You have been doing everything you were told to protect yourself from the Covid-19 pandemic: cover your nose and mouth, wear glasses for protection and social distance yourself. You have been hopefully taking supplements to boost your immune system. Taking immune boosting supplements is helpful but it is only a short term solution. So what is next? How can you protect yourself and your family from getting the virus? Honestly, no matter how careful we are, most are likely to get it. Hopefully when you do get it, you ride through it with mild symptoms, get immunity and be done with it. This goes for the Corona Virus, the flu and any other infections weather bacterial or viral we might come into contact with in the future.
The only way to ride through any virus, flu or infection is to build a strong immune system not only for now but long term so that you cannot only survive but thrive! During this pandemic we found out that there is no cure or vaccines anywhere in the world as of yet and probably will not be for a while. There are people out there working hard to come up with a vaccine, but it takes a long time. Medications are used as trial and error and helps some but not everyone. The flu season will be here before you know it and who knows if the predicted strain will be captured in the vaccine this year. It’s never concise and there is always a risk of getting sick.
There has never been a greater time than now to focus on getting yourself and your family healthier than ever. Instead of living in fear, do something about it. Now is the time!
There are 5 things you can do to start building a strong immune system:
1) Embrace a ketogenic diet. This diet keeps your carbohydrates low and prevents insulin spikes to prevent metabolic distress thereby letting your immune system (White blood cells) become stronger and more effective
2) Stop eating processed foods. Processed foods have been modified from the products natural form and cause inflammation. Inflammation wreaks havoc on the body’s processes and causes all kinds of diseases like Diabetes, hypertension, auto immune diseases and much more.
3) Take care of your GUT! By eating real food, you can build a balanced microbiome. Remember that 70% or more of our immunity lies in our gut. The stronger your gut is the stronger your immune system.
4) Try Fasting. It is easier than people think. Remember, when you are sleeping you are fasting already. If you add 2-3 hours of not eating in the morning, you already fasted for 10-11 hours. Fasting lets your body repair organs, regulate blood sugar and insulin so that when a virus, infection or a pathogen enters your body, it will immediately fight the infection.
5) Reduce Stress. Stress causes cortisol levels to rise and in turn will cause inflammation. Get rid of toxic relationships, friendships and jobs. Now is the time to make a change.
If you start today, your immune system will be better, stronger and smarter tomorrow.
Larisa Belote, INHC, AADP, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and founder of Step by Step Wellness, is dedicated to keeping up with the latest research and creating individualized programs that fit best with client’s needs. She specializes in Ketogenic Diet, Fasting Techniques, Gut Imbalances and Cellular Detox. Contact Larisa to set up an appointment or to learn about the 7-Week Program starting on May 20th. Call or text 732.996.6963, email: larisa@stepbystep-wellness.com or visit stepbystep-wellness.com
This article appears in the May Issue of Natural Awakenings Magazine Monmouth/Ocean edition.