Shake off that cough for good and get your energy levels back up. Whether it's a cold that refuses to budge, grotty skin or just a feeling of being tired all the time, chances are your body needs some help to recover. Here are seven inexpensive and easy ways to boost your immune system.
Orange:
All fresh fruit and veg provide immune-boosting chemicals. But the colour orange is a clue to some of nature's most immune-boosting foods. Oranges themselves are not only high in immune-boosting and body healing vitamin C, they rank as the fruit people like the most - or hate the least. If you're a fruit fan then up your intake of raw fruit, paying particular attention to berries and citrus fruits. But if you rarely eat anything straight from the tree, consider treating yourself to a sweet, juicy Satsuma. They're easy to peel, as sweet as sugar (almost!) and filled with vitamin C. Orange juice from a carton is a poor substitute, but it still contains vitamin C. Go for the real thing if you can.
Carrots and sweet potatoes are a great food for your body as they are packed with beta-carotene, which your body uses to boost different kinds of infection-fighting cells. Go for any orange fruit or vegetable and try not to over cook your carrots - they work better raw.
Sleep:
If you're getting by on less than six hours a night then your immune system could be taking a battering. Sleeplessness through stress or caffeine overload is very common. If you find an earlier bedtime difficult cut out caffeine, cigarettes and other stimulants in the late afternoon. Even an hour extra a day can seriously improve your health and your mood.
Echinacea:
Now available in supermarkets as well as health food shops, this fantastic herb helps boost the immune system and shake off illness. Some reports claim it can cut the risk of catching a cold by 50%, while others claim it can knock a day or two off your cold symptoms, help you get back to normal quicker. Start taking it as soon as you feel poorly and stop when you feel well. Take it with vitamin C for best results and don't take for more than 2 weeks at a time - it's less effective when taken over a long period.
Let it be:
You know when your computer freezes up and you have to re-start it? Like a computer, your body is doing hundreds of little things every second that you don't know about. If you're poorly and run down your body is trying to repair itself. Give your body a chance to recover properly by not bombarding it with other stuff to do. Junk food that unbalances the blood sugar, cigarettes that pump the lungs with poisonous chemicals, alcohol that must be processed through the liver. All this has to be dealt with immediately, so sorting out that lingering cold comes further down the list. Cut out ciggies, booze, fried food, white bread and anything sugary for a couple of days and notice how good you feel on the third day.
Walk:
When you're tired and run down, perhaps the last thing you want to do is run around the park in your shorts. We should all exercise regularly for health's sake, but it's a great mood booster too. If you're sitting at a desk or shut away at home all day your immune system will be suffering. A gentle walk around at lunch time every day can chill you out and get your body moving without setting foot in a squash court.
Omega oils:
Did you know that there are cells in your body that actually eat up bacteria? Imagine if you had lots of these cells pumping around your body - chances are you'd shake off illnesses a lot quicker. Omega oils increase the activity of these cells and strengthen all your cell membranes - meaning you can kick infections into touch and bounce back to good health. Try to eat some oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna three times a week, and consider supplementing your diet with cod liver or fish oil capsules.
Tomato:
From salads to pizza toppings, tomatoes are a fantastic food for a healthy immune system. Packed with immune-boosting vitamins C and E, they also contain loads of disease-fighting photochemical. Strongly linked with cancer protection and recovery, tomatoes are an ideal food for anyone feeling under the weather.
Most fruits and vegetables are better for you raw, but some of the chemicals in tomatoes work better for your body when cooked. So break out the ketchup and have a double helping of tomato sauce on your pasta! One of the best foods you can eat when you're ill is fresh tomato soup. There are lots of recipes on the internet and everyone has their own favourite.
A mixture of cooked and raw tomatoes in your diet is best, but watch out for the hidden fat and sugar content of tomato-based dishes and sauces.
Everyone's body chemistry is different, but start making a few changes today and you'll notice the benefits within a week or so. You might even shake off that cold for good!