Falling sick often? Follow 5 basic immune system strengthening steps

What helps us keep the various atmospheric bacteria, virus and disease causing germs off? It’s our immune system that helps us get protection from the attacks from the micro organisms, so we need to keep the immune system boosted up and active at all times. We at MedGuru take you on a journey on ways to keep the immune system strong and healthy:
Follow a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle means a healthy diet. Why wait for the body to crumble and then respond to the need of a good diet? It’s better to make good healthy foods a part of your daily life so that one can relish a healthy energetic lifestyle, enjoy a good cardiovascular health, and have strong and healthy bones and muscles.
The diet needs to be rich in vegetables, lean proteins, fruits. Make sure that alcohol and fats are at a minimum and your preference should be for foods that contain less sugar.
Citrus fruits are a great boost for the immune system and thus make sure that your diet includes plenty of Vitamin C rich oranges, tomatoes and tangerines. Protein-rich foods like lean meats, salmon, turkey, tofu, chicken, are less on extra fat whereas shrimp and red meats are loaded on them. Vegetarians don’t despair, we have some yummy kidney beans, quinoa and black beans for your palate.
Taper down the white sugar
White sugar may improve the taste but is really bad for health. So cut down on the sugary delicacies. Keep a check on the labels stuck on the packaged food stuffs available in the markets. You may never realize that the salad dressings, the pizza sauces and the pasta tasters have sugar in them. So just read the labels and choose your food delights carefully.
Elixir of water
Water is called the elixir of life as it keeps the fluid levels in the body, improves bowel movement, and helps in energizing the muscles. Don’t pick up that cold drink or a cuppa tea, rather, pour yourself a glassful of water. Keep alcohol and other such beverages away as they have dehydrating properties.
Regular exercise
Daily exercise promotes healthy cardiovascular function and decreases the chances of chronic diseases. The exercises can be the muscle toning ones or the strenuous aerobics type. For best health Yoga is highly recommended along with meditation practice to boost the immune system. Walking is a great stress buster and immune system booster.
The energy gets recharged on sleeping adequately and a proper rest and sleep also helps in improving the mood. Proper, uninterrupted sleep of about 7-8 hours helps in managing the weight and prevention of strokes.
There are some general must dos for your daily routine that makes your immune system stay boosted:
Get regular medical tests done
Brush regularly and don’t forget the much necessary flossing.
Hygiene counts, so bathe well daily and dress up in clean clothes. Bathe with a rough cloth to get rid of the dead cells clinging to the body. Wash hands regularly, especially before meals, to avoid infections of the stomach.
As a final call learn to de-stress yourself and make sure that you keep your lungs safe from the smoke of tobacco and cigarettes.
Edited by Neelam Goswami on 12-03-2014.