There has never been a more important time to start looking after your immune health, boosting it now may help you to skate lightly through this pandemic.

Did you know that immune health starts in the gut?

Right now we are all trying to avoid harmful bacteria, but it’s crucial to remember that beneficial bacteria provides you with the foundations of a strong, healthy immune system and without these bacteria you wouldn’t be able to fight off the bad bacteria.

By following some if not all of these steps you will be able to nurture the good bacteria to support your immune system.

Avoid stress and sugar as they feed bad bacteria

It’s easy to turn to sugary food when you’re stressed. Stress can cause tiredness and often we turn to sugar for a short-term energy boost. However, when you get stressed and eat sugar the hormones secreted, promote the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria, thus detrimental to your immunity.

Tip: You won’t be surprised by this; regular exercise is proven to lower stress levels. Gentle exercise like yoga can help calm your mind, while running and weights can boost your feel-good endorphins. 

Wholefoods, relaxation & fermented foods feed good bacteria

Rest and relaxation, plus fresh wholefoods cooked from scratch promote the growth of ‘friendly’ bacteria. Fermented food such as kefir, kombucha and kimchi are a great addition to the diet as they supply beneficial bacteria that are quickly incorporated into the gut population.

Tip: Take a look at the label on your food packaging, if there are ingredients that you’ve never heard of the likely hood is it’s not good for you. 

A daily multi-strain probiotic supplement

Probiotics support an optimal balance of bacteria in the gut. It’s crucial to choose a supplement that contains specific strains that have been well researched and demonstrate a high level of effectiveness. Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM® is considered to be the world’s most widely researched probiotic strain.

Nutrients and ingredients to support immune health

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is always at the top of the list for immune support, it is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory activity and supports the body’s ability to fight infection. It has been shown to shorten the common cold and even prevent it when people are exposed to brief periods of intense physical exercise. Vitamin C also helps to support a healthy stress response and so may have added benefit when worries are heightened.

Tip: Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, berries and bell peppers.

Vitamin D

Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is important for supporting the body’s ability to fight infection. Unlike most essential nutrients however, you can’t rely on food to keep your levels optimal. As most of us know the main source of vitamin D is sunshine and not food. So, it’s important to take every opportunity to get your 30 minutes of recommended outdoors activity and take a daily maintenance supplement at this time if you feel it is needed.

Tip: A supplement combining Vitamin D and K will help absorption in the body. Fatty fish, tuna, mackerel, and salmon are good for boosting vitamin D, as is orange juice, soy milk, and cereals, beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach and cabbage are all high in Vitamin K.

Zinc

A severe deficiency of zinc is known to suppress immune function and even mild to moderate deficiency can have a negative impact on the immune system’s ability to deal with infection.

Tip: Include in your diet foods like red meat[HD4] , chickpeas and lentils, pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Selenium

Selenium deficiency has been shown to speed up the rate viruses mutate. So, for general immune health, keep your selenium levels high.

Tip: Some great foods that contain selenium are brazil nuts, oats, sunflower seeds, fish, turkey and chicken.

Vitamin A

Several immune system functions rely on Vitamin A, so include foods high in beta-carotene, such as red, yellow and orange plant foods and foods high in retinol, eggs, butter, liver and full fat dairy products.

Please remember that a healthy immune system relies on a range of additionally supportive diet and lifestyle factors too.

 Pay particular attention to:

• Consuming plenty of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables

• Regular good quality sleep

• Keeping stress levels in check and making time for daily relaxation

• Reducing the intake of refined sugar and alcohol

• Regular cardiovascular and resistance training 

Look out for further blogs which will cover some of these points in more detail.

For now, stay safe and take care everyone!

Lisa x