Top 10 Immune Boosting Habits

Top 10 Immune Boosting Habits

Amanda Nicole SmithBody Care, Experiences, Herbal Tea 2 Comments

My top 10 immune boosting habits keep me healthy all year round, so I can focus on my goals without interruption.

A lot of people I know are getting sick right now, but not me. Over the past 4 years I have been developing my perfect “alternative first aid kit” to combat congestion, sore throats, and my yearly case of chronic bronchitis.

If you are sick and you come around me, I won’t flinch or worry that I will get sick from you. I will not blame you, should I get sick, just because we breathed the same air or touched the same objects.

I used to believe all of this, living in fear that sickness was out of my control.

After researching over the course of 5 years, I came to the realization; I have control over my health. I wanted to believe I had control within 2 years but like everything, you must learn from experience what works best for you. Learning and keeping track of what makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad is key to your success. No book or article can tell you what makes you feel good.

I know that if I eat too much sugar I will get sick, I know if I don’t eat enough alkalizing foods I will get sick. 

I have also realized eating an abundance and diverse selection of raw leafy greens, herbs, spices and vegetables make me feel my absolute best. Add in meditation and some form of exercise and you will be untouchable! 😉

By eliminating bad habits and replacing them with purified habits, I have been cold free for 4 years straight. As soon as I start to fall back to unhealthy habits I start to feel the symptoms almost immediately. This is all an experiment on what my limits are.

I think of it like a handstand, you have to find that sweet spot to stay balanced and keep from falling; same with food you have to find your sweet spot to keep you from falling back into your old habits.

colorful-handstand 

Everyone has their fallbacks.  It’s okay to treat yourself once in a while, but it’s when you forget to listen to your body and overindulge when problems start. It is also important to optimize your indulgences. For instance I love cookies but I only eat cookies made with real ingredients, no chips ahoy for this girl anymore. I feel good about my indulgences because I make sure they are at least the made from the highest quality ingredients like my raw vegan chocolate chip cookies or Dominick’s Vegan cookies made from unrefined sugar; and unbleached, stone ground flour.

This is a lifestyle change, not a prescription or a 1 time thing. I don’t do these things only when I get sick, I do them when I start to feel subtle changes in my body. I listen carefully so I know when to stop eating sugar and gluten which are my major fallbacks.

The source problem is usually a poor diet, lack of purified water, lack of sleep, and stress. Put all these together and you are bound to get sick no matter who around you is sick. These are all a result of habits, routines that just stuck with you for whatever reason.

 Many people believe in only treating the symptoms. I believe you can relieve the symptoms but eventually the symptoms will arise again if you do not handle the source problem.

You have got to stay sharp, I want you to accomplish all of your heart’s desires,  so I give you my top 10 tools for staying healthy all year round. 

Note: These are only recommendations based off of my experience. I will note; I do not get any vaccines, and do not take any medications of any sort, including aspirin. If you are taking medications, vaccines or have a serious illness please consult with your doctor before implementing these recommendations; especially when using herbs, as they can counteract with prescription drugs.

1. Stay hydrated all day long.

Drink lots and lots of purified water, I have found either filtered or reverse osmosis to be the best. Bottled water and tap water do not count!

I recommend drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day, wether that is straight water, tea or herbal infusions.

Every day I drink 5 quart sized mason jars. 3 are straight water and the rest is tea and or herbal infusions.

You may need to drink more or less water, learn to listen to your body.

If I feel incredibly hungry in the morning, I know my body has not finished digestion, and to help it along I drink a quart of water right off that bat.

If my lips feel chapped or my skin starts to get dry, I drink more water, and rub coconut oil on the dry areas; shea butter if it’s extremely cold and dry.

1a. Use a humidifier or go to the sauna. You could even stand over a boiling pot of water.

You don’t have to stay hydrated only by drinking water you can also hydrate through the skin. The sauna is obviously the greatest option but if you are “dying” you don’t want to go out in public. Next best thing is a humidifier, but if you don’t have one, a good old pot will do. 

