COVID-19: 6 proven tips to strengthen your immune system

Just as people were starting to recover from the terror caused by the coronavirus in its previous two waves, it started spreading its wings in India. The new wave of coronavirus has rapidly started infecting people. Seeing a sudden rise in the number of infected people, the question has once again arisen, 'Is our body ready to fight this disease?' It is important to note that people have started taking all the precautionary measures, such as wearing masks and sanitising hands and maintaining social distancing. But are we doing enough to maintain our internal strength and immunity to fight the disease? 

It is very important to understand that immunity is not a magic that can be created in a day. It depends on your daily lifestyle and diet. 

How to know whether your immunity is strong or not?

There is no single test that can directly determine whether your immunity is strong or not. Immunity is a complex system in which many parts of the body work together, such as white blood cells, digestive health, and skin. Therefore, it's hard to find out, but the good thing is that your body itself gives you signals when something's not right internally, such as:

• Frequent cold, cough or fever
• Taking more time to recover from injury or illness
• Feeling tired and weak
• Digestive problems

How to increase immunity?

1. Take a balanced diet

Nutritious food plays a key role in building immunity. Including amla, orange, lemon, papaya, and capsicum for vitamin C.  Expose yourself to the mild sunlight for vitamin D and consume milk and mushrooms. Eat cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds and kidney beans for zinc. Also, take protein-rich foods like lentils, eggs, milk, curd and soy, as they help in strengthening your immunity.

2. Get plenty of sleep

It is important to get 7–8 hours of good sleep every day to strengthen immunity. Giving rest to your body plays a crucial role in immune building.

3. Exercise and yoga daily

Take a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes every day, do yoga and breathing exercises like pranayama. This keeps your immunity strong and active.

4. Reduce stress

Taking too much stress weakens the immune system. Meditation, deep breathing or listening to your favourite music helps in reducing stress.

5. Drink plenty of water

Drink at least 2–3 liters of water throughout the day. Keeping the body hydrated helps all the organs function well and also improves immunity.

6. Home remedies will also work

 Drinking turmeric milk, drinking basil-ginger-black pepper tea and drinking Giloy juice. Also, eating honey and raw garlic helps in fighting diseases. These easy home remedies strengthen your immunity and increase the body's defences.

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