Immune Health

14Jul

What is immune health?

With everything being about COVID-19 let’s build our immune health so we are ready to fight any nasties that come our way. A way to do this is through nutrition!

Nutrition is fundamental as it underpins our immune health, providing nutrients for health and growth. This helps the body’s ability to fight infection while reducing the risk of developing tumors, autoimmune and degenerative diseases. Immune deficiency can be an outcome of malnutrion, the presence of infection and age at which nutritional deficiency commenced. This can occur from infants to the elderly.

Imbalances and the lack of immune boosting micronutrients in people’s diets that are listed below can affect our immune response and healing while influencing our microbiome that helps keep us well. These micronutrients include zinc, selenium, iron, copper, vitamins A, C, E, B-6; and folic acid. 

What we need more of?

The western diet has historically consisted of takeaway, sugar, processed and white foods. These contribute significantly to inflammation, obesity and cardiovascular disease. It’s time to return to our roots by reintroducing a balanced diet with a range of nutritional foods to help us feel great and build up our micronutrient levels. I know this isn’t new news, but sometimes we just need a little reminder of what we should be eating to keep us well.

• Plant foods including vegetables, fruits, and legumes
• Whole grains, raw nuts and seeds 
• Proteins including fish, eggs, non fatty meats and oils

What we need less of?

• Chronic stress        
• Artificial sweeteners and high fat foods
• Antimicrobials and pathogens
• Pesticides and ultrafine particles
• Alcohol, white foods, dairy, processed foods
• Beef and sweets 

Changes in diet can have a temporary microbial shift within 24 hours. Ongoing nourishment can lead to long-term health improvements and improved immune health. This means you can start feeling better very quickly and fighting off those nasties!

More natural and easy solutions

• Drink filtered water      
• Colonic hydrotherapy – stagnation in our gut brings our immune down and 80 per cent of immune is in the gut. 
• Probiotics – helps to restore good gut bacteria 
• Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kefir and our very own immune boost
• Exercise and movement