Nourish Your Immune System

With the colder weather beating down our door and flu season in full effect it's important to nourish our immune system. We don't have to wait until we are sick to start eating things that heal our bodies. We can start now by cleaning out or immune system and building it up with some great nutritious foods.

First of all let's start by trying to understand what the immune system is and what it does for us. The immune system is like our little army of soldiers. It is responsible for protecting our bodies from illness, infection, and disease. It is a complex system that uses different body tissues and chemical reactions to defend our bodies from harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses, microbes, free radicals and parasites.

The lympathic system plays a huge role in immune function. It is responsible for circulating and draining body fluids known as lymph to and from our organs. Lymph transports nutrients to the organs and removes any excess substances from them. They also contain white blood cells. The white blood cells are the little soldiers that kill the harmful invaders in our bodies. We have about 50 billion of these little soldiers.

Diet and lifestyle habits have a huge impact on our immune health. Unhealthy habits such as smoking, eating processed foods and drinking alcohol can increase the number of harmful chemicals in our bodies. These invaders are known as free radicals. Free radicals can also enter our bodies by breathing in pollutants found in our environments such as cigarette smoke, paint fumes, exhaust fumes and other air pollutants.

Free radicals cause cell damage within our bodies. This cell damage can eventually lead to illness and disease. If our army (Immune System) is constantly working to defend itself from free radicals then it has fewer resources available to fight off other invaders such as viruses and bacteria. This is why we tend to get sick when we compromise our diets with unhealthy foods or make unhealthy lifestyle choices.

So to sum this all up it's important to avoid free radicals so that we have enough strength to fight off illnesses such as colds and infections. Something as simple as a cut requires the help of the immune system. Every illness, injury and threat to the body requires an immune response in order to heal.

An overworked immune system that is constantly being attacked and compromised can also cause issues like chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. Some autoimmune disease include: Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance), Cirrhosis of the Liver, Lupus, Psoriasis, Arthritis, Type I Diabetes Crohn's Disease, and many other diseases. Cancer is also linked to a compromised immune system.

Eating properly can drastically reduce and reverse chronic inflammation, boost your immune responses and help combat and reverse the affects of free radicals. Keeping your free radical intake low and your antioxidant intake high by avoiding processed foods and eating a wide variety of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds is the best way to build a healthy immune system.

Now that you understand a lot more about your immune system let's start making it stronger with the foods:

Carrots, bell peppers, and dark leafy greens- contain high levels of vitamin A which protects the body from infection by moistening mucous membranes and producing healing enzymes.

Sunflower seeds and almonds- high in vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant. These foods have been found to play a large role in the prevention of both bladder and prostate cancer as well as Alzheimer's Disease.

Papaya, strawberries, citrus and broccoli- high in vitamin C which is an immune booster. Vitamin C stimulates the production of white blood cells. It has also been shown to prevent free radical formation.

Spelt, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats- these foods all contain zinc which is an element that maintains white blood cell levels and helps heal wounds.

Garlic- This powerful food has been known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. It also helps in preventing cancers especially kidney and colorectal (bowel, colon).

These are just a few of the powerful healing foods that have been found to promote a healthy immune system. The best way to reap all the benefits of these power foods is to eat them raw. This ensures that the nutrients are not being destroyed through overcooking. Try juicing them, making a smoothie or throwing them in a salad.



References: Nutribullet's Natural Healing Foods Guide.


Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. In no way does this information replace the advice of a doctor. Please consult a doctor before beginning any dietary program.