There's little that's more important than taking good care of your health. And these days, that means doing everything you can to keep your immune system strong and resilient. Fortunately, supporting immunity doesn’t have to be stressful, expensive, or time consuming--even during a pandemic! Here's what you can do to keep your families’ immune systems going strong. #1: Open the windows for 10 minutes, twice a day This old European tradition is one of the easiest things you can do to improve indoor air quality and reduce exposure to pathogens like viruses and bacteria, allergens, products and materials that contain VOCs like household cleaning products as well as chemicals which ride on dust called, SVOCs, and heavy metals. Even if you have a high-quality air purifier going at home, you dust regularly, etc. it’s a good idea to freshen and dilute the air when weather permits by throwing open windows for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon. While some days it may be just too cold or too hot, we do try to make this happen whenever possible. In addition to improving indoor air quality, research has shown that bringing in fresh air increases the oxygen content of the air and contains a wealth of beneficial microbes which can help build and diversify your microbiome.1 To learn more, check out: Better Air Means Better Health: Enhance your Immunity by Improving Indoor Air Quality and The Surprising Chemicals Riding on Common House Dust. #2: Toss the Toxins In an article dated March 27, 2020, the New York Times stated that increased exposure to chemicals/pollution in the air increases our susceptibility to infection. Having products with harmful chemicals throughout our home actually makes us more vulnerable to disease and catching contagious illness. Strengthen your family’s resistance to illness with this no-cost easy way to boost the immune system - Toss The Toxins. Better air means better health. This is foundational to your family’s health and immunity! #3: Eat real food It’s remarkable how much food can impact our immunity and overall well-being. For example, simple fruits and vegetables like oranges and broccoli are chock-full of immune boosting compounds such as antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E) which keep inflammation at bay, fiber which promotes intestinal health and feeds healthy gut bacteria, natural sugars which fuel the liver and provide energy, and loads of other beneficial nutrients. Yet, according to the CDC fewer than 1 in 10 US adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables a day (the recommendation being just 5-7 servings), and over half of US adults still consume at least one sugary beverage daily.2 This is a serious problem as poor diet has now been shown to contribute to more deaths per year than smoking!3 Luckily, improving eating habits doesn’t have to be difficult if you focus on eating REAL FOOD. This means shopping the perimeter of the grocery stores and avoiding boxed, canned, or packaged foods, opting for organic whenever possible, avoiding processed foods with harmful ingredients (even “organic” or “all-natural” varieties), cooking without the use of refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, MSG, refined table salt (we use sea salt or Himalayan pink salt), refined oils, and other food additives. Does this mean you never buy anything packaged or prepared and make all your meals and baked goods from scratch? No, but reading labels to make sure you avoid excitotoxins, inflammatory oils, etc. even on boxes that say organic is key! As busy working mothers with babies and children at home we definitely love supporting ethical food companies who make healthy snacks, baked goods, condiments, prepared foods, etc. made with real foods. To learn more, check out: How to Eat Clean on a Budget, The Ultimate Healthy Snacks Guide, and The Surprising Ways Refined Sugar Affects Your Health and Immune Function (and tips for avoiding it). #4: Use soap and water when you can instead of hand sanitizers The CDC and other health authorities agree that the best defense against pathogens, including coronavirus, flu, etc. is good old fashioned soap! Plus, antibacterial products simply haven’t been shown to work any better than soap. Per the FDA: “...the manufacturers haven’t proven that those ingredients are safe for daily use over a long period of time. Also, manufacturers haven’t shown that these ingredients are any more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illnesses and the spread of certain infections4.