6 Types of Natural Immune System Support You Need TODAY!
on Jan 19, 2018, Updated Jul 18, 2020
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Here are six types of natural immune system support that you need today to keep your family healthy! From the best types of probiotic capsules, to immune boosting tea, to rest, immune boosting food, and essential oils for immunity, there are plenty of things you can do today to help you naturally support your immune system when you’d rather just stay home but can’t.
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It’s been hard to keep everyone well this year, but we’ve managed to stay mostly healthy at my house by living an overall pretty healthy lifestyle. That’s not to say we haven’t had a few sniffles and coughs, but we have not had the flu or any long lasting illness around here. I have found five easy ways to support immune system so we all stay healthier and am excited to share them with you today.
Types of Natural Immune System Support You Need TODAY!
1. Take high quality probiotic capsules.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that live naturally in our guts. They play a lot of beneficial roles in our bodies, one of which is to support the immune system. When we have a lot of healthy probiotics in our guts, the bad bacteria have a harder time making us sick. Some probiotics also produce a substance called bacteriocin which can actually keep bad bacteria from growing. To insure you have enough probiotics living in your gut, it’s a good idea to find a high quality probiotic supplement to take, especially in the winter. I recommend raw probiotic capsules from Garden of Life. They’re stored and shipped cold, and they’re soy and gluten free, and free from GMOs as well. They specially formulate varieties for men, women, and children.
2. Seek out immune boosting food.
I’m sure you’ve heard about the importance of getting enough vitamins and minerals, but if you’re like my kids, it might be hard to enjoy enough servings. One way I make sure we get enough vitamins in the winter is to ramp up our intake of smoothies. I love all the fresh citrus in the winter! Oranges, cuties, pineapples all make great bases for nutrient rich smoothies. My kids’ favorite smoothie right now is Orange, Banana, Strawberry Smoothie with spinach thrown in for good measure!
We also love a Pineapple, Orange, Banana Smoothie and lots of other kinds of green smoothies as well, depending on what we happen to have in our fridge. I also make immune boosting bone broth and we love this immune boosting creamy chicken stew too! Check out this list of 15 foods that can boost your immune system for more ideas.
3. Reduce stress.
Reducing stress is a big part of immune support for me. If I’m too stressed, I can’t sleep. If I can’t sleep, I become totally worn down and don’t function well. And then I get sick. It’s a big downward spiral for me. Sometimes, it seems like my stress is impossible to reduce – that’s when hard changes need to be made. Then I just need to reflect, talk to friends, and work it out on my own. Other times. working out, listening to soothing music, reading a good book, soaking in the bathtub, engaging in a hobby, or drinking a nice cup of tea or glass of wine can really help me relax.
Listening to my children, being mindful with them, playing fun games, and laughing are all ways to help my children reduce their stress. Pay attention to your kids and their stress levels too. It’s tough being a kid today!
4. Get enough sleep.
According to WebMD, preliminary research suggests that people who get seven hours or fewer sleep each night are three times as likely to get the common cold after exposure than people who get eight or more hours sleep at night. I know I go to bed a lot earlier in the winter – usually because it’s just so dark and cold out here in Eastern Iowa. I never have functioned well on fewer than seven hours of sleep and sometimes it seems like I need at least 10 hours each night to be a polite, functioning member of society. It really helps me sleep better if I can unwind my mind before I go to bed. That means doing something relaxing, reading books with my kids, or reading a book just for me. Turning of the computer and putting down my phone help out immeasurably too.
5. Drink immune boosting tea.
There are many types of immune boosting tea to add to your diet. Dandelion, Chamomile, Ginseng, Echinacea all support the immune system. Green tea and elderberry tea are also good choices for an immune boosting tea. And they’re a nice drink for just perfect for cold winter days too. I have a huge container of tea bags I pull out for everything from sore throats, to help wind down after a busy day. Do you drink tea, and if so, what’s your favorite?
6. Use Essential oils for immunity
There are several different types of essential oils for immunity. Our favorite is Thieves Oil, and I’m diffusing it nonstop at home right now in an attempt to keep everyone healthy. I have a diffuser near my front door and another one upstairs where the kids’ bedrooms are. I am not an essential oil dealer and I’ve used the Thieves Oil from Young Living, Plant Therapy Germ Fighter (Plant Therapy also has a kid safe blend which we use and love too) and Nature’s Shield from Now. I can’t honestly say that one works better than another, and they all basically smell the same, but the prices are quite a lot different. 🙂
These are the things we do at my house to keep our family healthy. What would you add?
I am starting to include as many teas as I can in my days. Herbal teas are soooo awesome, especially right now when it’s so cold and I just want something warming !!! Now I just have to manage my stress better!!
Stress is hard, Monica, and I sometimes don’t manage mine very well either. I’ve got another post coming soon about stress. Stay tuned!
What a great post! I have had some “medicinal teas” before but never really understood all of the benefit of them so I am happy to read some of your first hand experience with what they can do for a body. Thanks for the great information.
The native tribes used all kinds of herbal remedies – and interesting, a lot of the modern pharma drugs are synthetic versions of herbal remedies too! Thanks for commenting, Beth Ann. <3
In addition to the things you said, I take an elderberry capsule each morning and use essential oils to combat ‘easy’ illnesses (like eucalyptus and peppermint for nasal congestion). Great post, Michelle!
We’ve done elderberry in the past. In fact, I have a bunch of dried elderberries in my pantry right now – just waiting for me to turn them into syrup. 😀 Thanks, Kelli.
I love how easy it is to “drink” our way healthy with smoothies and teas. I am not a coffee drinker, but I love a hot mug of tea. This year I have been trying many new ones….it is amazing how soothing a hot mug of tea can be!
You are right! And the health benefits of the tea are fabulous too.
Great post, Michelle! I needed to be especially reminded of #3. I started replacing my afternoon coffee with tea. It made a big difference to rest of my day. Great Info on traditional medicinal teas!!!
Tea instead of coffee in the afternoons is a great switch to make, Suzi! I hope you’ll look out for Traditional Medicinals next time you’re at the store. 🙂