Boosters for the immune system — that's how I stay healthy

Dr. Matthias Menschel, general practitioner and naturopathy doctor at Menschels Vitalresort, explains how we support our body's immune system through simple measures.

Nutrition and health are closely linked. If we want to do our immune system a favor, a predominantly plant-based diet with fruit but above all with lots of vegetables, cold-pressed vegetable oils, herbs, nuts and oilseeds is on the table.

His recommendation is to eat around 500 g of as many different types of vegetables as possible per day, preferably freshly prepared as a salad or gently warmed up. But it also depends on how much and, above all, how often we eat. Studies show that we now eat up to ten times a day. These are often just snacks, but these many small snacks also stress our digestive system — the largest organ of our immune system. Therefore, two or three meals a day are ideal.

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Regular exercise activates killer cells and other helpers of our immune system. However, you should be careful here, because a lot does not always help much. Anyone who trains too long or too intensively damages their immune system. If exercise becomes a stress factor for our body, we are even more susceptible to infections.

Moderate endurance training in the fresh air is particularly recommended, such as easy jogging, intensive walking, but also hiking, cycling, swimming or cross-country skiing. In addition, exercise also helps to reduce stress.

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Why is stress so harmful to the immune system? In chronic stress, the concentration of stress hormones, including cortisol, remains permanently at a high level. This weakens the body and increases its vulnerability to infections. It is scientifically proven that people who are permanently stressed are more likely to have colds. On the other hand, short-term stress does not damage the immune system. It is important that you can recover again and again afterwards and not slide straight into a new exhausting phase.