Nutrition for a Healthy Immune System
Some foods are known to make our immune system stronger, by helping with the protection against bacteria and viruses, and the seasonal infections. Germs are basically everywhere, at home, at work, on the bus or the train. And if your immune system is not strong enough they will easily attack your body and make you ill.
What you eat on a daily basis can help you avoid getting sick or reduce the symptoms. Your immune system is about your whole body and to function in the best way possible your lifestyle needs to be balanced and so it is not just what you eat. There are many studies out there that prove the relationship between daily life stresses and depression, age, regular exercise and nutrition and the immune functioning.
For a healthy immune system you need to improve your gut flora with the non-pathegenic bacteria for protecting the intestines. The health of the flora is directly linked to the health of your immune system, as the first line of protection to prevent you from falling sick. The good bacteria in your intestines stop the bad pathogenic bacteria from increasing and going into your bloodstream. These good bacteria need the proper environment for being able to fight the bad bacteria.
They are actually responsible for about 70% of how well your immune system works. Both the prebiotics and probiotics are important for the health of your gut flora. Prebiotics are the food for probiotics (friendly bacteria) and often found as indigestible dietary fibers. Foods that are rich in prebiotics include garlic, leek, onion, oats, barley, asparagus, kiwi, citrus fruits and chia seeds. If you consume too much sugar or processed foods and if you had to take antibiotics your gut may be lacking friendly bacteria.
You can increase them by consuming probiotics like kefir, pro-biotic yogurt, tempeh, miso, pickles, sauerkraut and other traditional fermented foods and drinks. To boost your immune system you need to eat lots of fruits and veggies, get enough sleep, do not smoke, avoid alcohol as much as you can except for a glass of red wine, and keep a healthy weight. Please wash your hands frequently during the day. Other than the prebiotics and probiotics that help with a better gut flora, some micronutrients directly affect your immune system.
Vitamin A helps with the white blood cell production and antibodies if you have deficiency. Sources of vitamin A include dairy products, butter, liver, cod liver oil, carrot and egg yolk. Zinc mineral is essential for immune health and the deficiency may lead to the weakening of immune response and inflammation. It helps resist infections and lets immune cells produce anti-microbe molecules. Foods that are rich in zinc include oyster, shellfish, red meat, legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, dairy products, and whole grains.
Vitamin C is the best known immune boosting micronutrient- a powerful antioxidant for fighting against the free radicals and enhance the immune system response. It also helps with the iron absorption. Vitamin C rich foods include lemon, oranges, parsley, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, guava, red bell, red cabbage, green or yellow pepper, sweet potato, tomatoes, papaya, cauliflower, broccoli and strawberries. Mushrooms are great immune system boosters with their anti-viral properties. They are a good source of selenium that acts as an antioxidant and are low in calories. You can have them raw in your salads or cooked in your meals.
Vitamin D is important for promoting bone mineralization, avoiding inflammation, and helping with the production of certain white blood cells like T lymphocytes. And for vitamin D you need to have Omega 3-rich fatty fish like sardines, salmon and mackerel. But it is mainly produced by exposure to sunlight. You need to have lots of vegetables every day, especially the greens like spinach that is high in iron and vitamin A to help increase the white blood cells in your body.
Garlic is rich in allicin that helps you avoid getting sick and if you do get sick you’ll suffer for a shorter period of time and with less symptoms. Green tea is a rich source of antioxidants and polyphenol, makes your kidneys work with its diuretic effect and helps clean the toxins in your body and boosts your energy. Avoiding bread is a big mistake for your immune defenses. But you need to choose wholemeal bread that is rich in iron over refined white bread. You can also have muesli in yogurt if you’re not keen on bread.
This way you will be less likely to lack iron which can make you feel tired, nervous or have cramps. Iron is found in curry, cumin seeds, coriander, sesame seeds, muesli, wholemeal bread, spinach and beef. Dark chocolate is rich in magnesium and polyphenols to help make you feel better mentally. But you don’t want to have lots of chocolate as it is high in calories and just stick to a small piece with your coffee. You need to have a balanced diet that is full of different nutrients, vitamins and minerals to have a healthy immune system.
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