Boost Your Immune System Naturally with WASI | 5 Tips for Staying Healthy

Seaweed &

Sea Swimming

Get your body ready for the summer and learn how you can boost your immune system naturally! Find out my top tips on using seaweed, sea swimming, dandelions, wild weeds, rest & massage and deep breathing.

Consuming a diet dense in protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients found in whole, unprocessed foods is the way to build a strong immune system and it’s never been easier to stock up on these without even leaving the house.

Check out my top tips to help boost your immune system and keep you safe, strong and on track this summer.

And top of the list is of course…

Seaweed

No surprise here really, you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger fan of the stuff. This superfood is considered to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet and it’s no wonder. It’s a treasure throve of all that’s good for you from Vitamin C to Amino acids. There are several vitamins and minerals that are essential for immune health and seaweed has it all. Studies show seaweed to be a potential flu remedy but us Irish are way ahead, we’ve been using it from way back when to ward off coughs, colds and sore throats.
Before you turn your nose up at the thought of eating seaweed you should know that the seaweed landscape has changed dramatically in recent years with the arrival of seaweed crisps, breads, powders and shakes. Then you have the likes of us here at WASi making delicious seaweed pestos that are easy and versatile to use

Cold Water Swimming

This is something I’ve been doing for years though not as religiously as my partner and I can see for myself that we suffer far less colds and coughs than a lot of my friends who haven’t yet been convinced to give this a go.

Long suspected as being a powerful immune booster, science is now starting to back up the theory that there are lasting positive effects of embracing a cold water dip. 

The stress reaction caused by cold water immersion triggers an increase in white blood cell production, providing a natural boost to your immune system. On top of this it increases our tolerance to stress, your body goes into fight or flight mode releasing the stress hormone cortisol and your breathing frequency and heart rate increases. Doing this on a regular basis you’ll find it quickly becomes easier and even enjoyable (no lies I promise!). It’s not that your body gets used to the temperature but you just get used to your body’s reaction and the reaction itself becomes less severe. The beauty of this is that this reduction in stress response not only applies to swimming but to other aspects of life (like work pressure or exams). As your stress levels and immune system go hand in hand taking a plunge each morning might be the very thing to boost that immune system.

Weeds

No I’m not talking cannabis, that’s a whole other discussion. I’m talking about the ones you spend Sunday afternoon pulling up in your garden to throw on the compost heap. Did you know that you’re in fact throwing away nutritional gold?

Dandelions are everywhere this time of the year, my brother in law is obsessed with them and adds them to practically every meal he prepares. They have been used for their medicinal qualities for centuries, rich in antioxidants (which keep free radicals in check) the mighty dandelion can help prevent some types of cancer, cardiovascular problems or senile diseases, usually caused by a large number of free radicals in the body.

Then there are nettles; healthy, tasty and free and more nutritious than spinach and broccoli in terms of minerals and vitamins. Particularly rich in Vitamin C and iron, drying the leaves of spring growth will leave you with the base of a tonic that will keep you in good stead for the year long just remember to wear good gloves and cover up those legs or it might be the first and last time you’ll go foraging nettles.

Chickweed too has many culinary and folk remedy uses that date back centuries, it has been used in Chinese medicine for skin disease and dermatitis while here in Ireland it’s used to treat wounds, speed up healing and reduce itching and irritation. Blend it into dips like hummus or chop it onto salads, pizzas or pastas.

Rest, Massage and Deep Breathing

Anyone who knows me knows I love nothing more than a powerful deep tissue massage but in these days of social distancing all such treats are out. To cope with this I’ve been working on my own muscles and getting good results, this has also served as a time for meditation a bit like my morning swims and rest too. It takes a bit of research and practice but once you identify those trigger points in your own body you’ll forever be grateful you put in the work. A great technique for those stiff shoulder muscles is to put a tennis ball in a long sock, swing it over your shoulder and move it up and down your back while standing against a wall until you find those trigger points Keep to one side of the spine and then work on the other, you don’t want to cross over you spine. This way you reduce stress and boost immunity.  

Water

And don’t forget, drinking eight to ten glasses of water every day is one of the most effective ways to flush toxins from your body and support the health of your immune system.

These are just a small example of the steps I take to stay healthy and happy, there are others even more weird and wonderful that I’ll write about in the near future.