Our Top Immune-Boosting Tips for Wellness & Resilience

Winter is back, everyone seems to be sniffling and coughing, and we're tempted to hibernate until it's passed. Keeping the immune system strong is the best solution, so we've prepared a short list of easy and natural ways to boost your immunity.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

We all know the feeling of wanting to curl up under the duvet until the cold snap ends, but keeping yourself fit and active over the winter helps to boost your immune system. A study undertaken by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the fitter a person is, the less prone they are to catching a nasty cold or flu when the weather worsens. 

Sleep is also a major element to pay attention to. Many studies have substantiated the claim that lack of sleep can increase your chances of getting sick. During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, which you need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you're under stress. So, make sure you get your minimum seven or eight hours of sleep a night.  

Take care of your body

Toxins are harmful chemicals which get into our bodies through food, water and the environment. We process them through our liver and kidneys and then eliminate them in the form of sweat. You can sweat out those harmful toxins in a sauna, or even better is Bikram yoga. This abdominal-intensive, body-bending, fast-paced hatha yoga is carried out in 40-degree heat: the perfect way to sweat out all the bad stuff. Also, water helps to flush out harmful toxins in your body, including those winter germs. By keeping your body well-hydrated you can make sure that it can fight any harmful viruses and stave off colds for longer. 

Nourish yourself with magic food and spices

Ginger

Ginger is rich in many properties and a great preventative treatment for lots of symptoms. It's packed with antioxidants, and will strengthen your immune system and leave you ready to fight winter. For the perfect ginger brew, peel your ginger and cut it into thin slices: use as many or as few slices to suit your taste, but five is a good rule-of-thumb. Place your ginger into a mug and pour boiled water in and let it brew for a few minutes. Add a dash of honey for a sweeter flavour and a few drops of lemon juice for a dose of vitamin C. Just be careful when you drink it, because ginger is also a proven aphrodisiac!

Star Anise

The aniseed-tasting spice Star Anise is an antiviral powerhouse because of its shikimic acid content. Include it in your tea or just enjoy with boiled water. For a potent combination, make an infusion with crushed fresh ginger and star anise and sweeten with a little raw honey.  

Garlic

It is widely accepted that garlic has anti-viral properties, and raw garlic is the most potent. If you can face it, mix crushed garlic with raw honey and have a couple of teaspoons every day. Note that we recommend raw honey which can be purchased from Amazon or any good health shop, as it's also antiviral and has high levels of antioxidants. Raw honey is not heated and pasteurised like the honey you buy from supermarkets, so it maintains its natural goodness.

Oregano

Include the herb oregano in your cooking, as it's known to be effective for respiratory issues and for colds and flu. Oregano oil has a compound called carvacrol, which is largely responsible for its anti-viral properties as well as rosmarinic acid and thymol. Both of these act as powerful antioxidants that have been closely linked to reducing oxidative stress in the body, which helps improve your immune health. You can buy it as a herbal supplement for higher doses and also diffuse the oil as a way of releasing mucus. 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced from sunlight by your body, which is why it’s affectionately known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’. With the days getting shorter and daylight hours dwindling, winter is a hard time for us to get all the Vitamin D we need. With Vitamin D, your body has the ability to generate antimicrobial peptides, the component needed for battling infections. When it’s not possible to get Vitamin D through sunshine, and you don’t want to take supplements, many foods offer a great alternative. Try fatty fish like salmon, cheese, fortified milk and fortified foods like cereal.

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