Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle With a Deficient Immune System
A healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, including people with immune deficiency. A healthy lifestyle includes:
- A healthy diet
- Enough rest
- Regular exercise
A healthy diet
A healthy diet boosts the immune system’s ability to fight infection. Actions you can take to help strengthen the immune system include:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a variety of foods daily including grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and dairy products.
- Take a multivitamin supplement containing 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). RDAs are the minimum amounts of nutrients that a healthy person requires each day.
- Your doctor or registered dietitian can help recommend a healthy diet for you.
Enough rest
Adequate sleep and rest give your body, and your immune system, time to maintain and repair itself. Quiet activities like reading or crafts are helpful during times of rest or illness.
Regular exercise
Regular exercise affects your overall fitness by improving heart and muscle function. Most people who exercise regularly also feel an increased sense of well-being. Walking, swimming and biking are only some of the activities people with immune deficiencies can do. Children should be encouraged to participate in safe, age-appropriate activities. Talk with your doctor about recommending an exercise program for you.
This information has been approved by Rohit Katial, MD (April 2006).
