5 Ways to optimize your immunity and protect your health
The immune system is the body’s first line of defence. When people start to get sick, their immune systems get damaged. The body’s most important line of defence is its innate immune system, which is like the little “gunk” that comes out of the container when you open it. If that gets damaged, it’s harder for the body to fight infections.
The truth is, the natural way to optimize immune health is through nutrition! There is a wealth of different ways that we can approach immune health, and there’s no way to do it without a well thought out well planned well-executed plan. You can optimize your immunity with the immune system supplements – Vitamins A, C, D, E, zinc, and selenium that boost your immune system to stay healthy but there’s much more than just that.
Focus on whole foods and essential nutrients
Focus on whole foods and critical nutrients, not just supplements. Our immune system needs a wide range of immune-boosting nutrients, of which most are found in whole foods. To keep our immunity strong, we need to eat whole foods and eat them in the right balance for optimum nutrient density.
We often think of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates when we talk about food. But, the truth is there are dozens of different kinds of nutrients that we need to eat right for our immune health. And, other people need different types of nutrients – for example, one person needs lots of vitamins and minerals, while another may need more of a specific kind of vitamin.
Support gut health
The truth is the natural way to optimize your immune system is through gut health! There are a wealth of different ways that we can approach immune health, and there’s no way to do it without a well thought out well planned well-executed plan.
The gut lining is a thin, single layer of cells that separates our large intestine from our bloodstream. It’s designed to keep out most bacteria and toxins and to allow the nutrients we eat to pass from the food we eat to the rest of our bodies. When the gut lining gets damaged (like what happens with celiac disease), it becomes leakier and more accessible for the body to absorb nutrients meant for the body to use.
Eating whole, unprocessed foods keeps us healthy. Whole grains and vegetables, for example, are full of the nutrients that keep our guts healthy, including fibre and prebiotics. Researchers found that people who ate more fibre were 37% less likely to develop stomach ulcers in one study.
Probiotics are believed to have substantial effects on immune health
Research shows that a wide range of probiotics can help support immune health. Here are a few: Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis, and Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris.
But the truth is probiotics aren’t a magic pill. They’re a family of friendly microorganisms, including bacteria that live in the gut. The gut bacteria in our body are essential for our immune health.
This is the most important part: A specific probiotic may or may not be effective for you. We don’t know the proper dosages for many different types of probiotics.
Functional foods
There aren’t any “healthy” or “unhealthy” foods. It’s all about balance. A balanced diet is rich in nutrients, which means that the nutrients we eat are well-assimilated and used by the body. A diet with too little of a specific type of nutrient can have harmful effects, like weight gain, so you want to make sure you’re having enough of that nutrient.
Functional foods are foods that are used for one of their primary purposes. For example, probiotic beverages are used for their intended purpose – to help you keep your gut healthy.
Some foods are great for your immune system, and some aren’t. Until we know what’s in foods and beverages, we can’t make any claims about how they might affect your immune health. Many functional foods are not designed for their primary purpose. Some are marketed as food because they provide benefits that help the body. It’s important to know that they may also have other functions not listed on the package label.
Balance your stress load
Stress is a significant public health concern. It affects millions of people, and it impacts every aspect of health, from your physical health to your mental health.
When we experience stress, our bodies release cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones help us respond to a threat. But when we’re exposed to ongoing stress, it can negatively affect our health (especially our immune health). There are many ways we can work to reduce or eliminate stress.
Research shows, for example, that stress may be a contributing factor to depression, fatigue, and some gastrointestinal problems. A diet rich in omega-three fatty acids can help reduce the inflammation in the body caused by stress. This may help prevent the onset or help treat conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and other inflammatory diseases. Some people believe that eating spicy foods or lots of spicy foods may help reduce stress. Eating spicy food stimulates the release of endorphins, which can have pain-relieving effects.
Conclusion
“Nutrition Hacking” is a very real, measurable, and replicable way of improving our health and well-being to the extent that it may be one-day rival traditional medicine.
Achieving a balanced nutritional intake can help support immune health. However, we can’t count on a single nutrient, or even multiple nutrients, to help us.
Immune health over everything is essential. It’s the foundation for health and wellness. We’re constantly being exposed to microbes and bacteria from food, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the surfaces we touch. These exposures can influence our immune system. Nutrition is a crucial component of our immune health. It’s essential to optimize our nutritional intake to support our immune health.
We must never forget that we are not a standalone unit. We are part of an ecosystem of life, and we must pay attention to it. Our food, planet, air, water, and land are all interconnected, whether we can see them or not.
