Five ways to boost your immunity
As a mother of school-aged kids, you’re constantly picking up the bugs your kids bring home. If you’ve tried taking supplements but you’re not sure if that is the best approach – you’re not alone. If you want to boost your immunity so that you’re all more resilient (and less likely to get sick), we wrote this for you.
We’ve brought together the five best ways to boost your immunity based on the Root Cause Protocol, which hinges on the following principle: getting nutrients from food is the best way to go (for you and your family).
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is well known for its role in supporting our immunity. As our bodies can’t make vitamin C, we need to ensure that we’re getting enough from our food.
Our top recommendations are:
Vitamin C: Fruit
- Kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges, lemons, lime
- Add these fruits to your breakfast and school lunch boxes. You can also have them ready in the car for school pick-up snacks or make a platter for everyone (yourself included) to enjoy while the kids do their homework.
Vitamin C: Vegetables
- Cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts.
- Make a tasty stir fry with the vegetables to increase your vitamin C. Just don’t overcook the vegetables! We’ve all had bad experiences with soggy cabbage or tough brussel sprouts as kids.
2. Magnesium
Magnesium is a powerhouse mineral that helps our bodies in all kinds of ways. It keeps your heart beating steadily, allows your muscles to contract and helps your immune system stay strong (among other things).
Our top recommendations are:
- Dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, tuna, walnuts, pecans and brown rice.
- Add the nuts and seeds to your breakfast, or sprinkle them on salads. The brown rice will go perfectly with your stir fry. The dark chocolate? We can all find a way to add a piece or two to our day! 😉
3. Cod liver oil
Cod liver oil contains vitamin A (aka retinol), an essential nutrient for our immune system.
The quality of different brands of cod liver oil differs drastically, depending on the way the oil was extracted and processed. We recommend Rosita, Jigsaw or Formula IQ. We sell the last two if you’re in Australia.
4. Beef liver
If your first thought is, “Urg, I’m not eating that!” you’ll be happy to hear you can purchase a capsule form. Beef liver is high in vitamins A and B and copper, so it is well worth considering.
If you’d like to experiment with cooking beef liver, we recommend you source this product from an organic farmer or butcher. Grass-fed is always best.
We don’t recommend vitamin B in synthetic form (i.e. tablets or liquid) as it can negatively impact your metabolic function.
5. Olive leaf extract
If your kids do bring home a bug, then taking olive leaf extract can be a temporary boost to your immunity system until the bug has left the house.
This extract can be purchased from health food stores. We recommend avoiding any products with added zinc, iron or ascorbic acid, as they can affect the effectiveness of the product.
Where possible, we recommend buying food that has been grown organically, as it tends to have fewer chemical sprays used in its production. Generally speaking, more care will have also been taken of the soil than with food grown using intensive farming methods.
Not all supplements are created equal. You need to find the right ones for you and your body to ensure that you’re gaining the maximum benefit. If you’re ready to get tailored support for your body and for your family’s overall health, then book a free 15-minute Zoom call with one of our team. We’ll discuss what you’d like to achieve and then point you in the right direction when it comes to consults and support.