As winter settles in, it’s always a good idea to take a little more care when it comes to boosting your immune system! There are several key culprits that may contribute to the weakening of your immune system. These may include stress, lack of regular exercise, lack of sleep, poor diet or nutritional deficiencies to name a few. The good news is that eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is one of the most effective ways you can support your natural immune function.

Below are a few tips to help you develop a strong and robust immune system, especially through these winter months.

-Raw garlic is one of the most potent and powerful of all foods. Garlic has been used for thousands of years for treatment and illness and more recent studies have indeed supported the claims that garlic does boost the body’s immune system. Adding garlic to your meals throughout winter is easy- especially with dishes like soups and curries. Keeping garlic in its raw state is even better, and this can be enjoyed in things like salads or salad dressings or even chopped up and sprinkled on roast vegetables.

-Vitamin C is an extremely important nutrient for boosting immunity. Some of the best foods for Vitamin C include citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage and parsley. Vitamin C increases the activity of infection-fighting white blood cells. Vitamin C not only assists in preventing the common cold, it has also been shown to lessen the duration of the symptoms if you do fall ill.

-Spicy Foods such as ginger, chilli, garlic, wasabi and horseradish are all fantastic for your immune system, so try to use them liberally in your cooking. Make stir-frys with ginger, chilli and garlic, add some wasabi to sushi or vegetables, enjoy Thai hot soups and add some extra crushed garlic to your dips and dressings.

-More great immune-boosting foods that can be included in the diet also include miso, green tea and seaweed. 
Broccoli is also exceptionally high in antioxidants, carrots are full of the antioxidant beta-carotene, red capsicum contains a massive hit of vitamin C and both oranges and kiwifruit contain your entire daily requirement of vitamin C. Try to ensure that the majority of your diet is made up of unprocessed, natural foods such as fresh fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

-Avoiding inflammatory and processed foods will support your immune system greatly. Try to also avoid fried foods, high-fructose corn syrup, refined sugars, trans fats or chemical additives. These foods all cause inflammation in the body and their acidic nature requires the body to work overtime to expel their harmful effects. Foods and substances such as alcohol, coffee and excessive meat consumption also take a big toll on the body- so try to limit these foods as much as possible.

-Avoiding gluten and dairy, whether you have an allergy or intolerance or not, will also strengthen your body’s immunity and overall wellbeing. Wheat and dairy foods are major culprits in causing internal inflammation and disrupting normal gut function. They are also well known for their mucous forming properties and are the worst foods to eat if you do happen to come down with a cold or flu! Try including dairy substitutes such as almond milk or coconut yogurt and try wheat substitutions such as quinoa, buckwheat, rice or spelt.

-Believe it or not, taking time out to rest and relax does wonders for our immune system! Stress plays a vital role in our bodies’ immune function and can be a leading cause in all kinds of illnesses from the common cold to more serious and life-threatening disease. If you do fall ill, make sure you take time out rather than pushing through. The body needs time to heal, rest and recuperate. If you do not listen to your body and fight on before you properly heal, chances are you will face an ongoing battle with infection.

–Staying Active also does our body a world of good. Try to exercise regularly and get your heart and blood pumping every day! When you feel sickness coming on, a high-intensity workout isn’t a good idea, as hard training forces the body to do a lot of recovery at a time when your body needs all of its energy to try and fight off the oncoming sickness. For this reason, if you think you may be getting sick, switch to light-intensity exercises such as walking or yoga.

-Try Increasing your water intake to eight glasses per day. Dehydration will inhibit the body’s ability to flush out stored toxins and also leave you with a sluggish digestion. If you find that you are drinking much less water in winter, try switching to herbal tea.

-Seventy percent of your immune system lies in your gut flora and a healthy balance of friendly organisms is essential to protect you against pathogens and sickness. For this reason, taking a daily probiotic is always beneficial. Also try including more probiotic-rich foods into your diet such as kombucha, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and fermented coconut yogurt.

–Vitamin D can be powerful in strengthening your immune system. The sun is the absolute best source of vitamin D however you can also take natural vitamin D either cod liver oil or an oil-based D3. The best food sources of natural vitamin D are egg yolks, fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, organ meats, and some mushrooms. However, getting outside into the fresh air and sunshine is always the best option! So enjoy the beautiful sunshine whenever you can (which is pretty easy for us here on the Sunshine Coast!)