Cold and flu season leave many scrounging to find ways to help protect their immune system and fend off illness. Winter months full of crowded indoor gatherings, holiday festivities and air travel ramp up the sharing of germs and can make it even more challenging to stay healthy. No matter what the time of year, there are several simple steps you can take to help protect yourself and your loved ones from getting sick. Here are five habits that can help support your immune system.

Whether it’s eating prebiotics from onions and artichokes, or probiotics from yogurt and fermented foods, the happier your gut is, the better your immune system will function. Taking steps to support your microbiome benefits digestion and immunity. Drink lots of water and eat plenty of fiber-rich foods to help healthy bacteria flourish.

Plants – like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains – bring cell-protecting and inflammation-fighting antioxidants and fiber. They also help fight off hunger and promote gut health. There are so many ways to boost your intake of plants, whether it’s adding beans to pasta dishes and casseroles, dried fruit to salads and oatmeal, or keeping it simple with frozen fruits and vegetables in smoothies. These foods provide vitamins and minerals that support the immune system including zinc, B-vitamins and plenty of vitamin C, which helps fight inflammation and may help shorten the duration of an illness when it strikes.

Research supports that not enough sleep means not enough rest for your immune system. Taking steps to improve sleep quality has been linked to less inflammation and a more positive immune response. Adhering to consistent sleep schedule is one of the most important things that you can do to help your body and brain feel rested and support your immune health.

The more alcohol you consume the harder the hit on your immune function. Heavy drinking weakens immune function by negatively impacting white blood cells and immune cells, making you more susceptible to illness. Alcohol can also destroy healthy gut bacteria and make it harder to recover from illnesses when they occur. Just one episode of binge drinking can impact your ability to fight infection for 24 hours.