Having a strong immune system can help you avoid contracting many illnesses and common colds, or at least reduce the time you must endure them. Who likes being home sick, right?

Here’s the scoop: You don’t have to do anything unnatural to boost your immune system. Read on for 10 natural ways to both protect and boost your immune system that are easy to implement and cost little (or nothing!) to do.

1. Improve Your Gut Flora – Adding probiotics to your diet in the form of yogurt or fermented foods can help your gut work better. The state of your gut flora is very important for proper digestion of all nutrients. It follows then that the better your digestion, the healthier you’ll be.

2. Eat Mushrooms and Garlic – Both of these foods offer antibiotic properties that can help improve your immunity against disease. Try to add them to most every meal in some form. You can cook up a bunch in advance to have ready to top on everything from toast to salad.

3. Eat More Cruciferous Veggies – Boost your liver function by eating more cruciferous vegetables. This will aid in cleansing your liver so that it can work efficiently to remove toxins. The best way to eat cruciferous vegetables is to lightly steam them.

4. Drink Plenty of Water – Food cannot digest, and your body cannot work properly, without being fully hydrated. Unfortunately, most of us walk around partially dehydrated because we have learned to turn off our thirst. Drink at least 64 ounces of filtered water a day or try drinking half your body weight in ounces.

5. Support Your Adrenal Cortex – Eat healthy fats and foods high in antioxidants and amino acids to improve adrenal function. This supports your adrenal glands to continue to provide the right hormones to your body for a healthy immune system.

6. Add a Juice a Day – Get a juicer and drink one vegetable juice serving each day. You’ll get all the nutrients and calories for energy, without stressing your digestive system.

7. Get Enough Sleep – Most people need between eight and ten hours of sleep each night. The only way to know for sure how much sleep you need is to experiment with bedtimes. Ideally, you should be able to go to bed and fall asleep quickly, and then wake up without the assistance of an alarm at the time you need. Sleep is a key factor to a strong immune system, giving your body time to repair and replenish.

8. Exercise Daily – Even a twenty minute walk each day can boost your immunity. Moving and breathing deeply will help you not only become healthier but feel healthier too. I hate to say it, but sedentary jobs can literally kill you. If you have one, find excuses to get up and walk around.

9. Get Fresh Air and Sunshine – Your light shapes your life!!! The majority of us live and work under artificial lighting ALL day and it wreaks havoc on our hormones especially our cortisol levels and melatonin levels, just to name a few. Finding a way to breathe in fresh air and get plenty of sunshine each day is vital. Sunshine gives you essential vitamin D, and the fresh air will clear your lungs and encourage you to relax.

10. Avoid Toxins – Stop smoking, drink alcohol in moderation, and try to use as few prescription drugs as possible. The more toxins you can avoid putting into your body, the healthier you’ll immune system will become.

By following these tips every day you’ll boost your immunity and feel better too. Nature always provides a way for you to be at your best if you just heed the call and listen. You don’t need to ingest chemicals or do anything unnatural to improve your immune system – just get on board with some natural shifts, and you’ll be good to go.

If you’d like some more suggestions on how to naturally and easily promote your well-being, check out my free guide on 12 Steps to BioHack Your Family’s Health. It offers great tips so you can reclaim and redirect your vision of health!

Wishing you well,

Dr. Jessica