5 Ways to Boost Your Immune Health

To join the ranks of “those people’ who rarely get sick, start with these simple steps.

1. Optimize your vitamin D levels.

If you’re vitamin D deficient, and most of you are, your immune system will not activate to do its job. Several studies show that the high-er your vitamin D levels, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory infections.

2. Optimize your insulin and leptin levels by avoiding sugar.

Eating sugar, fructose, and grains will in-crease your insulin level, which is one of the fastest ways to get sick and also experience premature aging. Like your insulin levels, if your leptin levels become elevated, your body can develop a resistance to this hormone, which will wreak havoc in your body.

3. Exercise regularly.

In one study, staying active cut the risk of having a cold by 50% and cut the severity of symptoms by 31% among those who did catch a cold.

4. Eat plenty of raw food.

Even if you choose the best foods available, you can destroy most of the nutrition if you cook them. Look for organic, locally-grown options when possible.

5. Learn how to effectively cope with stress.

Stress has a major in-fluence on the function of your immune system. This is true for both acute stressful episodes, such as prepping for a big project at work, and chronic stress, such as relationship troubles or grief. Take time to de-stress and unwind using stress management tools.

Following these guidelines will help you optimize both your health and immune function, and by doing so minimize your risk of the flu and other infectious disease.