In addition to the preventative measures, like practicing good hygiene and social distancing, outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strengthening your immune system is an important strategy for protecting yourself from Coronavirus COVID-19.
The term immunity is from the Latin immunitas, meaning freedom from, so we’re talking about protection against foreign agents in our bodies including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
There are no guarantees that amping up your immunity will stave off COVID-19, these five strategies will cost you hardly anything, and studies show they can help to boost your immune system, which may protect you against a range of malicious pathogens.
1. Eat Dark Leafy Greens and Citrus Fruits
While nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to benefit cardiovascular health, one study shows that it may also help to inhibit replication of SARS and coronavirus. The powerhouse foods rich in NO include dark leafy greens (arugula, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.), and beets. We can also include citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, kiwi, grapefruit, berries) as well as watermelon, because these fruits enhance the production of nitric oxide.
Tip: Consider adding 1 full serving of dark leafy greens and ½ to 1 serving of a citrus fruit to each meal of the day.
2. Focus on Gut Health
Our gut contains an ecosystem of bacteria living in symbiosis and influences the function of our immune system. This ecosystem of bacteria is referred to as the microbiome. Diet, along with physical activity and stress, play a major role in our gut microbiome. Foods, such as fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, kimchi provide beneficial probiotics, while foods rich in fiber (e.g., beans, lentils, oats, barley) provide beneficial prebiotics, which are food for the probiotics.
Tip: Consider adding a ½ cup of fermented vegetables and one cup of beans to your meal plan daily.
3. Engage in Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise protects against infections. Studies show that regular moderate-intensity exercise results in an 18–67% reduction in upper respiratory tract infections. The recommendation is 30 to 60 minutes per day, five days per week. Following this regimen is thought to provide a boost in neutrophils and natural “killer” cells, as well as antibodies. Other benefits of exercise include reduced stress and improved sleep, especially when exercise is done earlier in the day.
Tip: Bundle up for a 30- to 60-minute brisk walk each morning.
4. Get 7–9 Hours of Sleep Each Night
Studies show that getting enough sleep helps to boost your immune system by releasing protective cytokines, proteins that stimulate the immune system. There are several contributing factors to a good night’s sleep:
- Going to bed about 9 hours before you need to wake up.
- Avoiding fluids about 3 hours before going to bed so you’re not disrupted by having to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
- Avoiding alcohol. A glass or two of wine will initially act as a sedative, perhaps helping you to fall asleep. But during the night as alcohol is oxidized to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid, your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is suppressed in the first half of the night, followed by increased wakefulness in the second half of the night.
- Avoiding caffeine, especially after 10 a.m. Caffeine blocks or inactivates the (adenosine) sleep receptors in our brain. Due to the long half-life of caffeine, part of that cup of coffee you had after lunch may still be circulating in your blood well into the evening.
- Turning off electronics two hours before bed, because the blue light emitted will suppress the secretion of melatonin—the hormone that helps to regulate the time when sleep occurs—twice as much as regular light.
Tip: Create a sleep routine that will help you get those protective 7–9 hours of sleep each night.
5. Reduce and Manage Stress
Sometimes the stress in our lives comes from unavoidable events, but sometimes it’s something we unconsciously create. Consider adopting a regular meditation practice to help bring clarity to life circumstances and stressors. Carefully examine what is stressing you out. Write it down. Then determine what you can control versus what you cannot. Many times, stress is brought on by things we avoid addressing, stories we create in our minds to fill in the blanks, or self-sabotaging behaviors. Other times, stress is created by something imposed on us—so we may not be able to eliminate it—but we can choose how we respond to it.
Tip: Adopt a meditation practice. Use a journal to make a list of each stressor, ask yourself why its stressing you out, and then decide what you can do to change or manage it.
Joel Fuhrman, MD on Building a Healthy Immune System
About the Author
Gigi Carter, nutritionist, personal trainer and author, resides in Washington state. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from John Carroll University and a master’s in business administration from Cleveland State University. Over the last two decades, Carter’s career has been mostly with Fortune 500 companies in financial services and manufacturing. Carter made a career change in 2016 to pursue her master’s in nutrition sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated with honors, and launched the socially conscious nutrition and wellness practice, My True Self, PLLC. Carter is a licensed nutritionist in the State of Washington, and certified personal trainer and senior fitness specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is the author of The Plant-Based Workplace and co-author of The Spinach in My Teeth.