Flu season and the colder months can cause many people to get sick. On top of that, throughout the year, bugs and illnesses make the rounds. It’s important to do everything you can to prevent yourself from falling ill with this in mind. Of course, you can visit your doctor for some advice, but there are many more things you can start doing today to protect yourself (if you’re not doing them already).
Keep reading for six simple and effective ways to help prevent yourself from catching and spreading common infections.
1) Antioxidant Mixes
Incorporating more antioxidant supplements into your diet is a staple way to avoid getting sick. These substances can help protect you from developing conditions like cancer and heart disease and help strengthen your immune system.
Boost your body’s antioxidants by eating foods like blueberries, nuts, carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. You can also use products such as an antioxidant daily drink mix to make getting extra antioxidants easy. These mixes contain ingredients that aid in resisting pathogens and support bone development. By having just a drink a day, you can benefit from better immune protection.
2) Wash Your Hands
During a normal day, your hands and arms touch dozens of surfaces. By doing this, they pick up all kinds of bacteria and pathogens. To avoid getting sick, you should be washing your hands as often as possible. Wash them before and after every meal, after touching your pets, and after sneezing or coughing.
Doing something as simple as hand washing or applying hand sanitizer can help infections from spreading throughout your community. When you wash your hands, it should be for 20 seconds using warm soapy water. Always carry a pocket-sized hand sanitizer with you when you’re out and about.
3) Avoid Dirty Water
Contaminated water can cause infections, rashes, and even diarrhea. This is why you should only swim in pools, rivers and oceans that are declared safe by a trusted organization. If you go to a public pool, ask if they regularly test the water’s pH before going in.
If you have a baby, remember not to put them into the water without putting on a ‘swim diaper.’ By being responsible and only going to well-maintained bodies of water, you can avoid some painful infections.
4) Practice Food Safety
When preparing food and raw meat, any slip-ups can cause food poisoning and infections. To avoid errors and get rid of excess germs, wash your hands and cutting surfaces frequently.
It is also important to rinse your fruit and vegetables under running water to get off the outer layer of dirt and grime. However, be sure not to wash poultry or meat since juices can splash and contaminate the area.
Also, pay attention to expiry dates on food packaging to make sure you don’t consume anything past its use-by date. This helps prevents food poisoning and stomach bugs.
5) Keep Up with Immunizations
When you are born and throughout your childhood, you receive many vaccinations against deadly diseases. Occasionally, new vaccines are released that help prevent infection from new diseases or existing ones that scientists have developed a prevention for. You should keep up with these vaccines and any new immunization recommendations as much as possible.
If you have received vaccines, you are protected from diseases such as shingles, smallpox, polio, and HPV. If you’re worried you may have missed out on some vaccinations, call your doctor and ask them to review your vaccination record.
6) Clean Your Finger and Toenails
Nail fungus infections are painful and can be stubborn to get rid of! They are usually caused by small cracks in your nail that allow germs to get through and infect your foot. Often, people with nail fungus infections also experience athlete’s foot or even fungal skin infections. That is why it is important to avoid walking barefoot and keep your feet and hands clean and dry all the time.
Keep your feet healthy by using a nail brush to remove trapped dirt, wearing water socks at public pools, always drying them soon after they get wet or sweaty, and getting anti-fungal treatment if you see signs of athlete’s foot, verrucae, etc.
Take Simple, Preventive Measures
By taking steps to avoid infections before they happen, you’ll be able to prevent many people from getting sick. Even something as simple as washing your hands after handling poultry can avoid a catastrophic event. It is important to practice food safety and follow health guidelines whenever you can.
Following these steps can help protect the health of you and your family.
