Most of us don’t think about our immune system until we become ill. It’s something lot of us take for granted, yet it’s working on our behalf every minute of the day.
Do you ever wonder why is it that some people never get sick, and some people seem to get sick all the time? And why do some people go years without being sick, then become sick many times in one year, or even suddenly deal with a serious disease?
We need to understand that the immune system is a complex system that constantly works to adapt and modulate itself in order to fight the many external exposures that can affect your health. It, like other body systems, can be compromised if not cared for properly.
Your immune system is programmed specifically to carry out functions that require nutrition to help it to work effectively.
We indeed have the ability to help support our immune system through our diet. Yes, that right — every time you eat or drink you are either feeding disease or fighting it.
Here are my top 5 tips for enhancing your immune system all year long:
You have heard it before and I will say it again. The green foods are what contain the big nutrient hit. Vitamins, minerals and a collection of immune stimulating and anti-microbial elements are found in green foods. Eat a variety of salads, kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli in their raw and cooked form. Some nutrients are better raw and others are better cooked. Eating both means you will get all the vitamins your body needs.
2. Fermented Foods
Our body has 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells. Those bacteria naturally live all over our skin and throughout our digestive tract. The type of bacteria has a huge affect on our immune system. If we are covered in healthy bacteria, that will be reflected by the healthy function of our immune system. If we are covered in unhealthy or imbalanced bacteria then we will be more susceptible to infection. Eat homemade sauerkraut and kimchi daily, treat yourself with a miso soup to get a dose of the probiotic lactibacilli. Taking a probiotic during the winter can also boost your immune system so you can go out and ski with you new snowboard pants.
3. Fat
All of the cells in our body are made with fat. That includes the cells of our immune system. Eating a diet full of healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, hemp seeds and raw or sprouted nuts will make sure you have enough fat to build a healthy immune system. Coconut oil in particular has many anti-microbial properties.
4. Ditch the stimulants
Coffee, sugar, black tea, chocolate, cigarettes and alcohol will all have a negative impact on your immune system through the winter. These foods cause physical stress in the body so when consumed over the long term will reduce your body’s ability to fight infection. NOW is a perfect time to take a six-week cleanse from stimulants. It may be challenging at first, but you will feel great after!
5. Love yourself
We are already perfect, clean and amazing beings. If we can embrace this and have more acceptance and love for ourselves and our bodies, then our immune system will work more effectively. The stress we feel inhibits our digestion, prevents absorption of nutrients and lowers the body temperature so that our immune system cannot function optimally. The love we send to our body helps us to maintain balance and health. When we do this we will also more intuitively and be drawn to the foods that naturally supports health.
Dedicated to you well being
Zuzana
