Six steps to a healthier lifestyle for many years to come
NUTRITION
Eat wholefoods. Specifically, a variety of whole fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and oily fish such as salmon or mackerel a couple of times a week. Getting enough protein is essential for a good immune function. Best sources are animal foods, such as steak, pork, chicken, fish and eggs. For vegetarians the best sources of protein are pulses such as chickpeas and lentils.
I have a fry-up minus the bread about three times per week. Cook in extra virgin olive oil.
Best sources of natural vitamin C include lemons, oranges and strawberries.
Avoid anything that comes out of a packet with five or more ingredients. Especially biscuits,cakes, chocolates and sweets.avoid any product marketed as low fat or “proven to lower cholesterol”.this is because these are often heavily processed and loaded with more harmful ingredients such as sugar, preservatives and additives.
Avoid all added sugar in processed food.also avoid fruit juice, smoothies, honey and syrups because they lack fibre which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. This will increase blood sugar levels which in turn increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity.avoid food cooked in industrial seed oils such as sunflower or soybean.these produce cancer-causing chemicals (aldehydes).
If you are overweight, obese or have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, avoid or keep to a bare minimum all starchy carbohydrates especially white bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. If you can do this 80 per cent of the time you’ll be on your way to better health within weeks.
If you have a healthy, varied diet there is no need but there is evidence that boosting vitamin D can protect against respiratory infections.there’s no harm in extra doses of vitamin C, so take up to 2g a day.
EXERCISE
This is a key to boosting the immune system as it produces killer cells that help fight diseases.a daily 30-minute brisk walk, cycling or exercises in the home including four sets of 10 squats and 50 push ups a day are also good for muscle strength. If a push up is too much, do them against the wall.
SLEEP
Aim for 7-8 hours. If you can’t do that, cut out caffeine after midday, and switch off social media two hours before bed.
MEDITATION AND LAUGHTER
Do 20 minutes a day of deep breathing in a quiet room. I use an app called Calm. Another immunity booster is laughter.as we’re going to be spending more time at home try to watch a daily comedy show.
STOP SMOKING
There’s no better time to stop. Smokers are a high-risk group for severe disease.