How to boost your immune system

What we should we eat and why
By Angela Mutiso
Our physical actions express our mental attitudes – Les Giblin

A patient, worried that she wasn’t getting enough vitamins and was always tired, asked a prominent doctor
which vitamins were good for her. His answer was swift.

“Just lose weight”. There is no doubt that losing weight improves our health and energizes us. The doctor explained that losing weight is one sure way to maintain a healthy body. When you lose weight, you
decrease your chances of getting a heart disease, it leads to improved blood sugar levels, keeps certain types of cancer at bay, reduces the possibility of heart disease, makes your body more flexible and lowers
your cholesterol and blood pressure. The result is you get a better quality of life. The next question the doctor asked was “do you have lots of energy that make you feel you want to jog, play, and generally have
fun? Or are you always tired, ill-tempered and aloof? If you are constantly feeling low, it could have something to do with the kind of food you eat. You need to change your diet and eat foods that invigorate you. Foods that enable you to accomplish your set goals because of the energy you get from them. You need to know the variety of food you should eat, to stay energetic. Avoid, a lot of salt, sugar, carbonated drinks, alcohol, smoking and junk food as much as possible. Think about it, whenever doctors are asked what one should do to stay healthy, most invariably say, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, avoid obesity, get enough sleep, don’t smoke, and if you must take alcohol,
do it in moderation and avoid stress. Taking these simple steps can go a long way in boosting your immune system.

It is also advisable stay away from people who annoy you, avoid toxic  relationships play some music, dance, take naps, get regular checkups, breathe clean air, brush and floss your teeth every day and
stay in a clean environment. Pee often and ease your bowels regularly. On the whole, your immune system does a great job of protecting you against disease-causing bacteria.

Another common dictum is; we are what we eat… The best foods and diets concentrate on real whole food. Plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains as well as healthy proteins and fats. It is a proven fact that going to the loo regularly is good for your health, and that stress and anxiety isn’t good for you. These are tips we must always bear in mind and practice. More so because of the consistency and reliability of this
information and the fact that we need to stay healthy. Let’s discuss what you should include in your diet, why power foods are  good and what they are, the effects and causes of regular toilet visits, and how to
stay upbeat; according to experts.

What we should include in our diet
Discussing 10 everyday superfoods, EatingWell suggests the following and explains why – (excerpts) All berries are great sources of fiber-a nutrient. Fiber helps keep your digestive system healthy and working properly and is good for your heart and your waistline, since it’s so filling. While the yolks of eggs help
keep eyes healthy. Research links lutein and zeaxanthin (found in eggs) with reduced risk for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 50. Alpha and beta carotene in sweet
potatoes helps keep your eyes, bones and immune system healthy. They have vitamin A. Broccoli also has vitamins A, C and K (which helps with bone health), as well as folate. It gives a good dose of sulforaphane,
a type of isothiocyanate that is thought to thwart cancer by helping to stimulate the body’s detoxifying enzymes.

Eating more oats is an easy way to up your fiber intake. Spinach has vitamins A, C and K-as well as some fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin E. Studies have found that eating more greens, like spinach, can help you lose weight, reduce your risk of diabetes, keep your brain young and help fight off
cancer. Studies also show that if you drink tea regularly, you may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s, diabetes and some cancers, plus have healthier teeth and gums and stronger bones (Tea may also help with
weight loss). While nuts are packed with healthy polyunsaturated fats and magnesium, two important nutrients for heart health.

These nutrients may also offer protection against insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. Antioxidant compounds found in nuts, including ellagic acid and resveratrol, can reduce the wear and tear on your body
from free radicals. In turn, this lowers inflammation, which may reduce cancer risk. In addition, oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C, just one large orange contains a full day’s dose. Vitamin C is critical for producing white blood cells and antibodies that fight off infections; it’s also a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from free-radical damage and plays a key role in producing skin-firming collagen. Oranges are also high in fiber and folate. Yogurt contains probiotics or “good bacteria” that help keep our guts healthy. It’s also rich in calcium. Just 1 cup of yogurt provides nearly half the recommended daily
value of calcium and delivers phosphorus, potassium, zinc, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and protein. (Source EatingWell).

