Don’t Let Stress Hurt Your Immunity!
Winter is right around the corner and we can feel it. The drastic weather change is throwing our bodies in for a loop. During this time of year our bodies become more vulnerable to sicknesses which is why it’s so important to keep your immunity at its best. If you’re like many of us, you do your very best to not compromise your immune system by taking precautions such as bundling up and not being out in the cold for too long, if possible.
Unfortunately, there’s one thing that can really take a toll on your immune system all year-round - stress. Stress is something that everyone has but too much stress can be bad for your immune system. Of course, there are many things you can incorporate in your life to avoid getting too stressed but there are also many foods you can incorporate into your diet to strengthen your immune system. Some of these foods include:
Yogurt. This delicious snack contains probiotics, or the “live active cultures” that are healthy bacteria and keep the gut and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. For the full effect we suggest you have yogurts that are no more than 200 calories, contain 4 grams of fat or less, less than 30 grams of sugar, and at least 6 grams of protein. For those who can’t have dairy products or choose not to there are many probiotic supplements you can take instead of having yogurt.
Mushrooms. Whether you’re putting them in your salad or as a topping on your pizza, adding some mushrooms into your diet is very beneficial to your immune system. Mushrooms increase the production and activity of white blood cells – which is especially important when your body is faced with an infection. Of course, we understand eating too many mushrooms isn’t ideal, luckily there’s QOL’s mushroom supplement, Kinoko AHCC®. AHCC® is an effective, well-absorbed and proprietary mushroom extract backed by over 30 human clinical studies. Research studies have shown that AHCC® helps modulate the immune system.*
Oats and Barley. Although they aren’t the most exciting foods, oats and barley both have extraordinary healing powers. In fact, studies show that these foods boost immunity, speed wound healing and may help antibiotics work better.
Stress is something many of us deal with all year-round. This is why it’s so important to incorporate techniques that will help you de-stress and it is important to make sure your immune system it is at its best – especially when under a lot of stress.
