Since COVID-19 has hit Hawaii, we want make sure to stay healthy by taking care of ourselves. In this article, I am going to talk about some practices which will help boost immunity and prevent illness.
First, I will talk about the more obvious aspects of self care. We have to take care of ourselves first before we can take care of others! We should make sure to get adequate sleep, exercise, and minimize stress. This of course includes avoiding smoking and drugs, and minimizing alcohol intake. We also need to maintain good practices such as hand-washing and wearing masks to prevent infection.
What else can we do? It appears that diet is a significant modulator of immunity. Certain micronutrients play an important role in immune function. There is evidence that micronutrient deficiencies in zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, and E may alter immune responses of animals (in vitro). A diet with a variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds can help in obtaining these micronutrients. Unfortunately, three-fourths of the Americans have a diet low in vegetables and fruits, but exceed the USDA’s recommendations for added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats. The CDC has found more than 10% of the population is deficient in vitamins C, D, and B6 with lower percentages deficient in iron. It is important to make sure you are not deficient in any of these vitamins.
In conclusion, a combination of a good diet, getting adequate sleep, and exercise will hopefully help keep us all healthy and keep COVID-19 at bay. Please let me know if you have other practices to strengthen your immunity! You can email me at gracefulliving365@gmail.com…