To determine your individual water needs, Holley recommends dividing your body weight in pounds by two. “However, the majority of people worldwide are not even reaching the lower ranges for adequate hydration,” notes Jennifer Hanway, a board-certified holistic nutritionist, certified personal trainer and health coach based in Boston, New York and London. “Water is essential for absorbing certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, transporting nutrients throughout the body, maintaining body temperature and eliminating toxins.”Īdequate hydration also helps the lymphatic system move immune-boosting white blood cells through the body. “Of all the fluids that support a healthy immune system, water is the most important and should be our primary beverage of choice,” says Siera Holley, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

If you want to boost immunity, sticking with the basics is a great place to start. (Antioxidants are compounds that can support many aspects of health, including healthy immune system function.) But if you’re looking for a delicious, immune-system boosting drink that’s not a smoothie, check out the following 11 options: In discussions of using food and drink to boost immunity, smoothies are often recommended because they’re loaded with fruits and vegetables that are great sources of antioxidants. Undernutrition or malnutrition can impair immune function if insufficient nutrients are present to help the immune system do its job.” “If the immune system is activated to respond to a pathogen (an organism that can cause disease), optimal nutrition is needed to provide the extra demand for energy and nutrients. “Adequate nutrition is required for all cells to function properly, including our immune system cells,” says Kristine Dilley, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. But you have to treat it right for it to work optimally. The human body comes equipped with its own defense mechanism, the immune system, that can protect you from illness. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.

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