How to raise our immune system in Coronavirus Times

Coronavirus is life-threatening for certain risk groups, which are defined based on age and previous disease. According to statistics, it is potentially dangerous ​for​ people over 80 years​, or with some disease or low defenses.

Increasing our body's defenses is at the top of our list of priorities to combat this virus that is revolutionizing the world. To protect ourselves, apart from staying at home, we must strengthen our immune system to ensure that we face with sufficient force.


How to know if your defenses are low​?

Analytics and other tests show the presence of elements harmful to our body and also the lack of certain substances that it produces naturally, but they are not able to show if a person is weak, tired or if the body is especially vulnerable to diseases.


Food to help raise your defenses


It is common for us to use vitamin supplements or other medications to increase our defenses. But we must bear in mind that we can hone our defenses naturally, with a well-varied diet, and choosing foods with micronutrients that help us raise white blood cells, strengthening our immune system.

• Vitamin C: citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit), cabbages (broccoli, kale, cauliflower), green leaves, kiwis, wild berries.
  
• Carotenes: we will find them in vegetables of red, orange, yellow and intense green colors, especially as kale, spinach, peppers, carrots and pumpkins.
  
• Flavonoids: that we find in foods such as peppers, chocolate, Brussels sprouts, spinach and garlic.
  
• Zinc: dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or tahini.
  
• Selenium: pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, brown rice or oatmeal. Essential Fatty Acids
  
• (Omega-3): chia, hemp seeds, walnuts, flax seeds or algae.
  
• Probiotics: if your intestinal flora is balanced, your immune system will be strengthened. Foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea or water kefir.
  
• Avoid refined sugars, as these weaken the body.
  
• Reduce your exposure to toxins by consuming organic products and eliminating processed ones. If your body must expend energy processing these toxins, it will have less left to battle the germs.
  

But we should not forget other equally important pillars to reinforce our defenses such as physical exercise and emotional well-being, since they are an essential part for our immune system to function properly.

Other ways to increase your defenses

Eliminate stress
Studies do not fail to corroborate the direct relationship between high levels of stress and suppression of the immune system. In addition, chronic stress increases blood pressure, blood sugar levels and alters the hormonal system, making the secretion of cortisol, adrenaline and endorphins constant, which could lead to being overweight.

Sleep
Science shows that when we are sleep deprived, inflammatory cytokines increase while T cells decrease, two responses that weaken the immune system. Also when we are tired we have a tendency to consume not so healthy foods like caffeine or sugary drinks and ingredients. Sugar feeds the overgrowth of candidiasis, unbalancing the intestinal flora and weakening our defenses.

Move
Practicing sports regularly increases defenses. The cause is still not entirely clear, but this fact is associated with the fact that the rise in temperature when practicing sport fights some germs, or that physical activity reduces stress levels, sweat helps to eliminate bacteria and toxins from the body and stimulates a better blood circulation. So now you know, do exercises at home like yoga, pilates, etc. Now, a word of warning: Overloading the body with too much exercise can weaken the immune system, so don't overdo it!

Hydrate yourself
Water helps flush toxins from the body and keeps mucous membranes moist and prevents germs that induce colds and flu from sticking to the walls of the nose and lungs. Green juices will be one of your best allies. If we take care of our body with a good diet and healthy habits, we will create a “terrain” that is not conducive for germs to nest and we will be giving our body the necessary tools to have defenses at the point of battle.