The Immune System - Nutrients, foods and things to avoid to keep you healthy this winter

Seeing as we’re now in the 2^nd month of autumn and winter is fast approaching, I thought we’d take a look at the immune system. Are you someone who gets sick every winter? Once a year? Or are you one of those people who are well all the time?

What is the immune system?

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The Immune system is your bodies line of defense against the outside world. Your body is full of billions of little cells which have the sole purpose of identifying and dealing with pathogens, which are bacteria, virus's or other organisms that can cause disease or illness. What you may not realise, is that our skin and mucous membranes are also part of our immune system. They protect our insides from invasion by providing a barrier to the outside world.

Looking to boost your immune system?

Did you know that your diet plays a massive role in the ability of your immune system to fight off infection? Well, it does! Lets take a look at the following

1. 5 top nutrients for immunity
2. 5 top foods for immunity
3. 5 things to avoid for better immunity

5 top nutrients for Immunity

Vitamin A and carotenoids

Vitamin A and all the carotenoids are important for the health of the immune system. Beta-carotene is one of the main carotenoids, although there are many important ones, like lutein and zeaxanthin for example. When you eat a carotene rich food (often orange, red or yellow foods), you’re generally getting a nice mix of them all. Your body absorbs these nutrients, and then, in the case of beta-carotene, converts it to Vitamin A. If your body already has enough vitamin A, this conversion doesn’t take place. The beta-carotene is stored for a later time. The reason that this occurs is that vitamin A is toxic in high doses. Now don’t panic, that’s why the body regulates its own production, clever little thing isn’t it. So, why do we need beta-carotene and vitamin A?

-         They help to increase the infection fighting cells of the body (natural killer cells and helper T-cells)

-         Beta carotene and vitamin A support the function of our inbuilt anticancer cells

-         They’re both potent antioxidants, protecting us from free radical damage

-         They help protect the heart by affecting the way cholesterol is oxidized to form plaque

-         Vitamin A is important for healthy cells and mucous membrane health in particular. This is important as many mucous membranes line the cavities of our bodies that are exposed to the external environment. For example, our digestive tract is essentially a tube from our mouth to our anus. All kinds of things from the external environment pass through it. Our mucous membranes and the underlying tissues have to be strong and healthy so they don’t let all that stuff straight in!

Food sources of vitamin A and the carotenoids are dark green leafies and most red, orange and yellow foods. This include (but aren’t limited to) kale, broccoli, capsicums, oranges, apricots, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and spinach

Vitamin C

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Despite the constant back and fourth between the ‘vitamin c is great for a cold’ people, and the ‘vitamin c does nothing for a cold’ people, I would suggest you just eat it!

-         Vitamin C increases immune cells like white blood cells and antibodies. It also plays a role in increasing interferon, which lines the cells and fights of viral invasion

-         It is a lovely antioxidant, preventing that naughty free radical damage

-         Vitamin C is involved in maintaining the structure of the skin, a physical barrier against invasion, (it helps heal open wounds)

-         Vitamin C is also antiinflammatory. When cells are inflamed they’re weak and unable to properly defend themselves. Vitamin C helps reduce the inflammation

So, if you get the flu, don’t expect to take vitamin C and magically spring out of bed an hour later. I don’t think anyone has ever suggested that’s the case. Realistically, your body will just handle itself a little better and you wont feel as crappy for as long as you would have otherwise. If you’re going to take it as a supplement, take smaller amounts more frequently. Vitamin C is water-soluble and what you don’t use you’ll just pee out. Also, if you’re a smoker, you need a lot more vitamin C because every cigarette you have is using up vitamin C.

Some great food sources of vitamin C are berries, oranges, kiwi fruits, broccoli, capsicums, mangoes and tomatoes

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the nutrient we get both from the sun, and to a much smaller extent, from our food. Its only been the last few years that vitamin D’s extensive benefits have been explored, and there is a general consensus that we haven’t even touched the surface of vitamin D’s functions in the body. I’ve just written a whole post on it http://firstbehealthy.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/nutrient-profile-vitamin-d-all-your.html. I would suggest you make sure your levels of vitamin D are optimal. Vitamin D has been linked to increased risk of

-         Certain cancers

-         Autoimmune diseases

-         Cardiovascular illness’s

-         Problems with bone health

Coincidence that we tend to get sick more often in winter, when our vitamin D levels are at their lowest? I think not.

Food sources of Vitamin D are Cod Liver Oil, fortified milk and dairy, fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, and eggs. Of course, your body can make vitamin D with as little as 15 minutes of sun in summer.

Zinc

Zinc is a wonderful little mineral that is involved in… well pretty much everything. Its involved in thousands of enzyme actions in the body (that means it makes everything work). In our immune system

-         Adequate zinc levels are required for proper immune cell function, including those little T cells and our white blood cells

-         It helps those fabulous anticancer cells to work properly

-         Its involved in repair and healing, yay

There are many people who like to take things in tablets, hey, I take my supplements daily. Be aware that too much zinc is not a good thing. Being a mineral, zinc stores in the body and high dosages over the long run will eventually build up. If you’re taking it daily, and ongoing, make sure you’re taking less than 50mg from all sources (that means if you’re taking multiple supplements that all contain zinc, check the total amount). You’ll notice there are two numbers on the bottle, the one you’re looking for is the smaller number, you want to look at the ‘elemental zinc’ or where it says ‘equivalent to zinc’.

Zinc gluconate	105mg
Equivalent zinc	15mg

The larger number is the whole chemical compound. Huh? It is the zinc + the gluconate. Think of it like a cup of coffee. The larger number is the cup + the coffee. The smaller number is just the coffee on the inside. This is how you read a label for all minerals, by the way.

