What Vitamins Should You Take to Boost Your Immune System?

As the days get shorter, it’s a good time to think about health.

Why? Because as winter hits, your body naturally goes into detox mode which can manifest as a cold or flu.

Instead of stumbling toward the colder winter months, planning to detox and boost your immune system ahead of time is wise. 

Although there are many supplements that can help boost your immune system, you also need to crowd out any unhealthy lifestyle habits. 

People are obsessed with the idea of fighting off illness, but I see things a different way. If you provide your body with the nutrients and enzymes it needs, it will naturally be protected from infection. This means going through your habits and deciding which ones support you and which don’t.

Additionally, making sure you consume enough antioxidants like vitamin C can help your body detox free radicals, toxins and pathogens. 

If you’d like to learn how to boost your immune system naturally, you’ve come to the right place. 

A lack of exercise can stagnate your immune system and body overall.

Movement helps your lymphatic system (responsible for removing all of the waste from your body) function properly. This is also known by many as white blood cells.

Modern sedentary lifestyles or simply the fact that we no longer travel about to different places can begin to impact your health. We need to learn to move more and sit down less. 

If you haven’t managed yet, now is the perfect time to find ways to move in the new normal. This might be going for regular walks, starting a yoga practice, or going cycling. Whatever suits you.

Interestingly, recent research is challenging the 150 minutes of exercise per week rule. They found that it’s better to move around for 12 minutes every hour if you’re sitting still for work to keep the blood and lymph flowing. 

Related: How Vitamin D Cuts Flu Risk, Protects Lungs & Boosts Immunity

Scientific research has discovered that green vegetables, in all forms, help your immune system function better.

In one 2011 study published in the journal Cell, mice were fed a vegetable-deficient diet for two to three weeks. The result? 70-80% of the immune cells known as intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) vanished. Seriously depleting the immune system.

In another study published in 2013, leafy greens were found to boost immune function by enhancing the quality and production of cells in the gut lining.

These cells (known as ILCs) have been found to protect the body from so-called “bad” bacteria. Helping maintain a healthy environment in the intestinal tract.

This is done by genes that generate immune cells when exposed to the compounds in leafy green vegetables. 

Related: Immune System Boosters: How to Nurture Better Immunity

We are complex beings, and no vitamins work in isolation. However, some supplements help boost the immune system to fight infection.

Here are 5 of the top vitamins to boost your immune system (best taken as part of a healthy lifestyle routine):

If there were just one vitamin that you could take to cleanse your body and boost your immune system, it would be vitamin C.

A lack of vitamin C can result in the development of illness. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin to consume daily because your body cannot produce it.

Although you can get vitamin C from your diet, many modern farming practices deplete the soil of nutrients. Therefore the plants don’t produce enough vitamin C or other nutrients, for that matter. 

Foods rich in vitamin C include organic bell pepper, spinach, kale, oranges, grapefruit, and kiwi.

Another powerful vitamin that you should be consuming daily is zinc.

Zinc is required for growth in larger quantities during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Zinc is necessary to make proteins and DNA, as well as helping the immune system fight off pathogens. 

Foods rich in zinc include organic nuts, (sprouted) seeds and grains, oats, and tofu.

An often overlooked nutrient for detoxification and immunity is glutathione, despite it being one of the most critical antioxidant molecules.

Glutamine is a precursor for glutathione. In many cases, people choose to take glutamine so that their bodies can generate adequate amounts of glutathione.

Cell damage can occur when there are inadequate levels of glutathione in the body. This can be exacerbated by liver damage, as glutathione is produced in the liver.

Both glutathione and glutamine can reduce oxidative stress damage. 

Foods rich in glutamine include organic lentils, cabbage, spinach, tofu, beans, peas, and beets.

A deficiency of vitamin B6 can impair immune responses. Vitamin B6 deficiency is common in women of childbrearing age and also the elderly.

Vitamin B6 is a micronutrient that’s required for a wide range of body functions, such as the nervous system and metabolism.

Vitamin B6 influences the immune system, and supplementation has been shown to recover an impaired immune system in mouse models. 

Foods rich in vitamin B6 include organic peanuts, wheat germ, soya beans, bananas, and oats. 

Omega 3 fatty acids form much of the protective membrane of our cells, and vitamin E can protect these membranes.

Vitamin E has been shown to boost immune responses in both humans and animals. It’s important to note that there are different forms of vitamin E, and they all have different effects on immune cells. 

Foods rich in vitamin E include organic wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, beet greens, red bell peppers, and pumpkin. 

While some specific vitamins and minerals can help boost your immune system, there’s no shortcut to health.

Which is to say that a wide range of nutrients must be consumed via your diet to create a healthy immune system. At the same time, there are some key nutrients like vitamin C that work to cleanse your body of toxins and boost immune health.

Instead of focusing solely on fighting off infection, it’s better to focus on creating a healthy internal environment. 

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.