Only you can know what foods taste amazing and feel right in your body. But every so often, it’s helpful to turn to the experts to make sure we’re getting all the nutrients we need and fueling thoughtfully. Enter Hannah Cooper, a registered dietitian known across social media as @eatwellwithhannah—she’s our go-to expert on all things nutrition. Take it away, Hannah!

It’s that time of the year again! Although temperatures are dropping low, we want to keep our immune system up and running to power us through this busy season. Take a look at a few of my favorite tips for supporting your immune system this winter. 

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1. Incorporate a variety of fruits + veggies. Produce is packed with immune boosting nutrients. Fun fact: fruits and veggies of different colors contain different vitamins and minerals. For example, orange veggies, like carrots, are packed with vitamin A to support not only your immune system but your eye health as well. Blueberries are a great source of vitamin K and C and are also packed with antioxidants.
   Pro tip: Try to “taste the rainbow” and diversify your fruits and veggies to get a variety of nutrients.

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2. Stay hydrated. When the weather starts to cool down, it’s easy to forget to hydrate. While drinking water throughout the day is the easiest way to keep hydrated, there are foods and other beverages—like cucumbers, watermelon, milk, and juice—that can do the trick, too. Plus, you can also experiment with fruit-infused water or even flavored sparkling water to give your beverage a little umph.
   Pro tip: Do your best to drink at least half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water each day to stay hydrated.
   
3. Move your body. Maintaining a consistent exercise routine is so important to help reduce stress and cortisol levels. It can be as simple as a walk around the park after dinner or as intense as a 60-minute boxing sesh–whatever makes you sweat and feel good.
   Pro tip: Set a goal to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day to help support your immune system this winter‍
4. Get your sleep. In November and December, it seems like everyone is on turbo mode–holiday shopping, work socials, family dinners, and so much more. Creating a consistent sleep routine is key if you want to stay well this winter. I like to create a wind-down routine at night to help me disconnect from devices and get ready for a quiet night's sleep.
   Pro tip: If you’re on your phone late at night, try setting it to night mode—it helps dim the screen to decrease blue light exposure before bed.‍
5. Decrease alcohol consumption. ‘Tis the season for holiday parties! With so many events right around the corner, we want to make sure we are staying healthy and promoting full body wellness inside and out. While one drink might not weaken your immune system entirely, over time alcohol prevents our immune cells and gut health from working properly.Pro tip: Sip on non-alcoholic beverages and mocktails to support your immune health—but remember, it’s all about balance, so don’t forget to enjoy a couple cocktails this holiday season!

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