Bonjour,
Today a very topical subject: Can you boost your immune system? Is ginger going to protect you? Is there a miracle way to not catch a virus?
Spoiler alert: Not really.
First a bit about “boosting”. It sounds like a good idea, but actually the immune system is a nice self-regulating system. If it’s boosted, it means that it’s overworking, leading to inflammation. As someone who had an auto-immune disease, I prefer not to boost. The proper term is “support”.
When I was a kid, we had this amazing comic in France, where the body is represented as a little planet with loads of inhabitant having different roles. Since that time, I always saw your immune system as a nice army of little soldiers trained to serve and protect. So how to you train them, feed them and help them to protect you? To be honest, it’s not rocket science, so no miracle ingredients anywhere (sorry ginger)
- First: Avoid things that can damage them
- Smoking
- Alcohol in large quantities
- Then: Work on things that can damage them. That’s the part that is the hardest for me, because life… I have to say meditation has helped me a lot on these two factors, as well as yoga and not keeping my phone in my room.
- Sleep
- Stress
- And then the easier part: Food
- Eat a varied diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fibres. So yes, ginger too.
- And finally don’t overwork or distract your little soldiers on another front: Avoid infections. Wash your hands!
Et voila, no miracle ingredients unfortunately. I wish quick fixes would exist, but it rarely does.
This article was inspired by the very good summary from Harvard Medical School available here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
Marie, Gallinée’s founder
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