Adding essential oils to any of these humidifying techniques boosts the effects. Eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender are best to help clear sinuses and sooth throats.

Before I go to the sauna I grab a spray bottle, add 10-20 drops of essential oils depending on the size of the bottle and fill it to the top with water. The sauna usually has burning colas that you can mist to make hotter. I spray my mixture onto the coals to capture all the amazing benefits of essential oils and humidity.

In a humidifier I just add my essential oils to the water basin.

Same with a pot of water except sometimes I’ll add fresh herbs instead and brew a batch of tea to kill two birds with one stone.

2. Eat citrus fruit in the morning.

Winter time is citrus time and so I always recommend eating grapefruit, lemons, and limes in the morning with a quart of water. These citrus fruits are very alkalizing, despite popular belief. 

You want to eat these fruits on an empty stomach so they can digest properly. Fruits only take 30 minutes to an hour to digest, whereas heavier foods such as nuts can take 3 hours to digest. If you put a fast digesting food on top of a slow digesting food problems arise.

Don’t drink juice unless you’re the one doing the juicing. Most fruit juices on the market are from concentrate and contain a lot of sugar which is counterproductive to boosting your immune system.

3. Drink tea and herbal infusions in the morning and afternoon.

Sweet Herbal Tea Recipe

Here are some quick and easy herbal tea blends that will boost you immune system. You can find loose herbs in many different health stores in the bulk sections. 

Nettles Infusion

An infusion, such as nettles infusion, is usually steeped overnight for about 8 hours. I use a 1/4 cup of herb to a quart of water and reuse the same herb twice. Nettles is like a meal in itself with its high protein and iron content. It is instantly alkalizing and you will feel full, light and energized after drinking it. However when brewed it looks like oil and it tastes like plants. lol it can be rough at first but my body actually craves it now and I can handle the taste. Be brave, nettles is worth it, trust me.

Immunity Boosting Tea

The immunity boosting tea contains echinacea which can be taken multiple times per day up to 7-10 days. Rotating out echinacea is a good idea, as with anything it’s always good to consume a variety of herbs, barks, berries, etc.

Rather than making the immunity boosting tea, you could always make a straight brew of echinacea or add it to any of the teas below.

Relief Tea | Sweet Herbal Tea

The relief tea blend recipe is most notably beneficial for fevers, chills, headaches, pains and much more. Every herb has so many benefits  it’s incredible!

Sore Throat Relief Tea

1 tsp wild cherry bark

1 tsp slippery elm

1 tsp marshmallow root

Congestion Relief Tea

1 tsp eucalyptus

1 tsp peppermint

1 tsp yarrow

Good Night Sleep Tea

1 tsp valerian

1 tsp chamomile

1 tsp white willow bark

I am constantly brewing all sorts of herbs, barks, berries and spices; winter or summer time. In the winter I drink mainly hot teas brewed for about an hour in a mason jar, and in the summer I drink mainly herbal infusions steeped for 8 hours in a mason jar and consisting of a lot more plant matter. However, I drink nettles infusions all year long because the benefits are unsurpassable. Nettles Infusions are extremely alkalizing and high in nutrients. I drink nettles all the time no matter the season. I feel so energized and ready for action after drinking a quart.

3a. Drink Herbal Shots

I love experimenting with all different kinds of magic potions. Normally what I do is brew a quart of tea and reserve a half pint. Then I add ashwangdah, gota kola, or maca powder. They all have amazing benefits that are worth checking out. These powders can make tea less than appetizing, which is why I would rather make a shot than drink a whole quart.

Many of these crazy herbs can be found at your local health store, herb shop, or online at mountain rose herb which has the highest quality herbs, spices, barks and berries I can find. 🙂

 

4. Eat big salads with lots of goodies.

Big bowl of greens with shredded vegetables

One of the  surest ways to stay healthy is to eat huge bowls of dark leafy greens. My farmers make it easy for me by mixing arugula, pea shoots, spinach, red leaf lettuce, basil, parsley, and a bunch others. In the winter it’s usually only about 4-6 different kinds of greens beauty get the point. Mixing a bunch of different types of greens together not only gives your salad a more complex flavor but it also gives you a bigger range of vitamins and minerals.

