This “Creative Ways to Boost Your Immune System + Supplements” blog post is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of EpiCor. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for allowing me to partner with brands I believe in to continue to bring you free content!

As a family, we are always trying to live a lifestyle that naturally boosts our immune systems. We follow a mostly Paleo diet, we move our bodies every day, we drink healthy water, we use essential oils… But is there more we could be doing to boost our immune systems?

Creative ways to boost your immune system:

1. Exercise: moderate intensity exercise for even just 20-30 minutes a day has been shown to support immune health (source). There are so many great at-home options right now. My favorites are DoYogaWithMe.com, T-Mac Fitness, and Centr.
2. Eat well: It’s so tempting during this stressful time to comfort eat. Processed foods, alcohol, and sugar weaken your immune system. Instead, try to fill your plate with leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, and grass fed, free range meat and sustainably caught seafood.
3. Eat mindfully: It’s so crazy to realize that it’s not just what we’re eating that matters, it’s also how. When we’re already in a stressed state, our bodies have higher stress hormone levels, which means it will slow down our metabolisms and store fat. One great rule of thumb is to actually sit at your dining table every single time you eat. When we take the time to focus on what we’re eating, it helps us make better food choices AND it actually aids our digestion, too!
4. Lower your stress: When we are constantly stressed, we’re stuck in perpetual fight or flight mode. Lowering your overall stress is a great way to boost your immune system! Since hormones released while you’re stressed decrease your body’s innate immune system, reduced stress improves your ability to fight off challenges. There are so many ways to do this. I love starting my day with a quiet time where I read my Bible and journal. There are also so many breathing exercises and meditation apps that make slowing down easy. My favorites are the Headspace app, Insight Timer, Calm.com, and SimpleHabit.com.
5. Stay Social: We are social beings, and we need to connect with each other! Even if you’re staying at home more, there are ways to connect. Schedule reunion Zoom calls with your high school or college friends. Host zoom happy hours with your best friends. Try to get together with neighbors for a hike or an activity outdoors.

Supplements to Support Your Immune System:

1. Fermentates (EpiCor): Fermentates like EpiCor are made through a unique fermentation process. EpiCor fermentate has been clinically shown to support your immune health. (more on this below!) 
2. Vitamin D3: Studies suggest that vitamin D is a key factor linking innate and adaptive immunity, and both of these functions may be compromised under conditions of vitamin D insufficiency (source, source). Vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone. It is a fat-soluble vitamin obtained through certain animal products and sun exposure. Be sure to either get a Vitamin D3 supplement that contains all of the Vitamin D synergists to ensure it works properly in the body: K2, A, B6, chromium, magnesium, zinc and boron, or source these synergists in your diet  (source).
3. Vitamin C: Vitamin C may decrease the duration of respiratory  challenges (although not severity or frequency) (source).
4. Vitamin B12: The B-vitamin complex supports many different systems and is a cofactor in the regular function of many proteins and lipids. B12 contributes to the normal function of the red blood cell development and normal DNA maintenance required to keep your body in top shape (source, source). In addition, B12 helps your metabolism convert food into the energy your body needs to meet the challenges of the day. Combined, these factors contribute to a healthy immune system.  
5. Quercetin: Quercetin is flavonoid has unique biological properties that may support mental/physical performance and immune function (source). It is found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds, and grains; red onions and kale are common foods containing appreciable amounts of quercetin. You can also find it in supplement form. 
6. Zinc: Zinc is involved in healthy immune response and the oxidative stress response. An estimated 30% of the elderly population is deficient in Zinc (source).
7. Selenium: Selenium is a potent nutritional antioxidant that carries out biological effects through incorporation into “selenoproteins”, important in the oxidative stress response. A deficiency in Selenium has possible implication in difficulty of fighting immune challenges (source).
8. Glutamine: Glutamine is an abundant amino acid, crucial to cellular homeostasis and energy utilization. Immune system cells rely on glutamine to get their energy. Glutamine is depleted in sepsis, recovery from burns or surgery, and malnutrition, as well as high intensity/volume physical exercise (source).

My Favorite Fermentate: EpiCor

Fermentation for our Health

Almost every ancient culture understood the benefits of fermentation for our health. It seems like the process of fermentation has been around forever! However historians have traced signs of fermentation in food and beverage preparation dating as far back as 7000 BC. (source). Fermentation is all around us: cheese, wine, beer, kimchi, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, and there are so many more examples!

Even now, in my own home, I am fermenting tea to make Kombucha! Just like you may drink Kombucha for its healthy fermented benefits, I use EpiCor to help support my immune health. I love it so much because EpiCor is a supplement you take daily to support your immune health giving you the peace of mind you’re doing something good for your body.

Find out where to get your EpiCor here!

The first product I tried is this Lemon Ginger Kombucha on the Go from Align. You can also get EpiCor in tablet form with this Healthy Origins supplement or Gut Connection by Country Life.

Also, some of my other favorites are from brands we already know and trust like NOW foods EpiCor Plus Immunity Veg Capsules and goop Wellness Perfect Attendance.

How are you boosting your immune system? I would love to know in the comments below!

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Sources:

1. 1. Exercise: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6523821/
   2. Vitamin D: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21849106/
   3. Vitamin D: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29080635/
   4. Vitamin D: https://deliciouslyorganic.net/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-thyroid-disease/
   5. Vitamin C: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
   6. Vitamin C: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19263912/
   7. Vitamin B12: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1905232/
   8. Vitamin B12: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
   9. Quercetin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808895/ 
   10. Zinc: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748737/
   11. Selenium: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3723386/
   12. Glutamine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266414/