Table of Contents
Table of Contents
As an integrative physician, one of the most common questions I hear is, “What can I do to strengthen my immune system?” My answer often surprises people. While certain vitamins and supplements can help support healthy immune function, there’s much more to immune health than what you take when you feel a cold coming on.
Your immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that works around the clock to protect you from potentially harmful pathogens. Supporting it involves a whole-body approach that includes adequate sleep, regular movement, balanced nutrition, and stress management. Certain targeted supplements may provide additional support when you need it, like when you’re feeling run-down, stressed, or at higher risk of exposure to pathogens — hello, flu season!
In integrative medicine, we look at how these different aspects of health work together. Rather than focusing on a single nutrient or supplement, I encourage my patients to build sustainable habits that support their overall health and well-being.
I take the same approach to my own health. My daily routine isn’t particularly complicated, but it is intentional. Here’s what a typical day looks like for me, why I prioritize these habits, and the nutrients I consider especially important for immune health.
One of my most important morning habits is also one of the simplest — I get out of bed as soon as I wake up. I don’t scroll through my phone or spend extra time lying in bed.
Get Up and Get Moving
Within the first 30 minutes of waking, I take a 10-minute walk, either outside or on my walking pad. It’s an easy way to wake up and get a gentle start on my movement goals for the day. Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, including improved heart health, metabolic function, and sleep quality. It may also support healthy immune regulation.1
Enjoy Natural Light and a Morning Matcha
After walking, I like to sit outside to enjoy my morning matcha while I get some natural light exposure.
Natural light helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that influences sleep and wakefulness. Our circadian rhythms are closely connected to immune regulation. When our sleep schedules become disrupted, immune signaling and inflammatory processes can also be affected.
I enjoy a mindful moment as I sip my morning matcha. Matcha contains caffeine, the amino acid L-theanine, and antioxidant plant compounds known as catechins. Some studies suggest certain compounds in green tea may support a healthy immune response.2 And while I appreciate these potential benefits, for me, the value is in the ritual itself — taking a few quiet minutes outdoors before the day gets busy.
I like to add collagen peptides to my matcha for extra protein. Collagen provides amino acids that contribute to overall protein intake and may help support skin, joint, and bone health.*
As an integrative physician, I believe good nutrition is one of the foundations of a healthy immune system. The immune system relies on a steady supply of vitamins, minerals, protein, and other nutrients to function properly.
Breakfast is an opportunity to nourish my body with the nutrients it needs to support healthy immune function throughout the day. I build my breakfast around protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, colorful fruits or veggies, and healthy fats. One morning, this may look like Greek yogurt topped with berries, nuts, and seeds. Another morning may be eggs with sautéed spinach, whole grain toast, and fresh fruit.
When it comes to immune health, I make sure I’m getting enough of several nutrients and plant compounds that are key for healthy immunity.
Vitamin C for Immune Defense
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that plays several important roles in immune function. It acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from oxidative damage, and supports the function of immune cells involved in the body’s natural defenses. Vitamin C also helps maintain the skin’s protective barrier by supporting collagen production.*3
A review of well-designed studies found that vitamin C may shorten the duration of the common cold and reduce symptom severity.4 So, I make sure I’m meeting my body’s needs, especially during cold and flu season.
Some of my favorite food sources of vitamin C include oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, bell peppers, and broccoli. Adding berries to yogurt or oatmeal, enjoying a kiwi with breakfast, or incorporating bell peppers into an omelet are easy ways to increase vitamin C intake.
Most people can meet their vitamin C needs through a varied diet. But a vitamin C supplement may be helpful for people who have difficulty consuming enough vitamin C-rich foods.
Vitamin D for Healthy Immune Regulation
Vitamin D is best known for supporting bone health, but it also plays an essential role in immune regulation. Immune cells, including macrophages and T cells, have vitamin D receptors that help regulate their activity and responses to pathogens.*5
Unlike vitamin C, vitamin D isn’t naturally abundant in many foods. Some of the best dietary sources include fatty fish, egg yolks, and mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light. Fortified foods, like milk, some orange juice, and some breakfast cereals, can also contribute to daily vitamin D intake.
Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to UV light from the sun, so spending time outside is one of the best ways to meet your needs. That said, it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D from the sun during the winter months, especially for those who live at high or low latitudes.
Because it can be challenging to meet the body’s needs through food alone, many of us need a vitamin D supplement — especially those with limited sun exposure or other risk factors for deficiency.
Citrus Bioflavonoids for Antioxidant Support
Citrus fruits contain more than vitamin C. They also provide bioflavonoids, naturally occurring plant compounds with antioxidant properties.
One of the most studied citrus bioflavonoids is hesperidin, found primarily in oranges and other citrus fruits. Research suggests hesperidin may support immune health and help protect against oxidative stress, although more human studies are needed to determine its specific benefits for immune health.*6
Eating whole citrus fruits is a great way to obtain vitamin C and bioflavonoids together. For those who want to increase their intake of these plant compounds, citrus bioflavonoid supplements are available, sometimes in combination with vitamin C.
Supplements Help Fill Nutrient Gaps
While I prioritize getting nutrients through food, sometimes busy schedules, dietary restrictions, limited food choices, and certain health conditions make it challenging to get enough of specific nutrients. That’s where supplements can play a supporting role.
