With winter fast approaching, we have been hit with some extra cold, extra wet weather. With that comes the dreaded cold and flu season. Try out these nutrition tips to help boost your immune system now, and fight off these common illnesses.
In some way, we’re all in the same boat, dealing with uncertainty and adjusting to a new environment. As a result, it is an excellent moment to consider how we may each support our own personal well-being. Taking charge and taking action, after all, is a terrific way to alleviate the anxiety and stress that unavoidably accompany these trying times.
Feeling in control mentally and physically will not only provide you with something to focus on in the coming weeks, but it will also help your body manage with the obstacles that change brings. To put it another way, strengthen your immune system.
Let’s take a look at how our immune system defends our bodies to have a better idea of how crucial food is in maintaining our heath.
What is the immune system and how does it work?
Pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites – basically any germ that may cause a disease) are continually bombarding our systems, seeking for a warm, wet habitat where they can feed and proliferate. Some are just inconvenient, such as the common cold. Others, such as the coronavirus, can cause serious sickness if they get inside the body.
We have three primary levels of defence to prevent these unwelcome, small visitors from creating a home in our bodies:
The first layer is our skin, which acts as a ‘wall’ or physical barrier to infections. The invaders are then immobilised and killed by our mucous membranes, which include those in our mouths, noses, guts, and lungs, which exude mucus and other components to immobilise and kill them.
Even if a disease manages to get past these two barriers, the fight is far from done. Then there are two types of defensive cells that act as our personal army, constantly patrolling the body for invading invaders.
Our innate immune system, which is non-specific and assaults anything alien within minutes, is the first. The second is our adaptive immune system, which has its own memory: these intelligent cells recognise a pathogen they’ve seen before and respond appropriately.
The adaptive system can take several days to learn to recognise new alien invaders. However, once it has learnt this disease, it is ready to attack promptly if it encounters it again. As a result, diseases like measles only affect you once.
This is also why novel infections such as coronavirus create such havoc — no one is immune since our bodies have never faced it before. In fact, vaccinations function in the same way, by exposing the immune system to small quantities of a weakened virus in order for it to recognise it promptly the next time it encounters it. Actually, it’s rather ingenious! But what role does food play in all of this?
What role does food have in our immune system?
Unfortunately, there is no one superfood or ingredient that can improve the performance of your immune system. That’s because all of our immune cells’, cells, organs, and weapons need on a steady supply of vitamins, minerals, protein, and vital fats to keep them ready to combat invaders.
When our immune system is battling an illness, it need a steady supply of nutrients from our meals or stored in our bodies in order to eliminate pathogens and infected cells, as well as heal any damage to our bodies. As a result, if we are weak in any nutrient, our immune system will not perform as effectively as it should, and we will be more susceptible to illness.
Vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, folate, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium, amino acids, and essential fatty acids 1,2 are all necessary, but some are more important than others. Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot to remember; we’ll tell you how to get all of these nutrients down below.
Many people are deficient in important nutrients.
One in every four New Zealanders is zinc deficient, which is a hard statistic to accept. Around 30% of people have insufficient vitamin D levels, with up to 60% of those with darker complexion having insufficient vitamin D. Furthermore, selenium deficiency affects approximately one-third of males and half of females, while vitamin A deficiency affects 23% of males and 12% of girls.
Why are there so high levels of deficiency? Our present Western diet consists of a big amount of highly processed food with little nutrient content. White flour, sugar, and highly refined oils are common high-refined components in foods including donuts, bakery products, sweet cereals, instant noodles, deep-fried dishes, confectionery, and soft beverages. In fact, ultra-processed foods now account for more than 40% of the New Zealand diet and over 60% of the American diet. It’s no surprise that we have many dietary shortages when we replace entire, unadulterated, nutrient dense foods with these.
Our immune systems are also harmed by ultra-processed foods.
