Especially in autumn and winter, the ever-colder temperatures can take a toll on your immune system. This often results in sore throats, colds, coughs and much more. But with just a few tips, you can protect your body from the cold temperatures and support it with natural home remedies and tricks.
To help you get through the cold season well prepared, we have put together the five most important tips for a strong immune defence.
Organic porridge from Tyrol – discover them here
1. A warm breakfast strengthens the immune defence
You may wonder how warm food can strengthen your immune system. This is because your body needs much less energy to digest preheated food than it does for cold dishes. The reason for this is that the food is already at the body's operating temperature and therefore does not need to be warmed up by the body.
What's more, warm food is easier to digest and better tolerated – which is easier on your gut. This also has a positive effect on your immune system, since a large part of it is located in your gut. The large intestine in particular plays a major role in immune defence. Its mucous membrane contains a large number of lymph follicles that recognise bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and fight them with antibodies. The antibodies play a particularly important role in the immune system because they mark pathogens as ‘dangerous’.
As you can see, there are a number of arguments in favour of a warm breakfast. If you want to give it a try, porridge is the quickest and easiest option. You only need a few ingredients and it takes a maximum of 10 minutes to prepare.
Here is a delicious recipe for a warm oat porridge that will provide you with all the nutrients you need for the day:
2. The ideal immune system booster: superfood oats
According to TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), oats are the ideal immune system booster because they not only keep you energised throughout the day, but also warm you from the inside out. According to TCM, oats have the strongest warming effect of all grains, making them the ideal basis for a warm breakfast during the cold season.
Find out more about different types of grain such as oats, spelt and rice and their significance in traditional Chinese medicine here.
3. Effectively prevent colds with freshly squeezed orange juice
For many people, a glass of orange juice in the morning is probably already an integral part of breakfast. However, it is particularly important that you drink freshly squeezed orange juice and do not reach for any fruit juice concentrate. The vitamins are completely preserved in the freshly squeezed juice, because vitamin C is very sensitive to heat and the juice is often heated during the production of concentrates.
Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants and protects your cells from free radicals. With a sufficient intake of vitamin C, you can minimise certain health risks and susceptibility to infections. Freshly squeezed orange juice can thus strengthen your immune system due to its high vitamin C content and actively helps to prevent colds.
4. Delicious spices warm you from the inside
Various spices that warm your body from the inside also help to protect you from catching a cold during the cold season. Cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon), cloves, fresh ginger and turmeric are particularly good for autumn and winter as they warm you by dilating your blood vessels and thus stimulating blood circulation.
A teaspoon of cinnamon on your breakfast is the best way to prepare your body for the cold autumn and winter days. Or why not try the delicious verival turmeric rice porridge, based on the 5-element theory of TCM. This way, you'll get your daily dose of healthy nutrients at breakfast time.
5. Morning walks for a strong immune system
To strengthen your immune system, it's worth braving the cold weather and going for a walk in the cool air before breakfast, where you can soak up some vitamin D in the sun if you're lucky. A short morning walk or some exercise in the fresh air will get your circulation going. This also increases blood flow to your lungs, reducing the concentration of inflammatory agents in your body.
We guarantee you: a warming breakfast with oats and cinnamon never tasted better after a nice morning walk.
Boost your immune system with a warm breakfast
As you can see, it's easy to strengthen your immune system and get it in shape for the cold season with just a few tips. Your diet, in particular, plays an important role. A balanced diet with a high proportion of fruit and vegetables provides you with all the important vitamins and thus protects you and your body from pathogens.