My personal supplement routine includes a multivitamin, magnesium, and vitamin C. I see these as additions to an already nutrient-rich diet, not replacements for healthy eating. Always talk with a knowledgeable healthcare professional before starting any new supplements to ensure they’re safe for you and won’t interact with any medications you take.
Much of my workday involves sitting at a computer, so I make a conscious effort to get up and move every 60 to 90 minutes. Sometimes I walk for a few minutes. Other times I do a few squats, stretch, walk up and down a flight of stairs, or simply change positions.
I call these short breaks “movement snacks.” Movement snacks help me break up long periods of sitting, maintain mobility, and keep my pelvic floor happy. And research suggests that interrupting prolonged sitting with brief periods of movement can improve certain markers of metabolic health, including post-meal blood glucose responses.7
These mini movement breaks help me meet my physical activity goals for the day. Remember, you don’t have to fit all your movement into a single workout to experience health benefits.
When lunchtime arrives, I try to slow down and pay attention to my digestion, even during a busy clinic day. To support my body’s natural digestion, I take digestive bitters with my meals.
Bitters are herbal preparations traditionally used to stimulate digestive processes. Their bitter taste activates receptors involved in taste perception and digestive signaling.*
From an immune-health perspective, what matters most at mealtime is getting a balance of nutrient-rich foods. I encourage eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, protein-rich foods, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. These foods provide the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other compounds needed to support healthy immune function.
Fiber is particularly important because it helps nourish beneficial gut microorganisms. The gut microbiome interacts closely with the immune system, influencing immune development, signaling, and regulation.8 Enjoying plenty of fiber-rich fruits, veggies, and whole grains, along with fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, is a practical way to support a healthy gut environment, as well as your immune system.
One of the most meaningful parts of my routine happens between leaving work and arriving home. Before I leave the clinic — or sometimes while waiting in my parked car — I spend five to 10 minutes in quiet. I may practice breathing exercises, meditate, or simply sit without my phone.
This short transition helps me leave the workday’s stress and irritability behind instead of carrying them into my home life.
Stress releases cortisol and adrenaline, which help you handle pressure in short bursts. The problem is when that response never turns off. Chronically high stress levels throw off immune regulation and keep inflammation higher, so you get sick more easily and recover more slowly. That’s why I don’t skip this transition. It tells my body the workday is over so it can get out of survival mode.
Consistently getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do to support your immune health. During sleep, the body coordinates immune signaling, regulates inflammatory processes, and supports aspects of immunological memory. Insufficient or disrupted sleep has been associated with impaired immune responses and greater susceptibility to certain infections.9
Of all the habits in my routine, protecting my sleep is one of my highest priorities. I make a point of sticking to my bedtime routine, which starts hours before my head actually hits the pillow.
Dim the Lights and Disconnect From Screens
About two hours before bedtime, I stop using bright overhead lights and switch to softer lighting. I also aim for 30 to 45 minutes without any screens before bed.
Light exposure plays an important role in regulating circadian rhythms. Bright light in the evening — particularly blue light from screens — can suppress melatonin and delay the body’s preparation for sleep. Reducing bright light and screen exposure before bed helps create an environment that’s more conducive to winding down.
This is important because of cortisol. If cortisol isn’t winding down at night, you may have trouble falling or staying asleep, may toss and turn all night, wake unrested, and generally feel exhausted during the day. Help lower your cortisol levels by prioritizing winding down in the evening.
Stretch, Breathe, and Relax
Another part of my bedtime routine is stretching and foam rolling with my husband. This helps us both release some of the physical tension accumulated throughout the day and signals that it’s time to slow down.
Before bed, I spend another five to 10 minutes breathing or meditating. This helps me get into a more “parasympathetic” state so I can fall asleep easily, stay asleep through the night, and wake up less exhausted and groggy.
Maintain a Consistent Bedtime
I’m typically asleep between 9 and 10 p.m., and I try to maintain that schedule even on the weekends. Consistency is important because the body functions in accordance with circadian rhythms that influence sleep, metabolism, hormone secretion, and immune activity.
Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. When life gets busy, it’s tempting to sacrifice sleep to make room for everything else. But I encourage my patients to think of sleep as an essential part of their health routine — not something to prioritize only when they’re exhausted.
Even one night of poor sleep leads to higher insulin levels the next day. And when this is a chronic pattern, we start to see higher insulin, increased inflammation, and poor capacity for recovery.
Supporting immune health isn’t about finding a single miracle supplement or following a complicated wellness routine. It’s about consistently giving your body the nutrients, movement, rest, and recovery it needs to function well.
My routine is built around simple habits I can maintain even during busy weeks: morning movement and natural light, thoughtful nutrition, regular breaks, intentional stress management, and a consistent bedtime. Certain supplements, including vitamin C, vitamin D, and a multivitamin, may help meet nutritional needs that are essential for normal immune function and overall health.*
In creating your own immune health routine, you don’t need to follow my exact schedule or take the same supplements to support your immune health. Instead, I recommend identifying a few manageable habits that fit your lifestyle and building from there.
You might begin with a 10-minute morning walk, adding more colorful fruits and veggies to your meals, or creating a consistent bedtime routine. If stress is a challenge, try incorporating a few minutes of quiet breathing or meditation into your day. And if you’re considering supplements, work with a healthcare professional to evaluate your diet, health history, and individual nutritional needs.
Remember, the best routine is the one that fits your lifestyle and that you can stick with consistently. Start small, build on already established habits, and use your success as motivation to keep going. The goal is to find a sustainable approach that supports your immune health over time.
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DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
