Whether you’re already sick or trying to prevent falling victim to the seasonal flu the tips in this blog post may just save you that excruciating week in bed with a throbbing head, aching muscles, and runny nose. When talking about a strong immune system it’s important to remember that every little daily action affects our longterm health, so a healthy lifestyle is the key. However, there are a few things you can do to strengthen your immune system a little extra when flu season hits.

#1 Avoid or limit immune suppressing foods

Many foods that we eat on a daily basis actually have immune suppressing properties. Some of these include refined sugars, fast food, coffee, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals, gluten, and dairy. These so called “anti-foods” work by destroying our gut microflora (80% or our immune system happens in the digestive tract), leach essential nutrients from our reserves (like bones) to help balance pH levels, cause free radical damage, increase systemic inflammation, suppress liver function, and stimulate sensitivities and allergy reactions in the body. It is important to eat as much fresh and unprocessed foods as possible to give the body the nutrients it needs to focus on what matters the most, aka fight infectious viruses and pathogens instead of combating our poor food choices.

#2 Wash your fresh produce

Your fruits and vegetables may look fresh and clean when you buy them at the grocery store and you may think it isn’t necessary to wash them after coming home, or you’re just too lazy to care, but washing your food is DE-TRI-MENTAL!! From farm to harvest to handling to shipping to distribution to your home, most produce travel half around the world before they end up in your kitchen. If you think they’re clean enough to eat without washing them you are dead wrong. Pathogens by the billions accumulate on food, along with chemicals, dirt, pollution, and even animal contamination. SO, PLEASE WASH YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES! The best and most natural way is with regular apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is extremely anti-bacterial and completely safe for consumption. Fill up your sink with cold water, add a splash of ACV, and let your produce soak for 5 minutes.

#3 Eat fermented foods

Your gut health has a huge effect on the health of the rest of your body, and 80% of your immune system starts in the digestive tract. Fermented foods contain probiotics, microorganisms with beneficial properties especially for the intestinal flora. Eating fermented foods improves general digestion, aids in elimination, helps with detoxification, strengthens immunity, increases alkalinity and reduces inflammation, increases metabolic functions and helps create more energy, improves skin health, and helps stabilize blood sugar levels. Some great sources of fermented foods are sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, kombucha, natural and organic kefir and yogurt, unpasteurized pickled foods, sunomono, queso fresco, natto, amazake or the bai (fermented rice), sourdough rye bread, beet kvass, and raw apple cider vinegar. Every single culture around the world has a traditional fermented food of some form and most of them are super delicious both on their own and when added to other dishes.

#4 Herbal extracts and supplements

Many herbs, roots, flowers, and mushrooms have immune strengthening properties. You may remember taking echinacea drops or elderberry syrup as a kid when you were sick. These are the two most common plants used and sold, even by pharmacies, to help with flu symptoms. Other supplements worth taking to keep your body healthy are oil of oregano, garlic, chaga mushroom, rose hips, sea buckthorn, propolis or bee pollen, and of course a high potency vitamin C supplement. I love mine in a powder form to easily add to smoothies.

#5 Eat light, fresh, and warming foods

Obviously eating as much fresh food as possible is a great way to boost your immune system and staying healthy, but adding some warming and comforting foods really gives your body that extra kick. Soups, herbal teas, and bone broth are great options. It is important to have lots of fluids in your system to help flush and eliminate waste from the body, so soups and broth are great for this purpose as they are naturally high in water. I personally love creamy, puréed soups with lots of herbs and spices added (like this garam masala soup), but I also love a good, firy hot tom yum soup, guaranteed to exorcise any flu or cold!

#6 Sinus-clearing shower drops

Ever been inside a eucalyptus steam room? It is the most devine experience, relaxing in the hot steam breathing in that refreshing eucalyptus and feeling your whole body replenishing itself. You may not have a steam room at home, but you can replicate this effect by adding little essential oil drops to your shower and let your shower steam transform your bathroom into an aromatherapy heaven. Sounds amazing right? Great way to wake up in the morning. Shower drops are ridiculously easy to make, all you need is baking soda, corn starch, witch hazel water, one or more essential oils, and a silicon mold. Here is my recipe that I use all the time in my own home. Eucalyptus not only smells heavenly, it also helps ease congestion and lung irritation, halts fungal infections, helps you breath easier, repels pests, is anti-microbial, and freshens and purifies the air.

#7 Use a nourishing soap to prevent dry, cracked hands

Frequent hand washing is probably the best way to prevent the spreading of bacteria, but too much hand washing with harsh soaps and disinfectants strips the skin of its natural oils and protective bacteria along with offsetting the pH balance, resulting in dry, cracked skin and an increased susceptibility to skin infections (ironically enough). Do yourself a favor and invest in some good-quality, natural soaps and hand creams to keep your skin smooth, soft, and nourished while clean and bacteria-free.