If you want to supercharge your immune system add some extra goodness to your salad such as spirulina, hemp seed, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, freshly cracked black peppercorn, and any other herb or spice you can think of that would mix well. 

My new favorite way to add vegetables to my salad is by shredding them, it’s so easy and it adds a wonderful texture and taste to any salad.

5. Consume probiotics from fermented foods.

Pak Dong and Lacto Fermented Pickles

Instead of antibiotics try probiotics! Probiotic capsules are expensive and in my opinion not as effective as probiotics from fermenting your own foods. My favorite ferment is pak dong, I also like pickles, kimchi, actual “root”beer, kombucha, sauerkraut, cultured cashew cheese and many others.

6. Shred fresh ginger and garlic wherever possible. 

Shredding Ginger and Garlic on Greens.

Ginger and Garlic have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that both help prevent common cold and flu symptoms. My favorite way of adding more ginger and garlic is by shredding it on my salads or mixing it in with my vegetable heavy dinner. I put garlic and ginger on everything I possibly can.

7. Exercise even when you feel like you’re “dying”.

Simply put, when you exercise your breath more, when you breathe more your body is supplied with more blood and oxygen to make everything work better. We all know exercise is important even when you’re “dying” sick you should still do simple exercises and breathing exercises to give your immune system the extra “oomph” it needs 😉

 8. Use the best essential oils for sore throat and congestion.

Eucalyptus

Rosemary

Lavender

Mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil as carrier oil.

half pint mason jar + 1/4 cup carrier oil + 2 drops eucalyptus + 2 drops rosemary + 2 drops lavender

You can then rub this mixture on your chest and throat.

doTERRA is known to be one of the purest essential oils you can buy, although they are a little pricy. If you need to watch your budget Aura Cacia, and NOW are the other leading brands, which can be found in most health stores.

In severe cases where someone cannot breathe through their nose, I use a cotton swab, dip it in carrier oil, and dip it in the solution above. Basically I am diluting the solution above to be gentle enough for the nostrils.

Immediately after coating their nostrils, their noses start to run, and after blowing they are completely clear. However, if they continue with unhealthy habits they are bound to have symptoms yet again. This is only a temporary fix until you correct the underlying problems, I gently remind you.

9. Get lots of sleep.

Routine 6-8 hour sleep patterns can boost your immune system, whereas no sleep and too much sleep can suppress your immunity. Make a schedule and stick to it, because your health and sanity depend on it!

10. Meditate and visualize being healthy.

If you are stressed or sick and tired, take some deep breaths, realize this too shall pass, and visualize yourself healty doing the things you love to do.

Breathing is one of the most important tools your body uses to regenerate itself and the key to rebuilding your immunity. 

This is my lifestyle now, and I can say I’m healthier and happier then ever. Health is my number one priority, so I can better take care of myself and loved ones.

 And That’s It!

…well there are many other things you can do like reflexology, acupressure, acupuncture, detox, massage, and more. So many things in the world promote health, it’s fun finding the right approach for your body.

When I was younger I did not include any of these habits into my lifestyle and as a result I suffered the consequences. The good news is I did my research and experimented with many different alternative remedies and found the best approach for me. Take the time to research and find what is best for you!

Good luck boosting your immune system and staying healthy all year round!

Comments 2

  1. Lovin’ your site, Amanda Nicole ! Must admit that I came here somewhat biased as my Granddaughter, a jewel of the universe, is named Amanda Nicole… Just discovered your fantastic site today and will be spending much time with your healing ways… I entered the World of Ferment a couple of months ago and my deteriorating body & mind have responded dramatically… With your guidance, I am now off to create my 1st Pac Dong, funny how all of the ingredients, shy of fresh dill, were awaiting your arrival… Thank you for a Beyond Remarkable Website !

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Steve! I wish you the best of luck on your journey. The universe has funny ways of grabbing our attention ;). Let me know how you like the Pak Dong, it’s still my absolute favorite, after trying many other ferments.

      Happy Fermenting!

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