Build an Effective Immune System - Part 2
How to Build an Effective Immune System
There are so many easy ways to keep your immune system happy every day, so if you come in contact with an invader (virus, bacteria, parasite, etc) your immune system can jump into action and fight it off.
What you’ll quickly notice is this; an immune-supportive diet is simply a healthy diet that full of fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, and other whole foods. It’s not a difficult diet that removes everything yummy…our immune system just needs healthy food :).
A word about refined flour and sugar –
Your immune system would prefer it if you reduced or eliminated these foods from your diet. They’re so refined that they’re lacking the basic nutrients needed for digestion, so they have to steal them from other food and tissues. This can cause deficiencies in important nutrients, and your immune system doesn’t like that.
Some healthy experts say that refined sugar can lower your immune system immediately after eating them (for about 3 – 6 hours). Honestly, I’ve heard this for almost 20 years, but I’ve never seen the research to back it up (even when they say “studies show”, it’s never sourced properly). So, I don’t know how true it is. But, it IS a good idea to keep these foods low whenever you’re fight something…just in case.
By switching out your refined white sugar for whole food forms like maple syrup, honey, sucanut (unrefined cane sugar), coconut sugar, or any other whole food sugar will eliminate any worry about these refined foods :). (check out the healthy sweet treats recipes in the Recipe section)
A great white flour alternative for all baking (except for bread…it can be difficult to use for bread) is spelt flour. Whole spelt flour is much lighter than whole wheat flour and does well in recipes that need a light flour. It even has a lovely slightly sweet taste, so it goes great in muffins, cookies, cakes, and other baking treats.
A word about known food sensitivities -
If you have a food sensitivity that triggers an immune reaction (like inflammation, sneezing, wheezing, etc), then this food can push your immune system into the “too hot” zone. To your immune system, that food looks just like a virus or bacteria, so is ramping up to fight it…pushing it into the “too hot” zone unnecessarily.
As much as you can, keep that food as low as possible right now to take that item off its to-do list. But, if that’s super difficult (or darn near impossible) than don’t worry or stress about it. The immune modulators listed below can pull it down for you ❤️
Important nutrients for the immune system
* Please note that ALL nutrients are important and if you eat a whole food diet then you’re getting all of them. But, there are a few I’d like to highlight as they seem to be extra-specially important
Mineral Trilogy – Iron, Selenium, & Zinc
These 3 minerals can (usually) be found in adequate amounts in a healthy diet and are very important for your immune system.
When to supplement –
Iron – if you’re a menstruating woman and have had low iron in the past, this might be a good time to bring in a low-dose iron supplement (25 – 50mg per day).
Zinc – if you’re on a PPI for GERD or acid reflux, your zinc absorption has been compromised, so a supplement is a good idea. Or, if you’ve lost your sense of smell and taste (that’s not due to nasal polyps or other physical cause), then you may be low in zinc.
Supplement with 25mg per day. ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL DOSE UNDER 50mg (sorry for yelling, it’s just really important :).
Selenium - this deficiency is harder to find. Low thyroid symptoms can be due to low selenium (selenium and iodine are mineral brothers). Eating foods rich in selenium is just plain beneficial, even if your thyroid is a-okay :)
Food rich in these nutrients –
Selenium – The easiest way to get a huge boost of selenium is to eat 1 – 2 brazil nuts per day. That will give you a dose equivalent to a supplement (each brazil nut contains 70 – 90mcg of selenium). Other selenium-rich foods are garlic, broccoli, tuna, and sardines.
Iron – you can find iron in all animal proteins (including chicken and fish), seafood, beans, broccoli, and kale.
Zinc – you can find zinc in beans, animal protein, seafood, yogurt, and pumpkin seeds.
Vitamin Trilogy – Vitamin A, C, & D
Vitamin A - a forgotten vitamin for the immune system and is an important ingredient to make antibodies. Vitamin A is in egg yolks, cheese, tofu, nuts, and beans.
Beta-carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A is found in all orange veggies and many green ones (the green colour over-powers the beta carotene). Always have some healthy fat when eating food rich in beta carotene or Vitamin A, it’s needed to absorb Vitamin A and to convert betacarotene to Vitamin A.
Vitamin C - a popular immune nutrient, but you only really need to supplement when you’re fighting off an infection. You can find Vit C in citrus, broccoli, potatoes, and tomatoes.
Vitamin D - also a popular immune nutrient. Most people in North America and Europe are low due to low levels of sunlight. Generally, take about 2000IU per day and, if possible, get your blood levels tested to ensure you’re taking the right dose (esp. if you have an auto-immune condition). And get some sunlight!
Medicinal Mushrooms (reishi, shitake, lion’s mane, etc)
If you have any immune system issues, or just want an immune system superhero, I’d like to introduce you (or reacquaint you) to medicinal mushrooms.
These mushrooms aren’t your average button mushroom, they’re potent immune system modulators. They also have some extra superpowers, like; supporting the cardiovascular system (reishi), supporting memory and brain health (lion’s mane), and supporting blood sugar balance (maitake & reishi).
Today, if immune balancing is your main concern and you’d like a full body superhero, reishi mushroom is for you. It’s amazing at modulating the immune system (research has found it helps with auto-immune conditions too) and is a general tonic for the whole body. It even supports breathing and the lungs and gives the body energy.
All medicinal mushrooms support the immune system, so if you’ve got one you love then keep it up. Or, check out one of the mushroom blends, like Host Defence’s Stamets 7 or Purica’s Immune 7. Mushrooms work synergistically together, so you can combine them for extra support :).
If you’d like to dive deeper, check out our masterclass on Medicinal Mushrooms :)
Your Gut Bacteria
Your microbiome or your gut bacteria plays an important role in your immune system. And, a whole food diet, full of plant-based fiber is the best way to keep your gut bacteria happy.
Add a serving of fermented food (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc) every day to fertilize your microbiome. It’s like Miracle Grow for your inner microbes!
If you’re worried about your gut bacteria, follow the Gut Bacteria Rebalance Program :)
Sleep
Your immune system needs rest to work properly <3. If you sleep well but tend to go to bed late (after 10pm) GET TO BED!
If you struggle with sleep, check out the Sleep Masterclass <3
Exercise / Moving Lymph
Your immune system LOVES it when you move! Any type of movement will do – anything from a gentle walk to a hardy round of Crossfit will make your immune system very happy.
Yoga is particularly helpful as it moves every muscle, stretches tight joints and muscles, and massages all of the organs. Chair yoga is a great alternative for those who struggle to get up and down off the floor. It’s still a great exercise routine :).
Lymph brushing is also great for the immune system as it moves any backed up lymph fluid. Lymph fluid is an important part of the immune system. Happily, this is really easy, check out the video below!
(you might recognize the video from the Hormone Masterclass…yes, it’s the same one, a bit of recycling there…)
Now that your immune system is balanced and strong, all you need is a plan for any time you’re feeling the first sign of a cold, flu, or virus. Head over to Part 3 for your plan!
Got any questions or comments? Jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)