Food sources of zinc are things such as pepitas (inner pumpkin seeds), beef, lamb and oysters.

Selenium

Selenium’s is a potent antioxidant mineral. It is involved in all aspects of our immunity. Selenium can do the following

-         Increase the effectiveness of our immune system cells including lymphocytes and those T-cells again

-         Research shows it can be involved in our allergy responses

-         It protects the cells against those pesky free radicals

Selenium is available in some foods, and some like to supplement it. Like zinc, if you’re supplementing, look for the elemental selenium dosages. Supplemental Selenium too can be toxic in high doses, remember, minerals store in the body. So don’t exceed 75mcg from supplements daily without consulting your practitioner.

Good sources of dietary selenium are primarily seafood and Brazil nuts.

5 top foods for Immunity

Fruits and vegetables – all except starchy like potatoes

Why all fruits and vegetables? Because they each contain a vast, and slightly different array of nutrients, that are all important for your overall health and immunity. Fruits are high in vitamins A and C; avocado for example, is a great source of vitamin E. Also, all those beautiful colours that you see when you look at the shelves of your local grocer, they all represent different nutrients. Each colour is created in the food by its own set of phytonutrients. These are pigments that on their own have great health benefits.

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-         Carotenoids are orange and yellow pigments found in carrots and sweet potatoes, they’re often masked in dark green vegetables by chlorophyll

-         Chlorophyll is a cleansing green pigment

-         Flavonoids are reddish pigments found in citrus fruit skins and in the skin of red grapes.

-         Indoles are found in cruciferous vegies like broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts

Just mix it up a little!

Garlic

Yep, garlic. I’d be surprised if you didn’t know about garlic already, but it contains allicin, which has been shown to be antibacterial. It also helps the body to detoxify by providing the liver with the nutrients it needs to do its job. It’s so easy to include too.

Protein foods – chicken, turkey, pork, lean beef, lamb, seafood or vegetarian options such as lentils and beans

Protein is the basis for almost everything in the body. Your skin, your organs, your muscles, your hormones and your cells are largely protein. This includes your immune cells. Those little guys I mentioned quite a bit in the nutrient section up above. In order to be able to make all these things, we need to have adequate dietary protein. What is adequate I hear you ask? At LEAST one-gram protein per kilogram of bodyweight. So, if you weigh 60kg, you need at least 60g of protein a day. If you don’t eat meat, you could get that easily, it just takes a little bit more planning to get your protein as a vegetarian. Alternatively, you could supplement if you needed to.

Fatty fish – particularly, salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines

Omega 3 is a good fat. It is involved in many important functions in your body, but particularly with regards to inflammation. Again, an inflamed cell is not a good cell. Fish is also, by the way, a great source of protein. Two birds with one stone.
 

Nuts and seeds – particularly brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts and pepitas

Nuts and seeds are a great little snack. They're fibrous and filling, but they are also nutrient dense. Brazil nuts are a fantastic source of selenium, pepitas are a source of zinc, walnuts are great for omega 3, and almonds are a perfect source of calcium and magnesium. Nuts and seeds also contain monounsaturated fats which have been shown to lower cholesterol. When you combine nuts and seeds with either grains or beans and legumes, over any 24 hour period, you also get a nice dose of protein.

 

5 things to avoid for better immunity

Sugar

Sugar has a negative affect on the health and function of your body’s immune cells. Not to mention that it plays a role in producing inflammation. Naughty. One of the biggest problems with eating sugary foods however is that they are usually devoid of immune supportive nutrients. You will not find vitamins A or C, Zinc or selenium in a donut. They are not hanging out, waiting to do your body good, in a snickers bar. They are anxiously waiting inside fruits and vegies for some health loving person to come along and eat them. You may find it interesting to know, that an orange, on average, has around 17grams of sugar. Oh my, I hear you say. If we compare this to a spoonful of table sugar, that’s equivalent to 4 teaspoons! So why eat the orange, and not the spoonful of sugar? That is a whole other article, and there will be one coming, but for our purpose here, its because the orange provides you with 160% of your daily intake of vitamin C, 8% of vitamin A, a bit of calcium, iron and some folate. It contains around 4grams of dietary fibre, it even has a bit of protein. Sugar has none of these things. It’s that simple.

Alcohol

Alcohol does many negative things to the body. It causes inflammation and prevents the absorption of nutrients. It wastes other nutrients that get used up to break down the alcohol so it can be removed from thee body. I mean really, it goes on and on. If you’re repeatedly getting sick, lay off the alcohol for a bit, it may help.

Cigarettes

I’m not going to harp here. You’re not an idiot. If you’re a smoker, you know what it’s doing to you; you’re just choosing to ignore it. Smoking though does use up a lot of your vitamin C, and your vitamin A has to work a lot harder to try and protect the lining of the lungs. Unfortunately that’s a battle it won’t win.

Stress

Argh, what doesn’t stress affect? Ever noticed how the more run down you are, the more often you get sick. Stress hormones affect every system in your body, including your immunity. Not to mention, when you’re stressed, you’re usually not sleeping properly, you’re often not eating right, and you’re not spending time relaxing. All these things will affect your immune system. Try moving past the stressful situation, although this may require some changes and be easier said than done! Use techniques such as yoga, meditation and exercise to reduce the level of stress in your life. Catching up with friends for a good laugh is always a great option too.

Lack of sleep

We just can’t avoid this one. We all need sleep, some more than others yes, but generally we all need between 6 and 8 hours a night. What does sleep have to do with your immunity? Sleep time is the body’s time to do most of its healing and repair work. For the hours your asleep, you’re not fighting it and it can happily go about its business of making sure you’re healthy! Give your body the sleep time it needs.

Hopefully the coming winter is a healthy one for you

Chris