Strengthening the immune system is essential if we want to avoid contracting diseases and infections and preserve our health.

The immune system, in fact, is our armor against pathogenic microbes, viruses and bacteria. This term indicates the complex system of defenses with which our body prevents external agents from entering our body through the air, food, sexual intercourse or wounds.

In addition to having defense functions, a strong and healthy immune system also intervenes in the removal of damaged cells and tissues and acts as a sentinel against cancer cells.

The immune system, however, has a very fragile balance and there are numerous factors that can weaken it, including:

• Stress
• Illnesses
• Environmental factors such as sudden changes in temperature, the change of seasons, etc.
• Abuse of antibiotics
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Old age
• Disorderly feeding

All these factors, combined or taken individually, affect the health of our immune defenses, exposing us to the risk of contracting infections and diseases carried by pathogens introduced into the body from the outside.

This is why it is essential to strengthen our immune system and to do this it is enough to practice a few simple rules every day, let’s see what they are:

1. Healthy and balanced diet. 

A diet low in fat and rich in whole fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and lean animal proteins (fish and white meats) helps improve our immune defenses, providing our body with all the nutrients it needs without weighing it down with fats and harmful substances. A rich and healthy diet also helps to maintain a healthy weight, another fundamental parameter to be taken into consideration to avoid the risk of getting sick.

1. Regular physical activity

Regular exercise is another element that helps strengthen the immune system since, in addition to helping us expel toxins and keep weight under control, it also has a positive effect on the formation of white blood cells . The important thing, however, is not to exaggerate by excessively fatiguing the body, as it would risk obtaining the opposite effect.

1. Proper personal hygiene . Proper personal hygiene is essential to avoid the onset of infections which in the long run can be very dangerous for our health. In fact, it is well known that dirt is one of the main carriers of germs and bacteria.
2. Get enough sleep . Lack of sleep, along with stress, is another weakening factor. In fact, sleeping at least eight hours a night helps the body process proteins which in turn help fight viruses.
3. Avoid bad lifestyle habits . Incorrect habits mainly refer to the consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking, two vices that have a depressant action on the immune system.

Five rules that, if applied regularly, concretely contribute to strengthening the immune system and guaranteeing us a healthier life. Finally, further help to our defenses can come from the intake of functional foods and drinks containing prebiotics and probiotics, good bacteria that make up the intestinal bacterial flora whose beneficial effects also affect the immune system.