Shore up your winter defences

Three ways to help support your immune system

There are lots of proven simple steps you can take to defend your immune system this Winter, including:

1. Wash your hands

Soap and water can break down bacteria and viruses, but you need to scrub up properly, so make sure you wash for at least 20 seconds, getting between your fingers, and do it frequently. Get into the habit of washing your hands whenever you arrive somewhere – your home, a restaurant, your workplace, for example – and always before you eat. Sanitising gels are no replacement for hand-washing but are really useful when you’re out and about, especially on public transport, so make use of them.

2. Supercharge with supplements

There’s no replacement for a healthy, balanced diet but it can be worth topping up if you’re concerned you’re not getting all you need from the food you eat. Why not try Manuka Doctor’s Manuka and Buckwheat Honey Syrup – a simple and delicious way to get a hit of vitamins C and B12, along with biotin, which can help keep those protective mucus membranes healthy 3. And we all need to supplement with vitamin D during the darker months, as we don’t get enough sunlight to make what we need

3. Eat immunity nutrients

A healthy diet, with at least five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, is key. Fruit and veg are not only high in vitamins and minerals, they’re also good sources of fibre. You need a spread of different vitamins and minerals but some of the immunity big hitters

2 include vitamin C and zinc