10 Natural Immune Boosters You Probably Didn’t Know About

There are some simple ways you can boost your immunity that don't involve trips to the doctor's office for shots and prescriptions. Here are 10 natural immune boosters you probably didn't know about.

Listen, we all hate getting sick. No one wants to be held up in bed with a box full of tissues and an assortment of cold medicines. So beat it before it ever starts, don’t wait until your head feels like a mucus filled balloon to think about curing yourself. There are some simple ways you can boost your immunity that don’t involve trips to the doctor’s office for shots and prescriptions. Here are 10 natural immune boosters you probably didn’t know about.

Ginger

Ginger is amazing at boosting the human immune system, so drink the ginger tea, put it in your soup, or, my favorite, add it to your juices.

Alcohol

If flu season is just around the corner, you may want to think about cutting back on the cocktails for a little while. Alcohol brings down your immune system and makes you more likely to catch that cold.

Fresh Air

Tell me something fresh air can’t help fix… a bad mood, a stressful day, an oncoming cold? Yup, fresh air helps kick your immune system into high gear.

Probiotics

Before you have to get on antibiotics, get on board with some probiotics because it might just save you a trip to the pharmacy. Probiotics are basically good bacteria in your body, and they can be found in items such as yogurt and Kombucha.

Exercise

I am a big believer in exercise, but it would have made this list regardless because exercise stimulates blood flow, keeps our lymph moving, and helps the body detox… all leading to one big immunity booster.

Sleep

With how busy our lives are today, we often put sleep on the back burner, but getting too little sleep or erratic sleep can have serious consequences, not the least of them being a serious blow to the body’s immune system. If you want to stay healthy, make sleep a priority.

Mushrooms

No, not the super fun kind, but the Japanese’s ones. Mushrooms such as shitake are filled with antioxidant properties that up the body’s immunity.

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Sage

Sage is an amazing substitute for cold medicine. Adding a drop of sage extract to your tea can help your body naturally clear out mucus from your nose and throat.

Greens

You have been told before and I am telling you again, eat your greens. Eating more fruits and vegetables can provide your body with the vitamins it needs to fight off a nasty cold. If you aren’t a veggie lover, consider juicing once a day to get all the nutrients you need in one glass. Your body will thank you for introducing these natural immune boosters to it.

Stress

I never knew the power of stress over the body until I was in my final semester of college. My hair started falling out, I had no energy, and I was sicker than a dog. Stress can take your immune system and crash it into the ground, so try your hardest to develop healthy habits for dealing with stress… your future self will thank you for it.