How to Look After Your Immune System Better

Writer and expert4 years ago

Your immune system is your body’s protection against bacteria and viruses, which means it’s more important than ever to be doing everything you can to look after yours right now.

Although your skin acts as a physical barrier between germs and bacteria, 70-80% of your body’s immune cells are actually found in your gut. This means you need to be looking after the balance of bacteria in your gut, as well as the rest of your body.

From lifestyle changes to supplements, there are lots of little steps you can take to start looking after your immune system better.

woman looking after her body by exercising outdoors

Immune System Self-Care

Making little changes to your lifestyle can help you to look after your immune system. Here are our recommendations:

Avoid stress: letting yourself get overwhelmed by stress can take its toll on your system
Stop smoking: there's lots of support out there if you’re struggling to give up
Watch your alcohol consumption: make sure you’re not consuming more than the recommended 14 units per week
Exercise more: regular exercise can help to keep your whole body strong, including your immune system
Eat the right foods: more on this below!

Immune System-Boosting Foods

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential if you want to look after your immune system. Try to incorporate as many foods containing vitamins known for their immunity boosting properties as possible. Examples of immune-boosting foods include:

Vitamin A: found in carrots, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals
Vitamin C: citrus fruits, strawberries and broccoli are all good sources
Vitamin E: nuts, seeds and leafy greens such as spinach all contain antioxidant vitamin E

orange slices, a good source of vitamin C

Supplements for Immune System Support

Try supplements from some or all of these categories to help give your immune system a boost:

Multivitamin Supplements

Multivitamins are a great way to make sure you’re giving your body the vitamins it needs in one easy dose. At Every Health, we have different multivitamins designed especially for women, men and kids, as well as multivitamins for fitness fanatics.

The Klean Multivitamin formula from Klean Athlete is great if you work out a lot, as they’re made from a unique blend of fruit and vegetables to make sure you’re getting the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and trace elements you need to keep your body healthy and strong.

Garden of Life also has a brilliant range of multivitamin supplements made from raw whole food ingredients, with every single ingredient able to be traced right back to the seed or soil it came from.

Garden of Life’s Vitamin Code Women multivitamin formula contains vitamins A, C, D, E and K, as well as live bacteria and enzymes, and Vitamin Code Men capsules are specially formulated for men’s health needs.

Antioxidant Supplements

Antioxidants play a key role in fighting the effects of free radicals, which can lead to cell-damaging oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in your body, but you can help to address this balance with foods containing the likes of vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as antioxidant supplements.

Garden of Life’s Organics Herbal Turmeric Extra Strength Tablets contain 100mg of antioxidant curcumin, alongside turmeric and ginger in every capsule. These supplements are designed to aid inflammatory responses in the body, and to support digestion.

The brand also has supplements containing Raw CoQ10 - a powerful antioxidant that is present in your body, but that declines as you age. These capsules offer antioxidant support while also containing alpha-linoleic acid to help maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels.

Probiotic Supplements

With the majority of your immune cells living in your gut, it’s important to make sure you’re feeding your gut with a balanced mix of diverse bacteria, which is exactly what probiotic supplements are designed to help with.

The Garden of Life Microbiome Once Daily Women’s Capsules have been specifically tailored to help balance women’s gut bacteria to support women’s health needs, including immune and digestive health.

Meanwhile, Microbiome Once Daily Men’s Capsules are designed to support men’s colon health, including reducing occasional gas, alongside providing immune system support.