October 1st and already there seems to be plenty of seasonal bugs and illnesses around  so here are my top tips to ensure your immune system is armed and ready to fight them off.

#1   Eat up your veggies.
 Eating a variety of different coloured fruit and veg provides your body with a host of vitamins and minerals that are needed by every system in your body.  Think of a rainbow of colours over the day and try to include some of each.

Red 
Red fruits such as tomatoes, watermelons contain the antioxidant – lycopene which can help repair free radical damage and may help to ward off serious conditions such as heart disease.

Green
The green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale,, brocolli and sprouts are rich in vitamins A and C.  Both are essential for a healthy immune system.  Fruit wise think of those little furry green kiwi fruits.

Blue/purple
Foods in this colour group tend to be high in vitamin C, fibre and the anti oxidant anthocyanin.  Think blueberries, blackberries, black currants, red cabage and purple sprouting broccoli.

Orange and yellow
Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers and mangoes etc are high in the antioxidant beta carotene.  
Your body converts beta carotene into vitamin A which aids in keeping your eyes, skin and mucus membranes healthy. As the first line of defence against germs and invaders, these are key to keep in tip top shape for a strong immune defence.
Maybe there’s something in the phrase “eat up your carrots as they help you see in the dark” after all 🙂

#2 Eat up your garlic
Garlic contains a compound called allicin which is thought to have strong immune boosting properties.

#3 Manage your stress
Stress can make it much more difficult for your immune system to do its job properly.
When we are stressed our bodies release cortisol which can negatively affect our immune response.

#4 Sleep
Getting a good nights sleep is crucial for the body to rest and repair itself.
T cells, the white blood cells that attack invaders like bacteria and viruses are most active when we sleep so aim for those regular 8 hours a night.

#5 Supplement
Whilst I’m a great believer in getting all our nutrients from the foods we eat, I always use a good quality multi vitamin and mineral supplement as a back up.   With today’s modern farming practices, food simply doesn’t have the nutrient, particularly mineral content, that it did years ago.
Zinc is an essential mineral that is important for keeping your immune system strong and helps your body fight infections, heal wounds and repair cells.

If all else fails, at the very first sign of a sore throat or cold in our home, out comes the echinachea (plant based natural remedy) for a few days and its very rare that we develope anything further.  As with any alternative remedies, do check with a GP or pharmacist as although natural they can be strong and affect other conditions that you may have.

Keep healthy, happy and active and hopefully you can help to keep those sniffles at bay 🙂