Feeding your Immune System: A Nutritionist’s Guide
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Read on to discover a nutritionist’s guide to the best foods you can eat in order to boost your immune system and keep viruses at bay.
Feeding your Immune System: A Nutritionist’s Guide
During times like this, the likes of which our society hasn’t seen in the last hundred years, among all the confusion, uncertainty, hopelessness, and anxiety, you may be wondering what you can do to help yourself stay well.
Part of that involves proper nutrition.
This week, I’d like to provide you with a nutritionist’s guide to the best foods you can eat to boost your immune system and stay healthy. Plus, I’d like to extend a special offer to you during this difficult time.
First of all, I know it’s very easy when we’re under a great deal of stress or when we’re feeling hopeless, worried, and anxious to find comfort in food. Please be aware of emotional-eating as well.
Unfortunately, for most of us, the foods that make us feel better often come in the form of chips, candy, ice cream, baked goods, or alcohol. Though each of these may provide a temporary sense of comfort, in the long run, they only work to weaken, not only our resolve but our immune system, too.
And right now, the best thing we can do is keep our immunity strong.
The role your immune system plays in health
You may be hearing a lot about your immune system right now. But what exactly is it and what role does it play in keeping us healthy?
Our immune system has many functions. It supports us in staying well, avoiding illness, and helping us recover faster and more fully should we become sick.
This is extremely important because we share our existence with a plethora of micro-organisms - some friendly and some not. They include bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, and fungi. When any of these micro-organisms get out of control or cause problems, we refer to them as pathogens. And it’s these pathogens that are responsible for causing many diseases of our time.
Our immune system (or lymphatic system) plays an important role in the ongoing struggle to protect us from pathogens and keep us healthy.
The primary cells of the immune system are called lymphocytes. They help us resist infection and disease by responding to pathogens that are detected in our bodies. They attempt to eliminate them using both physical and chemical means.
“The efficiency of our immune system in keeping us healthy determines our level of immunity.”
Our immune system can become weakened from poor nutrition, allergies, environmental pollution, stress, and genetics. A growing list of immune system disorders can result. Some of them include cancer, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, hemolytic anemia, Raynaud’s syndrome, scleroderma, celiac disease, and a whole host of others.
Individuals with immune system disorders can experience a variety of symptoms including enlarged lymph nodes, weakness, fatigue, chronic infections, candidas, skin lesions, respiratory problems, or allergies.
Why most young people not impacted by Covid-19
If you’ve been following any statistics surrounding the current Covid-19 pandemic, you are likely aware that younger people typically survive the virus while older individuals or those who are immunocompromised who contract it are more likely to fall seriously ill or even parish. Why is this?
Though no one can say with certainty, it’s suspected that the younger people often fair better due to their stronger immune systems. In otherwords, they have better "vacuum cleaners" in that their systems can more efficiently remove contaminents.
Our immune systems degrade as we age due to the numerous and constant insults it must work tirelessly to overcome. Every time we eat poorly, undergo stress, consume foods we are sensitive to or are bombarded by environmental pollution, our immune system springs to action.
Eventually, it can become overwhelmed, exhausted, and depleted, making it less effective in fighting off pathogens or infections as it once did.
For this reason, we must consciously work to rebuild and strengthen our immune system to prevent the ultimate disaster should we fall ill. But how?
How to protect yourself from Covid-19
As we are hearing from every doctor and scientist from every corner of the globe, there are several things we can do to protect ourselves from falling ill:
Frequent hand washing
Frequent disinfecting of surfaces
Practicing physical distancing
Staying at home and away from crowded places
Avoiding contact with immunocompromised and elderly people
None of these should come as any surprise.
But there is another way you can protect yourself - and that’s by strengthening your immune system using natural foods.
“Yes, the foods we eat (and don’t eat) at this time can have a big impact on whether or not we make it through this!”
Why? Because nutrition offers us another strategy—an offensive one where we feed our body what it needs. It's an old adage but is certainly true: we are what we eat. Put another way, what we eat and absorb becomes every cell in our body.
A nutritionist’s guide to feeding your immune system
What you should eat to feed your immune system:
First, focus on whole, real, nutrient-dense foods that come in a variety of colours, especially red peppers, berries, citrus fruit, and any type of green veggie like broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.
Nutrient-dense foods provide our bodies with quality calories that are loaded with a variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and cofactors that are required for our entire system to function optimally.
TIP: Not all calories are the same. Loading up on calories from nutrient-dense foods will go a long way in keeping us satiated to prevent overeating and unnecessary snacking.
Second, amp up the protein. Protein can keep you feeling full longer, reduce cravings for sugary snacks, and help with tissue repair. Protein foods are broken down into amino acids once digested. These amino acids then combine in various ways to enable our body to repair damaged tissue, replace old or damaged cells, and build strong muscles.
Some of the best protein sources come from nutrient-dense grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry and eggs, raw nuts and seeds, and certain plants.
TIP: There is another benefit of including protein with each meal; it helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels throughout the day. This can prevent sugar cravings and afternoon energy slumps - a win-win if you ask me!
Third, chose the right kinds of fats - namely omega 3 fatty acids found in foods like avocados, wild fish, fish oil, and extra virgin olive oil. They help reduce inflammation in the body, keep us mentally sharp, and boost our immune system by enhancing the function of white blood cells.
That translates into good news for immunocompromised individuals who start taking a quality fish oil supplement.
TIP: Fish oil, like many other oils, is easily damaged and degraded when exposed to light, oxygen, and heat. For this reason, only buy fish oil that comes in opaque containers or coloured (amber) jars and store it in the fridge to ensure it’s freshness.
Fourth, add in antiviral and anti-inflammatory foods like garlic, ginger, coconut oil, and turmeric (curcumin). These work to reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and support the immune system by helping attack viruses that many enter your body.
TIP: If you don’t like the taste of garlic but would like its healthful properties, try taking allicin capsules. Allicin is an organo-sulfur compound obtained when fresh garlic is crushed or chopped. It offers antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral effects without the strong taste!
Conclusion
With an inability to go out, and with most restaurants closed, we are being forced to stay home and cook for ourselves.
Like everything else in life, how we look at the situation can make a huge difference. We can be upset about having to cook and get frustrated by not knowing what to eat.
Or we can think of this as an opportunity to start adopting a healthier lifestyle.
With more time at home with your family, make mealtime a family affair. Have your kids help you decide what to make then cook together. For many of us, we may not have adopted this lifestyle in the past due to time limitations or busy work and extra-curricular schedules. But now, most of us have no excuse!
With that in mind, I’d like to provide my services at a reduced rate for those individuals who are most at risk in society.
A Special Limed Time Offer For You
If you are an elder, are immunocompromised, are dealing with cancer or an autoimmune condition, or simply want to make your immune system more robust, I want to offer you my nutritional services at a reduced rate.
For a limited time you can purchase a nutritional consultation with me for only $99 - that’s $40 off my regular pricing!
Simply email me at kelly@HappiHuman.com and mention this special offer. And don’t worry about having to leave the safety of your home, as we can conduct the session virtually using my telehealth platform.
Again, send me a quick email with your contact information to get started on naturally boosting your immune system today! I look forward to supporting you through this time!
With that, I send my warmest wishes your way for your health, safety, and peace of mind.
