How To Boost Your Immune System with Nutrition

Your immune system is the most powerful weapon you have against disease. It stops invaders like viruses from accessing your body, and if they breach these defences, actively hunts down and destroys them, preventing them from reproducing inside you. The system has a nonspecific response and a specific response mechanism. In specific defence, the immune system is responding to particular substances, cells, toxins, or proteins, which are perceived to the body as foreigner, and therefore unwanted or potentially dangerous. The specific immune response is intended to recognise and remove undesirable materials from cells, tissues and organs.

Just like any other bodily system however, your immune system needs support to be able to function at its optimal best. A bit like making sure the conditions are right when you plant a seed, you can nurture the right environment for your immune system to thrive too. And paying close attention to what your immune system needs is the most useful action you can take to help your body do its job properly.

Immunity is in Your Gut!

The bacteria in your gut microbiome are closely related to cells in your immune system. They teach them which substances are dangerous and which aren’t, and influence the production of white blood cells and how quickly they mature. This ensures your immune system is neither underactive nor overactive, as well as being as efficient as possible.

Here are my top tips for a superfit immune system:

1. EAT THE RAINBOW

Eating a variety of brightly coloured vegetables and fruits every day will help keep your immune system happy - aim for 10 servings daily and 40 different types each week. Don’t worry if you are way off this currently, as most people are! Start with one extra portion daily and increase gradually each week. Brightly coloured fruits & vegetables contain many beneficial ingredients and research suggests they will support your immune health better than most supplements.

2. STAY HYDRATED

Drink plenty of fresh filtered water daily - You need to be properly hydrated for your immune system to work optimally. Aim for 1.5 - 2 litres daily.

3. SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Add fresh herbs & spices to your foods - culinary herbs and spices add an extra immune-support dimension to your food. Add chopped fresh herbs to salads, ground turmeric to savoury dishes, fresh ginger to hot drinks & stir fries, and ground cinnamon to smoothies & oat-based breakfast dishes.

4. EMBRACE THE GARLIC BREATH

Add fresh garlic where you can - garlic is renowned for containing a variety of compounds that influence immune health. For best effects, chop or crush garlic, then leave to stand for 10 minutes before you cook to help maximise garlic’s beneficial qualities.

5. FERMENTED FOODS

Add fermented foods daily - Gut health is important for immune health overall. Add a daily dose of fermented foods / drinks to nurture your gut health. Here's a few you can try:

• Kefir
• Kombucha
• Kimchi
• Sauerkraut

6. PACK IN THE PROTEIN

Good quality protein with each meal - A healthy diet contains a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Ensure you are getting high quality protein each meal, such as:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Soy
• Tofu
• Eggs

Protein is essential for body tissue repair, to fight off infections and as a raw ingredient needed to make immune cells and antibodies.

7. O-ME-GAD!

Dietary Omega 3s - Omega 3 fats help to support immune balance and are often low in a typical Western diet. Include sources of omega 3s in your daily diet such as:

• Oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovies)
• Flaxseeds (ground)
• Flaxseed oil (use in salad dressing not for cooking).

8. GO ORGANIC

Choose organic where possible - organically-grown foods may help to increase your intake of nutrients and reduce your overall toxic load. This is important for protecting your body’s levels of an important compound called glutathione which is crucial for immune function and levels tend to decline with age.

9. CUT DOWN ON SUGAR

Reduce refined sugar & processed foods - unfortunately, heavily processed foods tend to be lower in nutrients and refined sugar may temporarily dampen the immune system. Focus on fresh foods cooked from scratch where possible.

10. REDUCE ALCOHOL & CAFFEINE

Both alcohol and caffeine can interfere with the body’s ability to keep blood sugar balanced and sleep; both of which may impact immune function when altered.

4 Lifestyle changes your immune system will love:

1. Sleep

It’s no accident that sleep is at the top of this list. If you only make one change to support your immune system, make it this one! Regular, good quality sleep is crucial for optimal immune function.

2. Exercise

Moderate, regular exercise helps to support immune function by increasing circulation, reducing stress and increasing levels of infection fighting immune cells and antibodies. A daily walk in nature is a great start. If you have an active infection however, the most important thing you can do is rest.

