Support Your Immune System with Honey this Winter
Coughs, sore throats, runny noses and vomiting bugs - we’re officially entering winter bug season, and our immune systems are buckling up and preparing for their busiest period.
But how can we ensure we’re doing all we can to avoid falling foul of the relentless number of bacteria and viruses that circulate this time of year?
Read on to learn how honey is the secret weapon you need to support your immune system.
Why Do We Get More Colds in the Winter?
During the winter months, we tend to experience more coughs, sore throats and sickness. But why is this? Do the bacteria and viruses that cause colds and vomiting hide away all summer? Not exactly.
The cold weather causes us to spend more time inside, in proximity to our family members, friends, colleagues and fellow commuters. This creates the ideal conditions for sharing everything, including infectious bugs.
Also, viruses such as the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, thrive in cold, dry air with low humidity, creating the ideal conditions for bugs to take hold and be shared around homes and offices.
What Can Harm the Immune System?
The immune system is a complex network of cells, chemicals and organs that acts as the body’s first line of defence against microorganisms. It’s constantly defending, but it can only do so much to prevent illness - if it can’t prevent us getting ill, it can minimise how unwell we are. However, the work of the immune system can be weakened by the following:
· Chronic (long-term) stress
· Smoking
· Heavy alcohol use
· Poor sleep
· Poor diet
· Nutritional deficiencies (including vitamins C and D and the minerals zinc and selenium, which all support immune function)
Therefore, unless you have a condition that weakens the immune system or you’re taking medications that may leave you immunocompromised, living a healthy lifestyle, mindful of what you put into your body and how much stress you encounter, can support a healthy immune system.
How Honey Supports the Immune System
High-quality honey (not cheap, squeezy, supermarket syrups) supports the immune system due to its superpower nutritional profile:
Antioxidants help to reduce damage from harmful free radicals that can weaken the cells of the immune system
· Anti-inflammatory compounds help to keep inflammation at normal levels, supporting the body’s natural healing processes
· Antimicrobial compounds that help to suppress the growth of harmful bacteria and viruses that enter the body
· Immune cell modulation properties that are thought to help support the activity of the B and T cells of the immune system
What’s more, if you do succumb to a winter bug, honey is now recommended as a remedy for coughs and sore throats, and is deemed as effective as medicines you can buy from your local pharmacy. (And it tastes a lot nicer too!)
A Spoonful of Honey Helps the Medicine Go… Away!
Our immune system works hard for us. It works every day to fight bacteria and viruses with the sole intent of making us unwell. Most of the time, these bugs pass us by without us knowing. But sometimes, they manage to evade our defences and we end up with the tell-tale signs – coughs, colds, flu, sore throats and vomiting.
Will you give your immune system the support it needs this winter? Necta & Hive pure, unpasteurised, high TA Jarrah and Marri honeys are delicious, nutritional and rich in the antioxidants, antimicrobials and anti-inflammatories your immune system needs this winter. How will you eat yours?!
