Now more than ever people are realizing the importance of maintaining good health. It was just a few weeks ago that “wellness” was motivated by people wanting to lose weight, but now it literally can be the difference between suffering a moderate respiratory illness versus being hospitalized, being placed on a ventilator and possibly dying. Studies are starting to emerge showing evidence of what we already knew to be true: Obesity, heart disease and diabetes weaken a person’s immune system and thus decrease their ability to protect themselves from this novel virus. In fact, a person is 3 times more likely to die of COVID-19 if they are obese, 10 times more likely if they have heart disease and 7 times more likely if they have diabetes. What saddens me most is that typically these risk factors are preventable.
50% of Americans now have prediabetes or diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is almost always related to how a person eats. Food plays a central role in how well your immune system functions and thus how well you can protect yourself from disease. The best way to protect yourself from COVID-19, or any infectious or chronic disease, is to support your immune system. And the number one way to do that is to chose the right foods. Yes there are supplements and the practice of regular physical activity, but food has the strongest impact. As the saying goes…”you can’t out exercise a bad diet.” Now is the time to maximize your nutrients, or as we say at FASST… Eat With Intention.
There are steps you can take to support your immune system; however, there are some foods that can either limit the function of your immune system or lead to systemic inflammation and both leave your body already in a vulnerable state. Here are some basic steps you can take to support your immune system.
1. Limit your intake of sugar and anything that turns into sugar. This would include table sugar, honey, maple syrup, flour, grains, bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, cookies and candy just to name a few. I am sure you know what I’m talking about.
2. Remove refined oils from your diet. This includes soybean oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, corn oil and canola oil. Each of these oils is produced at high heats and use solvents to help extract as much oil as possible. These oils are already unstable and thus your cells cannot function optimally and more prone to suffer damage. If this occurs to the cells of your immune system, they will have a limited ability to fight infection, again leaving you more vulnerable.
3. Protect your organisms in your gut or what we call the microbiome. We now know many diseases start with inflammation secondary to leaky gut. Leaky gut is the process in which undigested food particles and bacterial toxins leak into your bloodstream from your gut. This leads to the immobilization of your immune system and systemic inflammation.
Eat Real Food
Eat nutrient rich foods
1. Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant and reduces cell damage and boosts your immune system. Foods high in vitamin C include guavas, bell peppers, snow peas, strawberries, oranges, papayas, broccoli and tomatoes.
2. Vitamin A helps boost your immune system and is important for vision. Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, cod liver oil, mangoes, kale, tomatoes and spinach.
3. Zinc helps boost your immune system and is found pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, cashews, grass fed beef, lentils, spinach, avocados, chickpeas and mushrooms.
4. Selenium is found in brazil nuts, tuna, oysters, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, oysters, beef and pork
5. Vitamin B6 is found in chicken liver, fish, beef, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados and pistachios.
Eat foods high in phytonutrients
Phytonutrients are compounds found in plants and concentrated in fruits and vegetables. In fact, phytonutrients are what provide pigment so foods with deep hues of color are typically rich with phytonutrients. Phytonutrients help to prevent disease, slow aging and decrease cell damage. To obtain an adequate amount of phytonutrients, we recommend 6-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. It is important to have a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables on your plate. So eat the rainbow (and I don’t mean Skittles).
Include spices that boost your immune system
These include turmeric, ginger, garlic, paprika, rosemary and quercetin.
Increase pre and probiotic foods that will support a healthy gut microbiome
1. Prebiotic foods include garlic, onions, leeks, artichokes, asparagus, bananas, barley, apples, flax seeds, jicama root and seaweed
2. Probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, non dairy plain yogurt and kefir
Ensure you are getting adequate protein
Your immune system needs protein to perform basic functions. A good rule of thumb is to eat 1/2 of your body weight in grams of protein per day
Supplements
1. Multivitamin – one per day
2. Vitamin C – 1,000 – 2,000 mgs daily
3. Zinc Citrate – 30 mgs/ day
4. Vitamin D3 – Minimum 2,000 IUs daily for adults and 1,000 IUs for children. However you should consider having your levels checked to help set dosing. Optimal levels are at 50-70 ng/ml.
5. Omega 3 Fatty acids DHA and EPA – 1 gram per day
Regular Physical Activity
There were concerns in the 1980s that vigorous exercise could weaken a person’s immune system and leave them more prone to infection, but more recent research has debunked this theory. People who exercise regularly have been shown to have less sick days. In addition, studies in mice have shown the immune cells are better able to target pathogens in mice that have been physically active compared to sedentary mice. lth and immune function. Exercise serves to:
- Increase T-cell production in your body. Some types of T cells are “cytotoxic” meaning they can kill virus infected cells and even cancer cells.
- Reduce the level of stress hormones. Stress hormones result in decreased production of certain types of immune cells, including cells that produce antibodies.
The good news is physical activity does not need to be markedly strenuous to positively affect the immune system. A brisk walk 20-30”per day has shown to improve cardiovascular and immune health.
Quit Smoking! (nothing else to say)
Sleep
Multiple studies have shown that getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night allows your body to regenerate and function more properly. Sleep deprivation can decrease the levels of cytokines that are used to help your immune system fight infection. If you are having issues with insomnia, contact your health provider to see what you can do to improve the quality of your sleep
Stay Connected
Isolation can lead to increasing stress and depression, both of which can depress your immune system. Now more than ever it is important to stay connected with family and friends. Fortunately that is easier now with all of the virtual platforms like Facebook, Instagram, FaceTime and Zoom. Here are a couple of ideas.
1. Set up a workout time to do yoga with a friend over videoconference
2. Have a virtual happy hour over FaceTime or Zoom
3. Create an online book club
4. Write an old fashioned letter and … mail it! Remember how much you loved to get a letter in the mail. Make someone’s day.
5. Make a virtual lunch or dinner date. You can even grab some candlelights
6. Take up a hobby. Now is a perfect time to learn that hobby you have always wanted to do.
7. Have a virtual dance party!
8. Go to a virtual movie with your besties
9. Get outdoors with a friend, just remain 6 feet apart
10.Start a virtual Gratitude Journal. Post daily about something you are grateful for