Immune Health 101 - The Basics
Whether you're on the road to recovery or trying to prevent illness, we're here to support your wellness journey. It's easy to overlook how our lifestyle choices can affect our health and immune function, so we're emphasizing the importance of focusing on the basics (diet/nutrition, stress, sleep, movement, nature and connection) for overall well-being and keeping you healthy through the rest of the winter months.
NUTRITION
A whole food diet rich in antioxidants, omega 3's (EFA’s and DHA) and probiotics all help optimize immune cells and function, reduce inflammation, and keep our defences ready to ward off viruses and foreign bodies. Chronic inflammation contributes to illness and disease so maintaining an anti-inflammatory diet is important. The following are a few key items to highlight in your diet for immunity:
Anti-oxidants: These protect the body from damage caused by internal and environmental factors. They modulate the stress response and ensure inflammation is present to signal your defence mechanisms to kick into high gear when needed, while protecting us from chronic inflammation which can wreak havoc on the immune system.
Antioxidants also act like copilots to signal the immune response. They optimize detoxification, free up your liver to do its job in producing immune cells and neutralize some of the harmful effects of free-radicals and oxidative stress throughout the body. Examples of foods rich in anti-oxidants include:
Vitamin A: Beef liver, cod liver oil, sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin and kale all cooked. Apricots, butternut squash, broccoli and dandelion greens.
Vitamin C: Oranges, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, bell peppers.
Vitamin E: Almonds, hazel nuts, apricots, olives and olive oil, spinach, fish.
Zinc: Grass-fed beef, pumpkin, chia, hemp seeds, brazil and cashew nuts.
Selenium (a mineral often overlooked): brazil nuts, tuna, sunflower seeds, asparagus, eggs (yolk), chia seeds, oat bran, spinach (cooked) and some whole wheat breads and pasta.
Probiotics and Prebiotics: Our gut lining acts as a large protective barrier against pathogens and is one of the first line of defences in our immune response. The intestinal wall and surrounding tissue contain the immune cells called the GALT or gut-associated-lymphatic-tissue. When the gut is healthy, these cells protect us from chronic inflammation, gastro-intestinal distress and toxins and viruses from entering the body. Most of our pro and prebiotics come from fibre, fermented foods and certain fruits and vegetables that help feed the gut flora.
Pre and probiotics, along with optimal nutrition help to ensure that the gut maintains a healthy microbiome and that the lining and mucosa remain intact. Once the lining of the gut is disrupted, toxins and other pathogens can get into the body triggering inflammation and illness. Microbiome disruptors to avoid when priming the immune system include high sugar, processed diets, sugar substitutes, alcohol, antibiotics and stress.
Omega 3 and 6: These regulate the inflammatory pathways, which light up when we have a real threat to our health, but also can be perpetually activated creating chronic inflammation which reduces immune function. Omega 3 and 6 when balanced (1:4) create an optimal inflammatory reaction and ensure that the correct pathways for fighting illness or injury are optimized. It’s important to maintain the ratio to avoid triggering an unnecessary immune response. Standard diets typically have much higher ratios of 6:3 which can trigger inflammation and put people at risk for various diseases and illness. Both have a role to play but keeping them balanced is key, so we are focusing on our Omega 3’s for now, which also play a role in maintaining our cognitive and gut health.
Omega 3 rich foods include: Flaxseed oil (cold pressed), wild salmon, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, fish such as makerel, coho salmon trout, grass-fed beef, walnuts and walnut oil, sardines, mussels, avocado oil and more.
STRESS
A certain amount of stress is necessary to motivate, engage and propel us forward. But too much stress compromises our immune function by increasing inflammation and suppressing our cells immune response. A double whammy. Give yourself and those around you permission to take a break. Small reminders to reduce stress and keep you grounded through the day include:
Setting boundaries: Learning to say no, to take time for yourself and understanding your limitations is a life skill.
Engaging in a mindfulness practice: Whether it’s meditation, yoga or breathwork they all calm your stress response and help regulate your immune system.
Exercising: Movement reduces stress and optimizes baseline immune function, provided you aren’t already fighting infection or overtraining.
MOVEMENT
Exercise can improve stress and sleep, and it also aids in promoting the flow of lymphatic fluid which helps to remove toxins and waste products from the body and stimulates immune cells to do their job. Rebounding, brisk walking and meditative forms such as yoga and pilates all benefit the body. At low to moderate levels it can produce an optimal level of stress to help activate immune function, helping promote immune health and prevent illness. However once you feel the first onset of illness you are best to rest and give the body a break.
SLEEP
Sleep plays a significant role in immunity. It stimulates the release of immune cells (cytokines) which respond to inflammation and infection. One of the reasons why rest is critical when we are ill. There is also the process of autophagy, which is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells and regenerating new ones. During sleep, especially during deep sleep stages, the body's autophagy process is enhanced. This is because sleep allows the body to conserve energy and focus on cellular repair and regeneration. A lack of sleep can disrupt the autophagy process, leading to an accumulation of damaged cells and proteins in the body. This disruption can contribute to various health issues, including impaired immune function, increased inflammation, and an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders.
So practice good sleep hygiene and for tips on healthy sleep habits see our blog here.
NATURE AND VITAMIN D: Getting outside can reduce stress levels and also produces Vitamin D. During the darker, shorter days of winter it is easy to become deficient. But Vitamin D is another co-pilots that is vital for a well functioning immune response. Getting regular light and sun exposure is important, but when that isn’t available focusing on foods rich in Vitamin D can help. Some of these include: Wild salmon (cooked) also an excellent source of Omega 3’s and EFA’s, eggs, some cheeses, turkey, chicken and lean grass-fed beef. If you think you may be deficient (it can help to be tested if you live in darker, colder climates) than consulting with a healthcare practitioner on supplementation is suggested.
COMMUNITY
Cultivating a strong sense of kindness and compassion elicits as positive reaction in our neurotransmitters, which reduces stress, inflammation and creates an overall sense of wellbeing. Connection increases oxytocin and reduces overall stress and stimulates feel good neurotransmitters that help keep our emotional health in check. This reduces chronic inflammation and helps provide an optimal environment for enabling the immune response to prevent illness.
DON’T FORGET HYDRATE AND GET ADEQUATE FIBRE: This was also in our last newsletter but is too important not to touch on again. Hydration and fibre are key to ensuring we maintain healthy detoxification pathways, that we keep our intestines and kidneys moving and flushing out unnecessary waste and toxins. This helps the lymphatic system to move, the immune cells to focus on the really nasty culprits, while freeing the liver up to make additional immune cells. Fibre provides pre and probiotics to keep our gut health in check and provides a healthy immune environment for the GALT. Being well hydrated and having a healthy microbiome support optimal cognitive functioning, reduce brain fog and support the neurotransmitters produced in our gut, which can help with stress, sleep and enhancing overall health.