Key System Spotlight: The Immune System

Your immune system is your first line of defence against illness, disease and infection.

It protects your body against a wide range of common viruses and bugs, as well as controlling your response to more serious health conditions. So, keeping your immune system in tip-top condition plays a vital role in ensuring overall good health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix to improve your immune system. Supporting it naturally takes effort and work and is the result of several lifestyle factors.  Diet, exercise, getting plenty of sleep and avoiding stress can all help strengthen your immune system and enhance your health and happiness. There are some simple things you can do daily to strengthen your body’s natural defences and make yourself more resilient to common bugs and viruses.

WHY IS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IMPORTANT?

Your immune system underpins your overall health and wellbeing. It protects the body from infections caused by bacteria and viruses while also helping to remove harmful toxins from your system and breaking down malignant cells. It’s also responsible for controlling the body’s response to harmless triggers, stress, airborne pollutants and allergens.

If your immune system functions as it should, it will help you to ward off illness and recover quickly when you become ill.  However, when the immune system fails, it can lead to a range of more severe health complications, including allergic reactions, immunodeficiencies and autoimmune disorders.

Around 70% of the immune system is located within your body’s intestinal tract. So, the development of a healthy immune system relies on good gut health and the balance of healthy bacteria in your digestive system.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM NATURALLY

A combination of eating well, exercising lots, staying hydrated and making positive lifestyle choices will go some way toward helping you maintain a healthy immune system.  Good quality natural supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, can help to top up any nutritional shortfalls.

Probiotics play an essential role in improving your gut health and boosting your immunity. They enhance the development of the healthy, natural bacteria in your gut, which help your body process food and absorb the right nutrients. Probiotics also help kill off any harmful toxins that can cause serious health issues. Good natural sources of probiotics include cottage cheese, yoghurt, unpasteurised sauerkraut or kimchi, tofu and fermented drinks like kombucha or kvass.

The best way to boost your immune system naturally is to eat a healthy, balanced diet.  Eating a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, unsaturated fats, wholefoods and complex carbs can also give your immune system a natural boost and support your other key body systems too.
Cutting back on junk food, refined sugar, processed carbs and foods with lots of artificial additives will also help.

Avoiding stress is essential. Stress, anxiety, and worry can sap your energy levels and mental and emotional health, which put additional strain on your immune system.  If you’re constantly stressed, your body has to work extra hard to overcome it, which can deplete your body of essential nutrients it needs to function properly, including vitamins and minerals.  Stress promotes a hormonal response in your body, leading to chemical imbalances that affect a wide range of organs and bodily functions.

So, taking time to relax and de-stress will help take the strain off your immune system. Aromatherapy massage or a nice, relaxing bath with your favourite essential oils can help you unwind.  So, too, can exercise and spending time outdoors.

And if you’re concerned you might not be getting the right immune-boosting vitamins and minerals from your daily diet, Lily & Loaf’s natural, nutritional immune supplements can help.

Antiox-Immune, our key system product for the immune system, provides generous levels of grapeseed extract, along with Zinc and Lycopene, to help maintain a healthy immune system.
Vitamin C, meanwhile, contributes towards a reduction in tiredness and fatigue. Zinc supports the normal function of the immune system and protects your cells from oxidative stress.

Our range of immune-boosting supplements provide a perfect way to complement your diet and ensure you get the right nutrients to help your body fight off common bugs or illnesses.

They can be used as part of a healthy lifestyle plan to meet your daily dietary requirements, support your wellness goals, and improve your overall general health.

Check out these links to find out more:

• Adult Immunity
• Aromatherapy
• Essential oils
• Antiox-Immune