A high-sugar, refined-starch diet, such as white flour, raises blood glucose levels, making our blood sweeter. Excess blood glucose impairs the activity of our immune cells, lowering their ability to destroy pathogens5.
Inflammatory lipids, such as those found in deep fryers, raise overall inflammation in our bodies, affecting both our ability to fight infection and contributing to an exaggerated inflammatory response when we are sick.
How can we ensure that we are getting the right amount of nutrients in our diet?
The dietary groups to focus on to ensure we acquire enough nutrients are listed below:
Protein-rich meals that haven’t been processed, notably shellfish.
Essential amino acids, Omega 3 (seafood), B vitamins (especially B6 and B12), zinc (especially oysters, as well as poultry and meat), selenium (seafood and brazil nuts), vitamin D (eggs, liver, and fish), vitamin A retinol (milk, cheese, fish, and liver), and iron are all found in protein-rich foods (red meat).
Amino acids are the building blocks of the cells, antibodies, and enzymes that make up our immune system7. Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of the cells, antibodies, and enzymes that make up our immune system.
Zinc is particularly useful for preventing respiratory tract infections, as well as, in principle, COVID-19. Zinc prevents viral entrance into cells and interrupts the viral life cycle, therefore even a little zinc shortage has an impact on the entire immune system. The use of zinc lozenges can shorten the duration of a cold by 2-4 days. Excess zinc, on the other hand, weakens the immune system 8. As a result, use caution and avoid using large doses of any supplement. Simply follow the directions on the bottle or those provided by your doctor.
Long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids contained in seafood boost immune function and help to reduce inflammation that occurs when our bodies fight illnesses.
Consume a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, with at least five servings of veggies and two servings of fruit.
Polyphenols, which are anti-inflammatory and give fruit and vegetables their colour, are found in fruits, vegetables, and plant foods. They also have fibre, which feeds our gut flora; a varied range of bacteria boosts our immune system. Vitamin C (when raw), folate, and beta carotene (vitamin A) are all found in unprocessed plant foods.
Vitamin C boosts our immune system while also lowering inflammation. Vitamin C is abundant in raw, uncooked fruits and vegetables, particularly capsicum, kale, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kiwifruit, guava, currants, oranges, and lemons.
Avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds are examples of whole food fats.
These foods are high in vitamin E, anti-inflammatory components (particularly in olive oil), selenium (two Brazil nuts a day give all of your selenium), magnesium, zinc, copper, and healthy fats, among other minerals.
Vitamin D is an important nutrient.
Our bodies manufacture vitamin D when we are exposed to the sun. We may make a lot of money in the summer if we expose our skin for short periods of time when the sun is shining brightly. However, our levels decline in the winter, therefore taking a supplement to maintain healthy levels is recommended.
Bonus Tips
- Aim for at least 3 cups of raw and cooked plant food every day. Cutting up raw vegetables and having a dip on hand for snacks is a simple way to include more vegetables into your diet. At mealtimes, half your plate should be filled with colourful salads and fresh or frozen steaming vegetables. Alternatively, make a smoothie with berries and spinach. We guarantee you won’t be able to detect it. It’s best if your cuisine is as colourful as possible.
- Limit your intake of deep-fried and processed foods. These should only be used as a special treat.
- To make sure you receive enough protein in your day, centre your three main meals around a palm-sized protein source.
- At least three times every week, eat seafood. You’re white fish, tuna or perhaps some tuna.
- Each day, aim for a modest handful of nuts and seeds. They’re delicious in yoghurt or as a topping on salads or vegetables, and they make a nice snack with a piece of fruit. You may also add nut butter to your smoothie if you want to make it even more delectable.
Summary
To summarise, improving our nutrition can improve our immune system. Consume a wide variety of foods in their least processed forms to establish a strong immune system capable of defending you against any infection, and arm yourself with the wide range of nutrients it requires. Now that most of us have more time at home, let’s take advantage of it by trying out some new dishes and culinary techniques.
For more tips on nutrition. Check out our nutrition section
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