How to Support Your Immune System Naturally This Winter

When the temperature drops and cold and flu season kicks in, supporting your immune system becomes more important than ever. Instead of waiting to get sick, the goal is prevention: building a resilient body that can defend itself. And in functional health, we know that true immunity doesn’t come from quick fixes or over-the-counter remedies—it comes from understanding your body and supporting it with real, personalised strategies.

Here’s how to support your immune system naturally this winter using expert strategies grounded in functional health principles.

1. Prioritise Nutrient-Dense Foods

Your immune system relies on key nutrients to function properly, and deficiencies can make you more vulnerable to infections. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods rich in:

Vitamin C

Found in citrus fruits, kiwi, capsicum, and broccoli. It supports white blood cell production and acts as a powerful antioxidant.

Vitamin D

In winter, sun exposure is limited, so consider fortified foods like eggs and fatty fish. Low levels are strongly linked to respiratory infections.

Zinc

Found in pumpkin seeds, beef, chickpeas, and oysters. Zinc helps your immune cells function and may shorten the duration of colds.

Iron

Essential for oxygen transport and immune response. Get it from red meat, lentils, spinach, and quinoa.

Selenium

Brazil nuts are a rich source. Selenium enhances antioxidant activity and immune defences.

Beta-glucans

Found in oats and medicinal mushrooms like shiitake and reishi. These compounds help modulate immune activity.

Functional Health Tip: Focus on variety. Eating the rainbow helps cover your micronutrient bases.

2. Balance Your Blood Sugar

Poor blood sugar control suppresses immune function and increases inflammation. In winter, we tend to reach for more comforting, carb-heavy meals, but stabilising your blood sugar is essential for resilience.

What Helps

• Eat protein with every meal to slow sugar absorption

• Don’t skip meals or rely on caffeine to get through the day

• Focus on fibre-rich vegetables and complex carbs

Try This: A breakfast of eggs, sautéed greens, and avocado helps balance blood sugar and provides key immune nutrients.

3. Strengthen Your Gut (It’s Your First Line of Defence)

Your gut houses 70% of your immune system. If your microbiome is out of balance or your gut lining is compromised (leaky gut), your immune system will struggle to respond properly.

Functional Health Strategies

• Add fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir

• Include prebiotics from garlic, onion, asparagus, and leeks

• Avoid excess alcohol and processed foods, which damage the gut lining

• Stay hydrated to support mucosal barrier function

Functional Health Test: A comprehensive Microbiomix test helps assess your gut health, inflammation, and microbiome balance so you can personalise your healing strategy.

4. Optimise Vitamin D and Key Nutrients with Testing

Winter brings a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, and guessing isn’t enough. Functional health tests help determine what your body actually needs.

Consider These Functional Health Tests for Immunity

• Vitamin D levels (serum testing)

• OAT (Organic Acids Test): Assesses nutrient deficiencies, detox pathways, and gut health

• Microbiomix Gut Testing: Evaluates microbial diversity, inflammation, and digestion

• DUTCH Test (optional if fatigue is a major concern): Reviews adrenal function and sex hormones

• Comprehensive Bloods Review: Interpreted functionally, even regular blood tests can reveal immune stress and inflammation

5. Manage Stress (Because It Wrecks Your Immune System)

Chronic stress suppresses the immune system, raises inflammation, and depletes vital nutrients like zinc and vitamin C. Cortisol—your stress hormone—directly impacts immune function.

Stress-Lowering Ideas

• Schedule intentional downtime. Yes, literally schedule it

• Practice breathwork or meditation for 5 minutes a day

• Get outdoors in natural light daily, even if it’s cloudy

• Try adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha or reishi mushrooms (check with your practitioner first)

Functional Health Tip: If you’re tired but wired or struggling with sleep, it’s time to look at adrenal health, too.

6. Prioritise Restorative Sleep

You can take all the supplements in the world, but if you’re not sleeping, your immune system won’t recover. Sleep is when the body detoxifies, repairs tissues, and produces infection-fighting cells.

Try This

• Establish a consistent wind-down routine: no screens 1 hour before bed, dim lights, herbal tea

• Keep your bedroom cool and completely dark

• Avoid stimulants (like caffeine) after 2pm

• Avoid alcohol in the evenings as even one glass of wine can disturb your sleep

7. Supplement Strategically

Supplements should never replace food or lifestyle changes, but they can absolutely support the body during times of higher demand.

Winter Immune Boosters to Consider

• Vitamin D3 + K2 (test your levels first)

• Zinc picolinate

• Liposomal Vitamin C

• Probiotics with diverse strains

• Medicinal mushroom blends for immune modulation

Always consult with a qualified practitioner before starting a supplement regime.

Need a Personalised Immune Plan?

Every immune system is unique. That’s why our functional health approach uses testing, not guesswork. If you’re tired of recurring infections, slow recovery, or just feeling run down every winter, it might be time for a reset.

Our practitioner-led programs are built around your body and your needs:

👉 3-Month Reset Program

• 1 x 60-min consult

• 2 x 30-min follow-ups

• Functional testing recommendations

• Tailored protocols for gut, immunity, and energy

👉 6-Month Rebuild Program