Do you get colds or flu during the fall and winter months? Ever wonder if there are precautions that you could take to minimize getting sick? Well, there are simple actions you can take. A strong and healthy immune system is your best defense against invading viruses. Consuming wholesome foods, adding nutritional supplements, and making certain changes to your lifestyle can help a person strengthen their immune system and, thus, help protect the body from illness and disease.

Vegetables and Fruits - Fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and minerals (such as Vitamins A, B6, C, and E and minerals such as copper, iron, selenium, and zinc) play an important role in helping protect the body. Including a wide variety of wholesome foods in your diet will help ensure you are getting the essential elements your body needs. A daily vitamin/mineral formula can help ensure you don't miss important nutrients. For extra protection, vitamin C may be helpful for increasing resistance to viruses and colds.

Garlic - Raw garlic may be helpful for preventing infections from spreading. Usually one to two raw garlic cloves per day is adequate. By swallowing small pieces of the garlic with water or tea, you can lessen "garlic breath."

Probiotic Bacteria - Adding a high potency multiple-bacteria probiotic supplement to your daily diet can help provide proper balance of good bacteria in the intestinal tract. When the intestinal system is healthy the immune system can focus on incoming viruses and not combating the toxins resulting from decaying waste in the intestines. One bacteria that can be helpful for fighting intestinal viruses is L. Salivarius.

Chinese Herbs - According to traditional Chinese Medicine, Reishi, maitake, and shiitake mushrooms have been found helpful for boosting the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells.

Water - Drinking plenty of pure water every day can help keep the body hydrated. When the body is properly hydrated, the nutrients can get to the cells and wastes can be more easily removed. For most people, a good guideline is to drink half their body weight in ounces. So, if one weighed 160 pounds, they'd drink 80 ounces of water per day.

Supplements - Four nutritional supplements that may be helpful for increasing the body's resistance to colds and flu are Vitamin C, Echinacea, Protease enzyme, and Colloidal Silver. The results from clinical studies have shown that Vitamin C helps reduce the duration and severity of colds, with higher doses providing more effective relief. The echinacea herb is helpful for boosting the body's immune system and averting infections, such as colds. The protease enzyme aids in the digestion of proteins. It also can help provide relief for fever, infection, cold and flu symptoms. Colloidal Silver has been traditionally used to fight bacteria.

Rest - The importance of getting adequate sleep and rest can't be over emphasized. Adequate rest helps the immune system to recharge itself. So, who do you think would have a harder time resisting infections, someone with an exhausted body due to 4-6 hours of sleep or someone that gets 8 hours of restful sleep every night?

Exercise - Just thirty to sixty minutes of daily exercise can help keep your body and immune system in good shape. David Nieman conducted a 12-week study at Appalachian State University where he examined the effects regular exercise (walking) had on catching colds. At the conclusion of the study, the participants who walked regularly had half the number of colds and sore throats than those in the less active group. Exercise can also play an important role in reducing negative effects stress has on the immune system. Researchers, such as Dr. Bruce Lipton, believe that stress may cause as much as 95% of illness experienced by people today.

Fasting - When you start to feel like you are coming down with a cold or flu, one suggestion is to stop eating. A day with nothing but water can do wonders for your quick recovery.

Wash Hands - Keeping your hands free from germs and avoiding touching sensitive areas of the skin can help greatly to prevent introducing germs into the body.

Don't wait until you experience the symptoms of a cold or flu. Start today to strengthen your immune system so you can minimize the chances of getting one of these pesky flu bugs! Deciding to live healthy today can pay big dividends of better health and vitality in the future. Just imagine what you can do with all that time you aren't fighting an illness.