Protecting your immune system

It’s that time of the year again - winter, where we bust out our coats, U.G.Gs and scarfs in hopes of preventing ourselves from become little coughing machines and snot factories. But unfortunately it may not be enough, so borrowing from what I learnt in Physical Education class, the best offence is a good defence. Your best bet against becoming a red nose, watery eyed, bed-ridden, germ-y individual is to look after your immune system and make sure you are eating the right foods your body needs to stay healthy and happy.

Your personal nutrient intake greatly impacts 3 areas of immune health:

1)      Anti-oxidants

2)      The Gut

3)      Lymph System

So, what can you do to boost your immune system and decrease your risk of catching a nasty germ or shorten the severity or length of sickness?

Actually before you read any further, let my firstly stress that there is no magic cure, no magic pill and no one single factor which will boost your immune system. A healthy immune system requires a balance, food is what will benefit you the most, unless you have a diagnosed deficiency, elderly, exercising for more than 4+hours per day, pregnant or breastfeeding, there really is not a huge need for vitamins or supplements.

1)      Eat Foods high in anti-oxidants

No doubt you’ve heard all the hype about anti-oxidants, it’s a nutritional buzz word that has been floating around for years and Yes the marketing is right, we do need them to be healthy however NO, YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE ANTI-OXIDANT SUPPLEMENTS (why? Keep on reading!)

Why do we need anti-oxidants more in winter time? The cold induces more stress in our bodies, this stress inturn causes oxidation which produces more toxins or free radicals, anti-oxidants will mop up these toxins leaving us healthier.

What are and How do I eat more foods rich in anti-oxidants? EASY! Look for colour and eat as many different colours as you can. The 3 main sources of anti-oxidants we get from fruit and veg is Lycopene, Lutein and Beta-Carotene.

Lycopene is found in tomatoes and other red coloured fruit and vegetables like watermelon and guava.

Lutein is in dark green leafy vegetables like kale, swiss chard and spinach, sauté these veggies up with some garlic and onions for a warming and yummy side dish. Yellow vegetables are also a sign of Lutein, so roast up some pumpkin or corn and gobble up.

Beta-carotenes are orange coloured foods, carrots and sweet potatoes but are also present in green leafy vegetables too.

Soups and stews are a fantastic way to boost intake in these colder months, they are easy and best of all, only requires 1 pot to make! BBC GoodFood is my favourite soup recipe site, so have a scroll through if you are in need of some inspiration.

Why you DON’T need supplements? Too much of a good thing can turn bad, supplements generally delivery large doses of a single nutrient, in this case we are talking antioxidants. If the dose is more than the body requires the supposedly helpful anti-oxidants you were happily ingesting end up morphing into nasty pro-oxidants. And instead of mopping up the free radicals like you intended, the anti-oxidants turned pro-oxidants oxidate cells thus creating more free radicals than you had in the first place.

2)      Gut Health

Many people don’t know but the state of your gut or digestive track is closely linked to the strength of your immune system, about 70-80% of immune health dwells in the gut and gut health is about balancing the good bacteria and the bad.

What does a healthy gut need? 2 things – good bacteria and fibre.

You have all probably heard about probitoics or good bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus casei. These are naturally found in dairy foods, especially yoghurts, and are the best way of improving your gut’s mircoflora and your overall health. 

I was asked about Yakult the other day, and again, Yakult is like a supplement, it has 11.9g of sugar (almost 3 teaspoons) in that tiny 65ml bottle, WE DON’T NEED IT, all you need is yoghurt, it’s cheaper, will satisfy your appetite and deliver a hit of calcium.

Another nutrient you need for a healthy gut is Fibre, 30g a day is preferred. You can get all your daily fibre needs from food so stock up on wholegrain breads, pastas and rice, fruit and vegetables (leave the skin on whenever possible, that’s where a lot of the fibre is), beans, nuts and seeds.

There are 2 types of fibre, soluble: which attracts water and can help lower cholesterol and insoluble: which adds bulk to your stool and helps everything pass, both are needed for a gut healthy and this is one of the reasons why a variety of foods should be eaten.

You can boost your fibre intake by adding prunes to your cereal or for a warm brekky add dates and cinnamon to your porridge then sprinkle on bran, LSA mix (Linseed Sunflower almond meal) or psyllium. These fibre boosting products are cheap and can be found in any Safeway or Coles. You can also add LSA mix or Psyllium to soups, salads, smoothies, anything you can think of really, they don’t have a strong taste which makes it easy to incorporate into everyday cooking. I add it to chocolate chips cookies (making it alittle less naughty….)

3)      Lymphatic system

Remember how everyone always told you to drink more water when you are sick, this is the reason why.

Your lymph system is where your blood plasma, white blood cells and all your immune fighter cells live. Unlike your red blood cells, which have the heart to pump it around your body, your lymph system has no such mechanism. That’s why drinking water is important, by suppling your body with more fluid, the extra fluid will inturn stimulate circulation of the lymph system.

One interesting analogy I read described it like water and sewage. Water is pressurised but sewage relies on gravity and the volume of water flowing through it for movement.

So the recommendation is 2 litres of water per day, this includes all your liquid intake, tea, juice and milk. Coffee…the jury is still out; some say if you’re a habitual drinker the diuretic effects of coffee are less than non-habitual drinkers, others still strongly advocate the evils of coffee.

There are lots of myths and home remedies out there targeting all sorts of winter illnesses and ailments, chicken soup, Vitamin C and other herbal remedies, they may truly work or it could be placebo, either way the best way to beat the winter cold is to prevent it!