New school year, new teachers, new people, and most importantly, new germs. The past few weeks have been blissful for some, but others probably were retching their guts out or in bed blowing the color out of their noses. Although being 100 percent healthy 100 percent of the time is quite difficult, preventing illnesses is by all means feasible, but in order to prevent, you should be familiar with what’s causing you to get sick.
1. Your immune system sucks.
Maybe you don’t include enough Vitamin C in your diet. Maybe you don’t eat enough fruits in general. The Cafe at Mercer serves this wonderful knock-off detox water that is more nutritious and tastier than ordinary water. Additionally, Mercer’s cafeteria has a rack of fruits waving at you right when you walk in. It’s not illegal to eat one now and take one for later.
2. Your immune system sucks BECAUSE you eat/drink too much sugar.
Research states that consuming 8 grams of sugar, or about two cans of soda, inhibits white blood cells, which are the cells in charge of combating evildoers in your body, as told by Healthfree.com. White blood cells rely on vitamin C to help prevent illnesses. Unfortunately, vitamin C and sugar share similar compositions. So the more sugar you drink, the less space there is for vitamin C in your immune cells, and the more sick days you take until your A drops below an F. If you really need the sweets, consider buying fruits, nature’s candy.
3. You don’t sanitize/wash your hands before you eat.
You know what’s also waving right at you when you walk into the dining hall? An automatic hand sanitizer dispenser. We’ve noticed hundreds of people walking in to the dining hall with hands that have touched germ-infested keyboards, bikes, doorknobs, steering wheels, people—and they cannot seem to grasp why they get sick. Whatever you’re reading this on—a laptop, a tablet, a phone—is home to a billion germs, and if you’re reading this while eating, you’re simply welcoming those germs to a new place to stay for a while. And another thing, be careful when you’re eating and completing work at the same time. Do you remember how many times you’ve dropped your pen on the floor that’s coated with whatever’s at the bottom of your shoe? That textbook you’re renting, do you know if the person before you was always sick (because he was sleep-deprived, another reason your immune system sucks) and sneezed every single day in that book? Do you have all the answers? No, so go wash your hands.
4. You touch yourself too much.
If you’re familiar with how germs travel, you would understand why it’s important to keep your hands away from your face. Not only does that cause breakouts, but it practically makes the germs’ lives easier by having a car to drive up to your eyes, nose, ears, and mouth instead of traveling by foot. If you’re too lazy to wash your hands before you eat, at least avoid touching the food. Avoid finger foods and use utensils (subsequently leading you to healthier foods like salad and yogurt, a win-win).
5. You hang around with people that are sick.
Alright, so we’re not implying to ditch your infected, disgusting friends, but we are advising you to be proactive and think of consequences. Do you really need to share a bag of chips or a water bottle from the same friend that’s hacking out mucus every five seconds? You need to be extremely cautious with your friends in order to still be their friends remain healthy as well. Try your best to physically avoid them when you can, because even breathing the air they’ve sneezed in will get you sick. But if you can’t, invest in Emergen-C, vitamin supplements, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
6. You don’t cover your mouth.
Karma does exist! If you’re shooting your illnesses into the air that people are forced to breathe, one day you will surely reap what you sow. If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth, but not with just your hand. You could sneeze in your hand and forget to wash it and touch a door knob and then what do you know, you get Lebron James sick because Michael got sick because he touched a door knob before touching his nose(My Wife and Kids reference).
Instead of germs, share this article instead. Help enlighten your ill friends so they understand why you’re avoiding them. These tips are not as obvious as they are to others, so by helping them, you’re also helping yourself build a better immune system, earn better grades, and become a better friend.
And if your friends don’t read, show them this instead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmzYqhvQAx4
For more information, visit:
http://healthfree.com/nutrition-sugar-immune-system-foods.html