Spring is a time of celebration, but it’s also uniquely challenging for our bodies. It’s the perfect season for a detox, but it’s taxing for our digestive and immune systems due to its predominantly cool and wet qualities. On top of that, spring weather is highly variable. One day it’s clear, dry, and gloriously warm. The next day the rain blows in and the temperature drops.

So the question is: How do we stay healthy, balanced, and strong in such a dynamic season?

According to Ayurveda, the answer lies in the link between our immunity and our digestive/gut health. The stronger and healthier our digestive capacity is, the more resilient our immune system will be (and vise versa).

With that in mind, here are some 5 tips for enhancing both:

1. Eat foods that you can easily digest. Undigested food matter (called ama in Ayurveda) lingers in the body, becoming an acidic sludge that causes chronic inflammation. This, in turn, lowers immunity.We recommend our Bold Kitchari–it’s easy to digest and perfect for spring. Add a handful of kale, asparagus, radish or broccoli for extra digestive support.
2. Incorporate probiotic and prebiotic foods into your diet. We recommend fresh homemade yogurt, buttermilk, and fermented foods. You can also take a good probiotic supplement for about three months. The friendly bacteria in these foods and supplements fight and destroy the bad microorganisms that can colonize the gut.Our Cultured Ghee is one of the best prebiotic foods on the planet–it’s a natural fertilizer for the friendly bacteria and it helps repair the gut lining. Both of these actions support a stronger immune system.
3. Incorporate fresh ginger or Ayurvedically cured Sunthi Ginger into your cooking. Ginger is another powerful antibacterial and antiviral herb that can destroy the “bad guys” while not bothering the good, friendly bacteria. Choose Vaidya Mishra’s special Sunthi Ginger if you tend to have fiery, sharp digestion. 
4. Get quality sleep, ideally going to bed by 10 pm. Ayurveda has been stressing this point for thousands of years, but there is also a lot of modern research that shows that lack of sleep weakens the immune system.
5. Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily. Whether it is fast walking, yoga, stretching or any other workout that suits you, move daily. This keeps the lymphatic system (one of the body’s “garbage disposal” for toxins) in good working order.

There is an excellent recipe for Immune Boost Tea in Divya’s upcoming book, Joy of Balance: An Ayurvedic Guide to Cooking with Healing Ingredients. The cookbook will be released in the fall.

In the meantime, we carry Vaidya Mishra’s Immuno-Support Tea, which takes only 3 minutes to make.