30 Apr 4 Supplements for Boosting Your Immune System
Traditionally, dietary supplements were taken to ensure the sufficiency of the diet. Multivitamins and iron tables have been part of people’s daily nutrition to assure that their diet contained enough vital nutrients. This remains an important motivation for many people, others have discovered that taking supplements also has added health benefits, for example:
- Reducing the risk of developing a chronic age-related disease such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes or osteoporosis;
- Boosting the immune system;
- Helping with lessening the symptoms of anxiety, clinical depression, or arthritis;
- Taking the needed nutrients during pregnancy;
- Helping with athletic performance.
Dietary supplements are proven to have significant benefits for some people and are a useful safety net for anyone concerned about the adequacy of their own or their family’s diet.
So, dietary advice and guidelines these days are aimed not just at ensuring the sufficiency and preventing deficiency but also at preventing other diseases that may come with today’s busy way of life and high-processed foods. That’s why most nutritionists and dieticians would agree that a good diet should have plentiful amounts of fruit and vegetables, moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, and low-fat dairy produce.
Vitamin C
It is well established that doses of around 10 mg/day are good to prevent the deficiency of Vitamin C. This vitamin is found in fruits and vegetables and these are traditionally marked as the main sources of the vitamin.
Vitamin C is included in many multi-nutrient supplements, as well as a single vitamin supplement, and is present in many medicinal products for cold remedies.
People eating dried meat and cereals for extended periods are more at risk of Vitamin C deficiency, for example, travelers and sailors undertaking long voyages and explorers to areas where there was no access to fresh foods.
Vitamin C is one of the most widely used supplements for immune-boosting and for a reason. In a book published in 1972, the Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling claimed that large supplemental doses of vitamin C could boost the immune system and help prevent infections such as the common cold. Much of this evidence relates to the apparent protective effect of fruits and vegetables which contain vitamin C.
Daily intake of vitamin C is necessary for good health because your body doesn’t produce or store it. The good news is that vitamin C is in so many foods that most people don’t need to take a vitamin C supplement unless a doctor advises it.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is produced in the skin of humans, animals, and birds by the sunlight. This is an essential nutrient, and besides its role in bone health, it has an important function on the immune response as well.
Deficiency in vitamin D can lead to an increased risk of getting infections, including flu. Anyone whose skin is not regularly exposed to summer sunlight is unlikely to obtain enough vitamin D from their diet to satisfy the needed level.
Unlike with other vitamins, there are very few natural food sources for vitamin D, therefore, supplementation with vitamin D is needed.
Vitamin D is found naturally only in foods of animal origin, some other foods are fortified with added vitamin D are some breakfast cereals, some processed kinds of milk, infant foods, and margarine.
The insufficiencies in vitamin D are the most common for babies, young children, and the elderly. Methods that could be used to address this problem are:
- Trying to increase skin exposure to sunlight by encouraging outdoor activity in children and improving access to sunlight for the elderly;
- Targeted supplements of vitamin D and calcium;
- The reinforcement foods with moderate amounts of vitamin D.
Bone Broth Powder
Bone Broth can help us lose weight, improve our health, reduce inflammation, sustain our energy for longer periods and so much more.
Packed with nutrients, bone broth powder is one of the healthiest supplements which one can absorb. It has astounding nutritional value and health benefits.
Many who have tried implementing bone broth powder in their everyday routine describe its effects as exceedingly improving the quality of their life, and as something that has had an impact on their overall well-being.
While the effects of bone broth powder and the benefits it provides will vary in degree from person to person, it cannot be denied that they are nothing short of efficacious, or should I say magical!
Whatever issue may plague you, I would strongly urge you to not put off using bone broth powder for another moment. Sipping Broth By Design’s Bone Broths is an excellent way to boost your immune system because of the healthy protein intake.
Just mix two tablespoons of Broth By Design’s Bone Broth of your choice in 200ml of boiling water, blend well, and enjoy its healthy, life-enhancing nutrients.
Minerals
It is difficult to put an exact figure on the number of minerals that are essential nutrients. Here are fifteen minerals that may be used in food supplements:
- Calcium
- Chromium
- Copper
- Fluoride
- Iodine
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Potassium
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Chloride
- Phosphorus
- Sodium
For boosting your immune system you can use the following mineral supplements:
Iron
Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in blood. A well-nourished adult male has around 4 g of iron in his body. During body iron deficiency, the fall in blood hemoglobin concentration occurs and these people suffer from anemia.
Iron deficiency is the most widely-spread micronutrient deficiency in the world with more than 650 million people suffering from anemia.
Eating more organic iron in the form of extra-lean meat and fish may be unacceptable to large numbers of people who are vegetarian or have vegetarian leanings. So, these people need to take iron supplements to keep their immune system intact.
Selenium
Selenium also has a powerful effect on the immune system. All you have to know is that you can find it in broccoli, tuna, barley, and garlic.
Now you know why all grandmothers’ recipes include so much garlic, especially when they are preparing foods to make us feel better when we are sick. It’s all to keep us healthy and to boost our immune system.
To Sum Up
A truly strong immune system depends on a well-balanced mix of vitamins and minerals, sleeping well, exercising, and staying stress-free.
With some exceptions, it’s best to get your vitamins and minerals from your food rather than in pill form. So don’t be afraid to eat that extra piece of broccoli, or include more lemons, spinach, bone broth, grapefruits, and kale into your diet.
