When winter sets in, it brings with it cold, damp and less sunshine - all factors that stress our bodies and disrupt our natural defenses just when we need them most. So it's important to support your immune system. Discover our 5 tips for boosting your immunity naturally.
First and foremost, it's important to understand what the immune system is and how it works.
The immune system's mission is to destroy abnormal cells in the body. It does this by means of certain white blood cells, called lymphocytes. To carry out its mission, it must recognize abnormal cells (cells undergoing spontaneous self-destruction, cancer cells, infectious agents such as bacteria...) and eliminate them.
Some cancers are able to evade detection by blocking lymphocytes, thus escaping destruction.
Good daily habits can help improve and strengthen your immune defenses. Here are our 5 tips to help you boost and strengthen your immunity in a simple, natural way.
Did you know that 70% of the body's immune cells are produced in the gut? Yes, the intestinal microbiota is our first line of defense, and plays a fundamental role in our immunity.
What's more, a high-quality intestinal flora enables us to assimilate the vitamins and micronutrients needed for normal immunity.
Generally speaking, a varied, colorful, minimally processed diet is good for your health and the maintenance of your intestinal flora. It also covers your daily needs in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and antioxidants, all of which are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system.
Team Dielen's little tip: to pamper your intestinal flora, don't hesitate to eat foods rich in :
- Pre/probiotics: asparagus, leeks, onions, garlic, oats, tomatoes, bananas,
- Antioxidants: peppers, guavas, parsley, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, oily fish, sunflower oil, Brazil nuts, meats, wholegrain cereals, tea,
- Iron: red meats, offal, seafood,
- Copper herring, calf's liver, cocoa,
- Vitamin A: cod liver oil, butter, cheese, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin,
- Zinc: dairy products, offal, seafood, toasted sesame.
Your immunity depends on what you eat. To boost your immune system, you need to eat a varied, healthy and balanced diet. Choose dishes made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, and avoid processed and industrial foods, which are generally rich in refined ingredients, salt and saturated fats.
Team Dielen's little tip: print out a calendar of seasonal fruits and vegetables and display it in your kitchen (on your fridge, for example). This will enable you to diversify your dishes, rediscover certain foods and enjoy cooking and eating.
Don't you feel more vulnerable when you're sleep-deprived? Yes, lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can weaken your immune system.
Good quality, restful sleep is a real ally in helping the immune system to function optimally. It helps you resist fatigue and stress, and boosts the effectiveness of T lymphocytes, which play an important role in the immune system.
Team Dielen's little tip: take the time to create a sleep routine for yourself, as it promotes well-being and improves the quality of your sleep. To do this, set yourself 3/4 good practices to include in your evening routine. For example, turning off the screens an hour before going to bed, showering an hour before going to bed, keeping a diary, anticipating your next day with a To Do List, going to bed at the same time, practicing yoga, cardiac coherence or meditation before sleep, etc.
If nothing helps, and you continue to have trouble falling asleep or getting a bad night's sleep, Laboratoire Dien has formulated a unique and innovative nutritional complex: Nutrissome SP. What makes it unique?
Regular physical activity has many health benefits, and the immune system is no exception. In fact, physical exercise boosts energy and reduces the effects of stress and anxiety, factors which weaken the immune system and make it more vulnerable to pathogenic attacks.
Team Dielen's little tip: if you're not very sporty, you need to start by finding the sport that suits you and motivates you. Even if this takes time and several attempts, it's an essential step, because if you're not motivated by the activity you choose, it will quickly fall by the wayside. Once you've found the sport that makes you tick, set a recurrence schedule, and don't forget to listen to your body (the aim is not to damage it, quite the opposite!). You can then increase the recurrence, but start slowly so that you evolve over time and don't ask too much of your body all at once.
Laboratoire Dielen can help you get back into sports!
Ostéocalm is the natural solution for sensitive joints*, tendons and muscles. It works from the very first dose, preserving the proper functioning of bones, muscles, tendons and cartilage*. Its properties have been studied in hospitals and by your own doctor.
All vitamins and minerals are good and necessary for your body. Vitamins A, C, D and E, as well as magnesium, zinc and iron, are particularly important for your immune system.
Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient for your health. It has many functions in the body, particularly in supporting the immune system. Its antioxidant power helps the body to eliminate excess free radicals and combat the effects of oxidative stress. The body cannot synthesize this vitamin, so intake is provided solely by your diet. Some examples of food sources rich in vitamin C: guava, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, papaya, kiwi, orange, mango, broccoli, Brussels sprouts...
Vitamin E boosts the immune system, stimulates phagocytosis (the cellular defense process), and is a powerful antioxidant. It protects omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important for the immune system, from oxidation. Some examples of food sources rich in vitamin E: wheat germ oil, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, sunflower oil, safflower oil...
Vitamin A stimulates the production of white blood cells and antibodies. This vitamin is essential for vitamin D, as a lack of vitamin A prevents vitamin D from having its immunoregulatory effect. Some examples of food sources rich in vitamin A: turkey offal, beef liver, chicken offal, carrot juice, sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, spinach, etc.
Vitamin D is well known for its role in binding calcium to bone. But it is also an immunoregulatory hormone. A lack of vitamin D is associated with greater susceptibility to infection. Vitamin D activates the immune system by stimulating immune defense cells, known as macrophages, which destroy pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. As a result, our body reacts more quickly to aggression.
Vitamin D is one of the most frequently deficient vitamins. In fact, 9 out of 10 French people are vitamin D deficient. This deficiency is all the more significant in winter, when there is less sunshine.
What's more, foods containing significant amounts of vitamin D are fairly rare (and not universally loved). This may explain why the majority of French people are vitamin D deficient.
Yet vitamin D acts like a hormone on a daily basis, regulating our immune system and natural defenses. We need it most in winter, but without sunshine or sufficient food intake, its deficiency disrupts our immunity.
It may therefore be beneficial to take vitamin D supplements to make up for any deficiency.
To find out when to take a course of vitamin D and how to choose the right supplement, we recommend this article.
Strengthen your immunity with Dielen D3+, the natural nutritional complex from Laboratoire Dielen :
Why choose vitamin D from Laboratoire Dielen ?
Turmeric is widely used in many countries, such as India and Malaysia. You can find it on your plate, but it has also been used for many years in Chinese and Indian medicine for its medicinal virtues.
Curcumin is the most interesting active ingredient contained in turmeric. A powerful antioxidant, it is highlighted in scientific and medical literature for its properties on inflammation, cell protection, natural defenses and immunity. All these properties make turmeric a very useful winter ally.
Research has shown that curcumin may help maintain the effectiveness of natural defenses thanks to its antioxidant properties.
More specifically, curcumin could both promote the growth and activity of immune cells, but also inhibit their activity during periods of dysfunction, thus ensuring balance.
It is also said to have antimicrobial and antiviral activity.
Boost your immune system with Curcuméga :
Curcuméga is a unique, innovative formula combining a high dosage of natural curcumin with fish oil rich in EPA-DHA omega-3.
Turmeric and vitamin D support the immune system.
