Flu season is nearly upon us, and as a precaution, you should be preparing ahead. With the change in temperatures and colder weather approaching, you should be conscious and prioritise one area: your immune system.
Knowing how to increase your immune system and its functions can lay a good foundation for the winter season, allowing you to thrive in the cold British climate. To learn how to build your immune system, stay tuned as we’ll cover the top tips and habits to implement below.
Why is your immune system compromised in autumn?
While you should always look after your immune health all year around, Autumn time can make you more vulnerable to certain illnesses or a weakened immune system. Here are some of the common reasons why:
- Seasonal changes: Days are getting shorter, temperatures are becoming cooler, and hormonal changes often occur, impacting your body’s ability to fight infections.
- Diet: Autumn often brings a change of diet, opting for heavier and warmer foods that prevent sufficient intake of immune-boosting nutrients.
- Stress: Returning to school or work after long summer holidays can impact your stress levels, elevating cortisol, which can hinder the efficiency of your immune system.
- Increased exposure to viruses: In autumn, respiratory infections tend to rise, increasing your risk of contracting the flu and cold. These viruses can overwhelm your immune system, especially if you have not been exposed to pathogens for some time.
5 ways to help build your immune system
If you’re looking to strengthen your immune system this autumn, there’s plenty of things you can so; some of the top ones are:
1. Exercise regularly
Doing 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise every day can positively affect your immune system. Exercise helps get your immune cells moving throughout your body and encourages them to stay circulating for up to three hours after exercise. Therefore, if there are unwanted pathogens lingering around, the presence of immune cells is stronger, preventing you from getting sick as easily.
2. Have a healthy diet
Try eating a healthy diet high in vitamins and minerals. Many different types of minerals help support the function of your immune system. Here are the top nutrients you should focus on consuming:
- Vitamin A: Helps with T cell function, speeds up the process of identifying pathogens. Foods high in vitamin A are sweet potatoes, carrots and leafy greens.
- Vitamin C: Supports the growth and function of immune cells. Found in citrus fruits and berries.
- Vitamin D: Low levels can hinder the immune response. It is found in fatty fish, gained from sunlight exposure and fortified dairy.
- Zinc: Helps the production of immune cells and speeds up the healing of wounds. Available in meat, shellfish, and legumes.
Whenever possible, try to eat foods high in antioxidants, as they can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which impacts your immune function. Moreover, probiotics like kimchi and Greek yogurt can encourage a healthy gut, which is linked to immune response.
3. Minimise stress
Stress can have a direct effect on your immune response. When stressed, your body creates a hormone called cortisol, which triggers inflammation and often suppresses your immune system’s effectiveness in fighting off viruses and bacteria. If you sense you’re stressed, try taking some time out to pause and reset. Activities like meditation, journaling, spending time with family and friends, reading, and exercise can help you cope.
4. Spend time outdoors
Do you recall at tip 2, we mentioned Vitamin D? Well, spending time outdoors can increase your vitamin D level, helping your physical and mental well-being. Whenever possible, try getting out into nature by going hiking, kayaking, biking, or walking. Studies reveal that being out in nature can help reduce your cortisol levels, muscle tensions, and strain on the cardiovascular system, helping your immune system run more efficiently.
5. Get vaccinated
Staying on top of your regular vaccines can also help protect your immune system this autumn. Vaccines help spark an immune response, allowing your body to fight off and recall the strain of bacteria in the event of a future invasion.
Immune boosting herbal teas to try
In addition to the following habits, there are some teas you can add to your routine which have herbs helping you optimise your immune function this autumn. Here are some of the popular ones we recommend:
NutraDefence
If you’re looking to improve your immune system, then try NutraDefence. It’s a caffeine-free herbal tea with a blend of herbs such as ginger, liquorice, and astragalus, which help support the normal function of your immune system. NutraDefence also has liquorice, elderberry, mullein, ginseng, ginger, and thyme, which help support your natural defences. This tea is also high in antioxidants, protecting your body from oxidative damage and maintaining throat health.
NutraThroat
Another tea to consider is NutraThroat, a soothing blend of liquorice, ginger, marshmallow root, peppermint, lemon balm, green tea, and more. These herbs positively affect the immune system and soothe the throat and vocal cords. It also helps maintain your upper respiratory tract health, essential for this season of germs being passed around. Also, the slippery elm in NutraThroat helps protect your mucous membrane as it acts as a form of mucilage that protects antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
NutraReflux
NutraReflux is a herbal tea that primarily supports stomach and digestion, a great tea to add in to cope up with slight dietary changes this season. More importantly, NutraReflux contains one major ingredient: liquorice. Liquorice has bioactive compounds called glycyrrhizin, glabridin, and isoliquiritigenin, which help regulate your immune response.
It’s also high in antiviral properties, which can help your body’s immune system fight off pathogens. Another major ingredient in this tea is peppermint. Peppermint contains menthol, which acts as a natural decongestant, helping your nasal passages to open up and ease breathing.
Note: NutraReflux recently won gold at the Wellness from Within Awards 2024.
NutraRelax
Remember earlier when we mentioned that stress can impact your immune system? One way to stay calm is having a nice cup of tea, and NutraRelax can help. NutraRelax is a caffeine-free blend containing chamomile, lemon balm, hawthorn berry, lavender, fennel, passionflower, liquorice, viburnum, and cinnamon. This tea helps support the health of your upper respiratory tract, keeping the airways clear. It also helps promote relaxation and sleep.
Mullein Leaf & Thyme
Mullien Leaf & Thyme is a caffeine-free soothing blend that can help strengthen your immune system. Mullein leaf is soothing for your throat, helping reduce inflammation in your respiratory tract, allowing you to breathe more efficiently. Thyme helps with dry cough, is high in antioxidants, has a pleasant effect on the throat and mouth, and supports the body’s natural defences.
Elderberry & Echinacea
Elderberry & Echinacea is a tea that can support your immune system. Elderberry is high in naturally occurring antioxidants, helping protect your cells and tissues from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. They’re also high in vitamin C, which can help boost your immune function. Echinacea flower also helps to boost the production of white blood cells, supports the proper function of your immune system, and maintains lower urinary tract health. These ingredients, combined when drank, provide a soothing effect on your throat, pharynx and vocal cords.
Final words on how to build your immune system
To summarise, autumn is just around the corner, and you want to be prepared for the shorter and colder days ahead. To make the most of autumn, you’ll want to nourish yourself with a well-balanced diet packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Alongside getting exercise, sunlight, spending time in nature, and staying stress-free as much as possible. Whenever you can, try adding some herbal teas into your routine to increase your immune system.
Want to know more about how to build your immune system with other teas for autumn? Check out our post on 5 immune boosting herbal teas.
