Some everyday bad habits may, in reality, aid in building and maintaining immunity.
There are few things that are as important to human health as maintaining a strong immune system. When the immune system is strong, it can fight off the various threats that inevitably will make their way into the human body, and severe illness is far less likely. Of course, even the best immune system is going to need help from medication or other interventions from time to time but starting out with a strong immune system will go a long way toward keeping you on track for the future.
Toward that end, it’s interesting to note that some life choices that might sometimes be considered “bad” can actually be quite good for the immune system. The article below highlights some of these choices and what they might do to the body.
Eating fruit has always been a bit of a balancing act between pros and cons. There are certainly countless things that people could be eating that are worse than fruit, considering fruit is a natural product without any artificial chemicals or additives. At the same time, certain fruits do contain a lot of sugar, and consuming too much sugar is known to be harmful to health.
As far as the immune system goes, however, fruit can be considered a win. With the fiber, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants that are included in fruits, the immune system gets a boost, even if some sugar does come along for the ride.
Another point that is related to diet comes back to supplements that people may or may not be taking. There seems to be a belief among some people that supplements can help the immune system, but that isn’t the case. Things like taking a dose of vitamin C regularly aren’t helpful, and don’t do the same thing as simply eating a healthy, balanced diet day after day.
There is also evidence to indicate that simply spending time outdoors is helpful for the immune system. This can be true even in cold weather, which some people tend to think about as being harmful to immunity and potentially a risk for getting sick. Spending time outside has a lot of other benefits, but it is seen as beneficial to the immune system in addition to everything else that it does.
Speaking of other things that happen when outside, interacting with others may be on that list. There is actually a potential immunity gain from spending time with other people and avoiding loneliness that might drop the white blood cell count and promote inflammation.
When it comes to human health, it’s rarely as simple as classifying something as “good” or “bad”. Most of the time – with a few exceptions – things that people do to their bodies, or put in their bodies, have both positive and negative aspects. Therefore, striving for good health tends to be more about balance and moderation than any type of extremism. Taking the points highlighted above to an extreme might not be healthy but using them in moderation may prove to be an excellent thing for the immune system.
Sources:
5 “Bad” Things You Should Be Doing for Better Immune Health, According to Health Experts
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