As we head into flu season amid a pandemic, immune health is certainly on my mind. And I’m not alone. In fact, there are over ten thousand google searches each month for “immune-boosting foods” and “supplements for immunity”.
So is there anything you can do with food to stay healthy and avoid infection?
The answer is: of course!
The human body was designed with defense in mind. Regardless of what is on your to-do list today, not dying is priority numero uno for your body. This is where your immune system comes in. It is your first line of defense against anything harmful in your surroundings.
Immunity 101
We are equipped with three types of immunity:
Innate: not specific to a particular threat. This is truly your first line of defense, think of white blood cells, healthy bacteria in and around the body and acute inflammation.
Adaptive: this is specific to certain threats like viruses. You “earn” this over time with exposure and vaccines.
Passive: temporary immunity. For example, a baby gets some passive, temporary immunity from mom until the immune system is better developed.
Boosting Your Immune System
To boost your immune system you need to establish a solid foundation of health. Recall the functional medicine tree analogy:
Not surprisingly, immune health is influenced by all of these factors.
1. Get enough sleep and manage stress
Lack of sleep and chronic stress compromise immunity. When stress hormones are high your body gets a signal that catastrophic danger is imminent. Consider this, what is more important when you are running from a vicious tiger? Running fast or fighting the flu virus? You see where I’m going with this? Of course, running fast is the priority.
Lack of sleep triggers stress hormones and you’ll have the same result. So, bottom line:
Manage stress in a way that works for you: deep breathing, meditation, exercise, house projects, gardening, etc.
Make sleep a priority. You know the drill, no caffeine or alcohol, cool dark room, turn off your phone, etc.
2. Avoid sugar
Of all the dietary advice this one is the most important. We all know that sugar provides empty calories. But did you know that sugar also puts your immune cells to sleep?
Diets high in sugar and foods that spike blood sugar (like white flour and juice) alter gut bacteria, create inflammation and downregulate immune function (1).
In my experience the most impactful changes in this department include:
Drinking water instead of soda, juice or energy drinks
Switch to unsweetened coffee cream
Read labels and avoid foods with sugar on the ingredient list
3. Add some color to your plate
Most of the time in nature bright colors indicate elevated nutritional value.
Consider: sweet potatoes, swiss chard, berries and pineapple. By the way, have you ever seen swiss chard? It deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
There are some notable exceptions to this rule - onions, garlic, cauliflower, jicama, ginger. But for the most part, if you are eating the rainbow you can be sure you are getting in all the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, micronutrients) important for immune health.
So at mealtime make half your plate vegetables and fruits. For snacks, make sure you have one or the other (a fruit or a vegetable). Try to get in several different colors. For example salsa with your morning eggs, blueberries on yogurt for a snack, vegetable soup with lunch and roasted peppers with dinner.
4. Add in immune superfoods
A superfood is a food that provides calories and high levels of micronutrients. When it comes to the immune system, there are a few all-stars to work in whenever you can:
Foods high in zinc: oysters, pumpkin seeds, cashews, grass-fed beef
Foods high in vitamin c: red peppers, spinach, strawberries, citrus fruits, pineapple
Foods high in vitamin d: wild fatty fish, plant milk, yogurt
Foods high in vitamin a: carrots, sweet potatoes, red/yellow/orange peppers
The Best Offense is a Good Defense
Don’t wait until you’re sick to clean up your act. Start today with small, manageable changes. If giving up soda or caramel macchiato coffee creamer is too much, swap just one drink for water or use half as much creamer.
Perfection mindset is the enemy of progress so start where you are with what you can and commit to putting your health first, even if that means baby steps.
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