The healing powers of Bran and fiber

Eating bran based food is always encouraged. As Carlson Wade says in the book of bran; a low bran created fiber diet means a slower passage of food. This allows bacteria in the intestines to combine with food particles (often high in chemical preservatives) and create carcinogenic (cancer causing) substance. He says the problem is that the slow moving food mass containing chemical additives may infect cells and tissues of the intestinal and digestive regions and create a condition favorable for cancer of the colon, diverticulosis,
hemorrhoids, ulcerated colitis, and related ailments. He observes that refined foods are deficient in fiber and that fiber helps to control weight and cholesterol. Doctors say that a fast transit time of waste matter is
the key to protection against illness.

Don’t get too keyed up during the day, plan or variety, try to stick to as regular hours  as possible, avoid situations that give you tensions and regret and adopt a sleep ritual.

Talking about miracle health power of fiber, the author says whether from bran  or other foods, fiber has a miracle healing power. Fiber is not digested in the intestinal tract because the human digestive system
has no enzymes that can break down fiber completely. The chief value of fiber is in its ability to take up water and swell when it gets to the colon. This makes your stools soft and large; fiber sweeps the colon clean and does it quickly.

Sleep energizes you
In her book stop feeling tired and start living, Dora Albert gives us some tips to bait sleep; don’t get too keyed up during the day, plan for variety, try to stick to as regular hours as possible, avoid situations
that give you tensions and regret and adopt a sleep ritual; do the same thing every night before sleeping, keep a sleep diary to know what is best for you, and learn to relax your mind as well as your body. To
help you relax your mind, say your prayers before going to bed at night. She also says do not worry about your supposed inability to sleep but learn to rest quietly when unable to sleep.

Emptying your bladder ‘responsibly’

We have often believed bladders should HEALTH be emptied frequently. And of course we should, but are you going to the toilet at the right time? What do your toilet habits say about your health? An article

featured in Independent, not long ago, titled why going to the toilet too often could be bad for your bladder makes a startling revelation. It says – “While attempting to empty your bladder before a long trip might sound sensible, it could actually be the cause of more serious problems in the future. Speaking to the
Daily Mail, Diane Wootton, a clinical physiotherapy specialist in bladder and bowel dysfunction said that people who think “I’d better go before I leave” are more at risk of developing a weak bladder.
“It means your bladder won’t ever fill to a normal level (more than 200ml) because it’s often being emptied,” she says. “If it’s not stretched, it’ll weaken over time — meaning you really will need the loo all the time.”

What do your toilet habits say about your health?
Peeing is good and healthy, however, there are certain things that should cause you to worry if your peeing is caused by other factors. Cosmopolitan asked Dr. Seth Rankin of the London Doctors Clinic to explain the possible reasons you Health Tips might be peeing a lot. Briefly he explained that people urinate to flush out any waste products, which means a higher ‘output’ of urine, if you will, is usually simply a sign of good hydration. Peeing also keeps body fluid levels down, because if this does not happen, “we get fluid build-up
in the form of oedema – commonly seen in the form of puffy ankles,” the doctor says. So really, you should be thinking of frequent peeing as a good thing. He says that we actually need around 400-600
ml – around 2 glasses of water – a day. But other factors can change that. If you pee a lot you could have an over active bladder, also, one of the main symptoms of diabetes is feeling excessively thirsty,” So undiagnosed diabetics often end up drinking far more than usual before they get diagnosed. Urinary incontinence is quite common, apparently. Causes can range from damage during childbirth,
to being the result of certain surgeries like hysterectomies. He says, training your pelvic floor muscles can help with this. There is also nervous peeing due to something making you anxious, you may
be having a small bladder or are in the last stages of pregnancy. Other factors could be caffeine addiction, or alcohol intake.

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