3. Balance and Manage Stress Levels

Chronic stress has a negative impact on immune health so taking steps to bring stress back into balance can have a powerful effect on overall immune function. Research shows that regular exercise is a great way to de- stress, as are daily mindfulness practice, breathing exercises, Yoga and T’ai Chi.

4. Stay Connected

Connections with other people and the world around us are a big part of what makes us human and are just as crucial for supporting overall health as food and water. Even during times when this may be difficult, it’s important to find alternative ways to connect - online, over the phone or even by writing a letter. And staying connected to nature starts with noticing the world around you, whether that’s through an open window or out on a walk.

Top Immune support nutrients & ingredients:

Vitamin C

Always at the top of the list for immune support, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory activity and supports the body’s ability to fight infection. Vitamin C has been shown to shorten the duration of the common cold, and even prevent it in some conditions. Clinical trials are even currently underway to test the effectiveness of vitamin C as a treatment in patients with Covid-19.

Vitamin D

Often referred to as the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients needed to support optimal immune function and maintaining healthy levels is vital for supporting the body’s ability to fight infection. In fact, it has recently been studied for its ability to reduce the risk of respiratory infections. Unlike most essential nutrients however, the main source of vitamin D isn’t food, but sunshine. Your bare skin produces vitamin D when it comes into contact with the sun’s rays, so risk of deficiency is increased during the winter months and when spending prolonged time indoors.

New vitamin D guidelines issued by Public Health England in April 2020, Public Health England responded to growing concerns around high levels of vitamin D deficiency and increasing evidence on the vital role of vitamin D for immune function by recommending that everyone should now consider supplementing with vitamin D daily, not just at risk groups.

DISCOVER OUR IMMUNE-SUPPORT DRINKS MENU

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. The body doesn’t have much ability to store zinc so it’s crucial that your diet delivers plenty of this immune-supporting mineral. If you regularly take zinc in supplement form however (such as in a daily multi) it is important to balance this with copper, as excess zinc can cause copper deficiency and vice versa.

Selenium

Selenium deficiency seems to speed up the rate that viruses can mutate, and influenza has been found to be more harmful when selenium is deficient. For general immune health, it’s important to ensure that selenium levels are optimal.

Vitamin A

Several immune system functions rely on vitamin A and deficiency is known to impair the immune system. Vitamin A is found in the diet in two forms: beta-carotene (found in plant foods) and retinol, or ‘active vitamin A’ (found in high fat animal foods).

IMMUNE BOOSTING RECIPE

Did you hear that chicken soup is great when you’re unwell? If you thought it was just an old wives’ tale, you’d be wrong. Research suggests that a bowl of chicken and vegetable soup can slow the speed at which neutrophils move around your body. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and part of the immune system, protecting your body from infection. When the neutrophils move slowly, there’s a greater chance of them becoming more concentrated in the areas of your body that need the most healing. Studies have shown chicken soup to be particularly helpful in reducing symptoms in upper respiratory system infections.

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN SOUP

This lovely soup contains garlic and ginger (known for their antiviral qualities). Serves 4:

INGREDIENTS

For the paste:

1 large red chilli, seeded
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 garlic cloves, crushed onion, roughly chopped

For the soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil
400g can coconut milk
400ml chicken stock
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 chicken breasts, dice into small cubes
100g broccoli, cut into small florets
Handful sugar snap peas, halved
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
4 spring onions, sliced

METHOD

1. To make the spice paste, tip all the paste ingredients into a food processor, then add 4 tbsp of the coconut milk and whizz to form a paste.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan, add the spice paste and cook for 1–2 mins. Add the rest of the coconut milk, stock, and fish sauce. Bring to the boil then gently simmer for 7–10 mins.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2–3 mins.
4. Tip in the broccoli and cook for a further minute, before adding the sugar snap peas and cooking for another minute.
5. Pour into bowls and sprinkle over the chopped coriander and spring onions to serve.

Enjoy! :)

EMAIL EBRU for a free 20min Discovery Call and/or a free copy of her E-book 'Are You Really Healthy?’

Ebru Bayrak
Nutritional Therapist ND, NT (Dip CNM), ANP

www.ebrubayrak.com
Tel: +44 7810827718