenses from attack.

20 Ways to Build Your Immunity Naturally

1. Drink Lemon Water. Start your morning with a glass of lemon water to boost immune function, and help your body better absorb the beneficial nutrients. Fresh lemons are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Simply squeeze the juice of one lemon in a glass of filtered water, and drink it down each morning.
2. Limit refined sugar intake. Refined sugar creates inflammation in the body, and drastically lowers your natural immune response, prolonging illness. Avoid all sugary foods when sick to enhance healing.
3. Get plenty of sleep. A good night’s sleep goes a long way in strengthening your immune system. People who get less than seven hours of sleep per night are about three times as likely to catch a cold as those who sleep for at least eight hours. Chronic sleep loss puts you at greater risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
4. Drink Filtered Water. Environmental toxins, such as chemicals in your drinking water weaken your immune system, making you less able to fight off illness. Test your water quality. Installing a reverse osmosis filtration system on your tap water will neutralize harmful contaminants. Look for reverse osmosis on the label when purchasing bottled water.
5. Drink Green Tea. This popular tea has antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties which work to strengthen your natural immune defenses.  One study reports that the positive effects of drinking a cup of green tea lasts for up to 20 hours. Drink two 8-ounce cups per day for optimal benefits.
   
6. Ginger is a powerful antioxidant that boosts immune function, rids the body of toxins, cleanses the colon, and fights inflammation and infection. Steep fresh grated ginger root in a cup of hot green tea to enhance the functioning of your immune system. Or add a drop of therapeutic grade ginger essential oil into your beverages once or twice daily.
7. Garlic fights infection, boosts immune response, and wards off the common cold and flu. Cook with fresh garlic often or take a garlic supplement daily for its health enhancing benefits.
8. Bone Broth is an excellent source of minerals, amino acids, and gelatin which work to bolster immune response, fight infection and inflammation, and improve gut health. You can make your own in a crockpot, or purchase bone broth products. Dr. Kellyann Petruci, author of Bone Broth Diet recommends consuming bone broth daily for its vast benefits.
   
9. Elderberry is known to enhance immune function, and has been used effectively in folk medicine for generations to relieve colds, coughs, and congestion. The flowers and tiny dark berries of this native shrub are used to make healing herbal teas, syrups, or steeped in vinegar for medicinal use. Elderberry tinctures and syrups are available where health products are sold. Avoid products with added sugar. Follow instructions on label.
   
10. Raw Honey, especially local varieties, are known to build immunities to allergies. Honey is an antioxidant superfood that offers many health benefits when consumed regularly. Take a spoonful daily for its antibacterial, healing properties, to bolster the immune system, protect against cancer, and more. To reap its health promoting benefits, purchase raw honey from a beekeeper that does not use chemicals in the colonies. Honey has a high sugar content, so try limiting its use to a spoonful a day. Note: Children under one year old should not consume honey.
11. Vitamin D3 is an antioxidant that enhances immunity, and fights bacteria, viruses, Candida, infections, and numerous diseases. Taking a vitamin D3 supplement daily ensures optimal levels of this essential vitamin-hormone, especially during the months when vitamin D can’t be acquired naturally from exposure to direct sunlight.
12. Exercise regularly to reduce stress, improve your ability to fight disease, and lower inflammation in your body. What’s “regular”? Aim for 30 minutes a day, three to five times a week. Combine cardiovascular exercise with weight training exercises. In addition to brisk walking, try rebounding, playing basketball or tennis, bicycling, aerobics, taekwondo, or swimming, do resistance training or weight lifting, muscle building exercises. Regular exercise has been shown to help us sleep better, reduce the risks of catching a cold, and helps us maintain a healthy weight, while strengthening the immune system.
    
13. Ditch processed foods. A poor diet of unhealthy, processed foods filled with additives and excitotoxins compromise your immune function and health. Eat plenty of antioxidant rich foods such as broccoli, blueberries, cherries, citrus fruits, peppers, green leafy vegetables, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Use avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil instead of highly refined vegetable oils.
14. Turmeric contains beneficial curcumin, which reduces inflammation, heals the gut, boosts brain function, and bolsters the immune system. For its health benefits take turmeric or curcumin daily. It is available as a dietary supplement in capsules, essential oils, liquid extracts, and teas. Whole turmeric root and ground turmeric root powder are staples in Indian cuisine, and the main component in curry powder. Drinking the lightly-spiced golden milk beverage made with tumeric is a delicious way to receive its immune support, and healing benefits.
    
15. Olive Leaf Extract fights against viral and bacterial infections, improving immune system function. It can be taken as a daily supplement, to boost your immunity, or when sick with a cold or flu to promote healing.
16. Probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria present in the colon which assist in the production of disease-fighting white blood cells. Probiotics improve gut health, and increase immune function. Fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi, and beverages kefir and kombucha are rich in probiotics. Or try probiotic supplements, another option to ensure regular, daily intake.
17. Oregano Oil is known as nature’s powerful antibiotic. It boosts your immunities while healing the body of bacterial infections, viruses, and inflammation. It is a safe, natural approach to treating the common cold and flu, chickenpox, pneumonia, and strep throat.  Add a drop or two of oregano essential oil into a spoon of almond or coconut oil, and apply to the bottom of the feet once or twice a day, until well.
    
18. Colloidal Silver is effective in fighting infections, sore throats, the common cold and flu. It is useful when treating pneumonia, and strep throat. You can use it as a gargle or spray to kill germs in the throat. Taken internally, colloidal silver provides support for a weakened immune system. It is available where natural health products are sold.  Follow your holistic doctor’s dosage instructions or those on the label.
19. Astragalus Root is an herbal plant that has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. It bolsters the immune system, promotes healing, and is especially useful for viruses, colds, flu, and cancer. Follow dosage recommendations on supplement label or follow your doctor’s advice.
20. Zinc is an essential mineral that promotes healthy immune function and healing. Zinc lozenges are effective in relieving common cold symptoms, and reducing its duration. Take a dose once or twice daily at first sign of a cold, for up to two weeks, or per advice of your holistic physician. Zinc’s antioxidant properties are similar to that of vitamin C. You can also consume natural food sources of zinc such as egg yolks, seafood, sardines, pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Natural herbal sources of zinc include alfalfa, chickweed, dandelion, chamomile, cayenne, parsley, and rose hips.
    

About the Author:
Deborah Tukua is a nonfiction author, and editor of Journey to Natural Living. She is author of seven books including, Naturally Sweet Blender Treats: 55 Fresh from the Blender Recipes, and Marketing Strategies for Chiropractic Success. Deborah has been a regular lifestyle feature writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.,

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