Unless you avoid all of humanity until the new coronavirus outbreak wanes, you can’t be sure you won’t be exposed to it. The next best option is to go about boosting your body’s immune system to better fight the illness, just in case.
Rebecca Scritchfield, a registered dietitian, nutritionist and author of “Body Kindness,” says you can start by making sure your diet includes foods that can increase immune system function.
“Your citrus fruits — oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes — those are going to be great for vitamin C,” Scritchfield said. “As well as some vegetables you may not think of — red pepper, and broccoli is another one that delivers vitamin C.”
She also recommends vitamin E, which we can get in a variety of seeds such as peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts.
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Vitamin D can also help the body fight off illness.
“There are very few foods that deliver vitamin D. It’s one of the reason why our milks are fortified with vitamin D. You can even find a lot of non-dairy milk alternatives, like soy milk, that are also fortified with vitamin D,” she said.
Her recommendation is to add a serving of yogurt to your diet.
“When you have a yogurt, not only are you getting that vitamin D from that dairy yogurt, but you’re also getting probiotics,” Scritchfield said. “They then implant in your gut and your gut is where almost your immune system function is regulated. So, you’re getting kind of a win-win if you enjoy a yogurt with some almonds and sunflower seeds in it, and maybe some fruit as well.”
She also recommends spending about 15 minutes a day in the sun. That will help your body create it’s own vitamin D. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air while you relax in that sunshine can help regulate your emotions and reduce stress.
“When you have difficulty regulating your stress and anxiety, we get into this emotional overload and that can get in the way of our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep,” Scritchfield said.
Lack of sleep and increased stress can decrease immune system efficiency.
Exercise is another way to boost your immune system function. Around 20-30 minutes a day of the kind of exercise you are used to doing will help support the body. It’s important to note, this is not the time to ramp up an exercise plan. That can tax the body. Choose an activity that is what your body is already accustomed to.
“This could be gentle walking in comfortable shoes. Or, if you’re a swimmer, this could be hitting the pool,” Scritchfield said. “This is going to help you manage your anxiety as well as just helps you to use your muscles and keep your body functioning from a baseline level of the way that we typically expect humans to function.”
That daytime exercise will also help you sleep better at night and those two things together will help you support a healthy immune system.
One thing Scritchfield warned against is falling for a lot of hype about things you can buy to make yourself healthier. She has seen ads and advice to purchase expensive supplements and diet plans, but says many of these are just companies trying to prey on our fears.
Her advice: “If it’s extreme advice, it’s likely about sales and not about your health and well being — stay focused on general nutrition.”
