Winter has hit and everywhere I seem to look there is someone with a cough, sniffily nose, sore throat, headache or sneezing – classic symptoms of the winter cold. We still have the worst of winter ahead of us so in order to get prepared what better way to strengthen your body’s natural defences than going through some simple tips to boost your immune system.

Bright coloured fruit and vegetables:

Packed full of cold and flu fighting vitamins, particularly vitamins A, C and E. Think red capsicum, broccoli, beetroot, sweet potato, squash, spinach and oranges. These are easily incorporated into your daily eating meal. Take for example adding spinach in your morning omelette, red capsicum in your salad at lunch, snacking on mandarins or strawberries at afternoon tea and finish the day with wholesome roasted veggies.

Zinc:

Most people think about vitamin C when they think about immunity but zinc is a mineral that makes infection fighting white blood cells work the way they should. Lean meat, seafood, milk and whole grains are all sources of zinc.

Vitamins and supplements:

It might seem easier and quicker to just take a vitamin supplement – research has shown that it’s not necessarily as effective (and sometimes as safe) as food derived nutrients. If you do take vitamin supplements remember that more is not always better.

Hydration:

As the weather cools down we swap icy cold water for warm drinks like coffee or we just outright do not drink water at all because it’s too cold. If this is the case try switching to warm water with lemon or green tea (green tea has the added benefit of antioxidants). Dehydration is not good for many reasons but when it comes to immunity its detrimental to good bowel health and flushing ‘toxins’ from the body.

Physical activity:

Exercise is a pillar of good health and contributes to a healthy immune system. It’s believed exercise promotes good circulation which allows the immune systems cells to move more freely to where they are needed and also allows ‘toxins’ to be removed quicker.

Stress:

It has never been proven that stress contributes to getting a cold or flu. However it’s been suggested that stress affects the communication between the nervous system, hormones and immune system. To be effective these three systems need to ‘talk’ to each other frequently and it appears stress disrupts this communication.

Comfort foods:

As the weather cools and the days get shorter it is tempting to indulge in some warm winter comfort foods that are often high in fat, salt and sugar. Sugary foods and drinks such as 375mL of soft drink can inhibit the action of white blood cells by up to 40%. Fatty food can restrict the multiplication of white blood cells and production of antibodies which are your ‘weapons’ against colds. Lastly, these types of foods are likely to cause weight gain and we know our body works better when it’s not carrying extra kilos and our immune system is the same.