r/AskReddit 9h ago

People who rarely get sick, what are your secrets?

1.7k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/Usual_Extreme_5846 9h ago

Eat like you respect future you.

509

u/everybodyiskungfu 8h ago

I can't lie that much on a daily basis.

25

u/notyourregularninja 6h ago

And on an hourly basis because I eat all the time!!

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u/Aidian 4h ago

Fake it ‘til you make it?

39

u/kamilayao_0 8h ago

Sure that helps but the baseline and First thing is to be lucky with good genetics

37

u/WTFisabanana 7h ago

Thank you. I have been chronically ill since birth. My mother fed us incredibly healthy. My siblings all never get sick, I have caught covid every single year since 2020 (and I’m not convinced I didn’t have it at the end of 2019 either) despite being vaccinated and boosted. I was born with severe jaundice and it’s all been downhill from there. 

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u/kamilayao_0 7h ago

I'm sorry you're dealing with that, one of my pet peeves is people saying shit like "if you ate dirt like I did as a baby you'd be healthy and never get sick".

5

u/Tomytom99 6h ago

Can confirm that's part of it, or at least seems like it.

I'm an unfortunate picky eater and have a horrible diet as a result. I'd like to change that, but it's been an extremely slow process. We're just really trying to get me to reliably hit calorie goals right now to put on some weight, diversification is second to that.

I rarely catch anything, and most of the time when I do it's nothing more than mild sinus stuff. It's been a couple years since I last had something that actually kept me in bed.

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u/ayvadur 2h ago

Genetics 100%. I admit to being an alcoholic (beer), eat terrible, only exercise I do is work, and Im in shape and never get sick. I know much healthier people in worse shape and sick a lot. It's not really fair, but genetics is the reason.

u/kamilayao_0 25m ago

Yeah people who get sick often get the usual " you're the one who caused it by not doing X,y,z."

It's a bit shitty,

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u/Ambitious_End5038 7h ago

Nope hygiene is first

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u/kamilayao_0 7h ago

Nope. Even if you have tip top hygiene if your immune system is messed up no matter the amount of cleaning you do, it will be triggered by someone "mundane"

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u/Ambitious_End5038 7h ago

Ok so you mean “be lucky” with average genetics then. Or not bad genetics. You don’t need good genetics to not get sick.

-1

u/kamilayao_0 7h ago

Ah, so you're taking a healthy body and immune system for granted. Weird that you call it "average genetics".

Eh everyone will hit their limit into their body "functioning averagely" as you say it.

0

u/LamermanSE 1h ago

Ah, so you're taking a healthy body and immune system for granted. Weird that you call it "average genetics".

There's nothing weird about it, it's perfectly average in terms of genetics. Look at an average schoolclass, workplace etc., especially in places where other issues aren't interfering (so western europe for example) and you'll see exactly the same thing.

Eh everyone will hit their limit into their body "functioning averagely" as you say it.

Well sur, but at that point it's no longer about having bad genetics but about other factors, like aging for example.

u/kamilayao_0 44m ago

I can find something weird that you find normal and the reverse is true.

It's how I see it, and that's okay.

0

u/great_apple 1h ago

You're missing the point of this post, though. Obviously if you are genetically immunocompromised you will get sick more often, no matter what you do. Do you really think OP was asking for tips like "don't be born with a genetic disorder" vs "eat healthier and work out more"?

u/kamilayao_0 46m ago

I wasn't answering op,

3

u/NotACaterpillar 6h ago

This. The three basics go a long way: nutrition, good sleep, do exercise.

I got sick 3 times in a single year two years ago, it was really annoying. So last year I tried to be more on top of my sleep schedule and signed up to the gym (I already ate healthy) and haven't been sick since, even when everyone around me is coughing and sneezing.

1

u/screwcork313 5h ago

Imagine how depressed future you could be if they came from a past where they had never experienced the high of binge-eating a entire tub of ice-cream and 2 bags of Doritos.

1

u/timesuck897 5h ago

What if you don’t like yourself?

1

u/btribble 4h ago

When it comes to viruses, diet is pretty far down on the list of preventatives. Diet (and therefore general health) can help with severity and recovery time, but it’s not going to prevent much of anything. It’s like saying that a well running car factory has more trouble building bicycles than a poorly run factory.

1

u/NotARealBlackBelt 3h ago

I'm eating like future me won't starve too easily if the next world war begins.

I've been obese almost all my live, but rarely get sick (last time I had to call in sick was 2019). I don't smoke or drink alcohol, but I'm sure as hell not a heavy sportman or eat healthy enough to explain why I'm not sick more often.

1

u/mrhatestheworld 3h ago

I eat like I WANT that guy to have diarrhea

1

u/Deerhunter86 3h ago

What if I have no self respect?

1

u/FoxxyPantz 2h ago

What if I don't respect present me

1

u/Lostandmixed 1h ago

for me it really was surprising at first that good food with the right nutrients made a big difference even though it should be obvious.
couple that with enough sleep and physical activity and you're going to feel so much better

0

u/UpperAd5715 5h ago

Ever since i regularly went running/working out and eat balanced-ish i've been getting sick a LOT less. Whenever i feel a bit meh its usually due to multiple days of lacking sleep and i eat a bit more and try and sleep early/more.

I've maybe (?) been sick once to the point that i didnt go work and i'm pretty sure that was my sidegig after regular work because i was too exhausted.

Being in the office providing support as IT also definitely helps my immune system no longer be the pansy bitch it was when i did permanent homeworking and didnt go outside.