No matter what’s going on in the world, having a healthy immune system helps you be less susceptible to bacteria and viruses. No one likes a runny nose, fever, aches or any of the other yucky symptoms that comes with being sick.

No matter what time of the year it is, you can boost and maintain your immune system with these seven ways.

1 Drink A Minimum Of 2 Liters Of Water Per Day

We’re made up of approximately 70% water, so your body needs it to function properly.

Hydrating with water is needed to:

• Produce Lymph, which has many functions, one of which is the production of immune cells.⇒ Help the kidneys operate at top efficiency in flushing out toxins
• Produce melatonin and other natural body hormones to help you sleep properly
• Cleans the body⇒ Hydrate your organs and skin

Water helps your cells to be plumb, happy, and do the many, many jobs they need to do. You want your cells to have a happy face, not a sad one.

Eight 8 oz. glasses per day is the minimum recommended. If you’re very active or out in warm weather, you’ll need to replenish what’s lost when you sweat.

2 Eat Whole Foods

What the heck is a whole food? Well, whole foods are foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. There are a few levels of moving away from a whole food.

For example:

• An apple is a whole, unprocessed food.
• Apple sauce is processing that apple, which done at home in a blender, is still good.
• An apple fritter, on the other hand, is not a whole food.

By eating more whole foods you’re cutting out the processed empty calorie, I loosely call “foods.” These are usually found in the center aisles of the grocery store. They have little or no nutritional content, so your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

Adding whole foods to your everyday meals can be easy. Grill up some vegetables, make a citrus and berry fruit salad, use coconut oil for cooking, add sauerkraut to your plate, eat spinach salads with peppers.

Here are some immune-boosting foods for you to try.

3. Ditch The Sugar

Eating foods with lots of added sugar can cause a host of symptoms, including premature ageing, fatigue, weight gain, foggy brain, bone loss, depression, gas, bloating, and can lower your immune system.

You may be thinking, well, I don’t eat that much. Let’s take a look.

• Say for breakfast, you have a bagel with cream cheese and a blueberry yogurt, totaling 23 grams of sugar.
• Mid-morning, you have a granola bar, which is 29 grams.
• At lunch, you have a salad with Italian dressing, which has 11 grams.
• For an afternoon pick-me-up, you have a mocha coffee that has 35 grams.
• Dinner time, you have grilled chicken with barbecue sauce and a pasta salad with 16 grams
• And a cookie for dessert, which is 15 grams (really, who eats one cookie  )

That’s a grand total of 129 grams of sugar, or 32 teaspoons (roughly three-quarters of a cup). It’s a bit of an eye-opener to break it all down.

Sugar is hidden in most foods, so be sure to check on the nutritional label how much is in your favorite packaged products. Don’t forget to look at white bread, fruit juices and flavored waters.

4. Manage Stress

Stress is a major contributor to many diseases. When you’re under chronic stress, your body can’t return to its normal state.

Hormones like cortisol, insulin and adrenaline are continually being overused. When you’re under chronic stress, among other things, you don’t digest your food properly (so much for those whole foods).Not managing stress and its effects can leave you feeling tired, unmotivated and contribute to illness.

Managing your stress for everyday health is a great way to boost your immune system.

How do you do that?

• Moving your body
• Cutting out sugar
• Getting proper sleep
• Raising your vibrational energy
• Planning your week – and not adding too many things to your schedule
• Saying NO. Politely – yup, you don’t have to do everything your friends and family ask.
• Meditating - Yes! You can do it too. There are apps to help you through a guided meditation. Even 5 minutes can help.

5. Move Your Body (a.k.a Exercise)

This doesn’t have to involve going to the gym unless you enjoy that. Moderate exercise, like walking, can:

• Improve your mood
• Increase your energy
• Help you sleep better
• Increase your body’s production of natural antioxidants

6. Sleep

Lack of good quality and quantity sleep can affect your immune system. Your body does a lot at night repairing muscle, organs, and other cells, circulating natural body chemicals that strengthen your immune system.

If you’re not getting the proper amount and quality of sleep, you’re more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, and it will take you longer to get over it.

Using all of the suggestions in this post can and will help you sleep better.

But if you’re still struggling, it could be that your hormones are not doing what they should be, and it’s time to see your naturopathic doctor so they can help you get them back into balance.

7. Positive Thoughts and Feelings

How you feel and what your thinking has an effect on your health. I know what you may be thinking….Huh? Weird?

Being continually fearful, overwhelmed and anxious puts you into a lower energetic frequency and weakens your immune system.

Think of it this way. How do you feel when you’re sad or fearful?

Heavy, tired, unmotivated.

How do you feel when you’ve received some amazing news!

Light, energetic, excited!

Your feelings and thoughts have a big impact on all parts of your life.

You can raise your vibrational energy by:

• Being grateful (think or write 3-10 things you’re grateful for right now)
• Laughing
• Being kind
• Staying positive

Conclusion

There are many ways to boost your immune system naturally; the key is to do them regularly, not just when you have a cold or think you might get one.

Creating a healthy lifestyle that includes all 7 ways to boost your immune system will help you stay healthy year-round.