How to Boost Your Immune System
Disclaimer: This article is of informative nature to inspire you to learn more about your immune system. It is not meant to give medical advice. Please consult your medical professional before taking any supplements.
As we have discussed in last week’s article, the immune system is a complex network of organs, cells and proteins that defend the body against infection, whilst protecting your body's own cells. You want to enable it to do its job properly by providing the body with adequate rest, occasional stressors like exercise and fasting, a nutrient-rich diet, and a lifestyle free of toxins. It is a continuous endeavour, not just a quick boost when you are coming down with something.
In this article, we will focus on what to consume to make your immune system strong and efficient.
Collagen is good for you
The immune system is made of proteins, specifically collagen. Collagen-rich meals like bone broths and chicken soups are your best friends. You can also make a collagen protein smoothie. Yet, different amino acids can sometimes interfere with your immune system’s function. If you have ulcers, for example, avoiding arginine-rich foods like chocolate, red wine and peanuts is recommended.
What to eat when feeling down
For virus infections, or if you are feeling down, consuming plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits like berries and vegetables like dark leafy greens is important. Just minimise carbohydrate intake including healthy carbs like oats and other grains. Cocoa in chocolate is good too, but it is the sugar in chocolate that is harmful. If you can get your hands on a dark 90% chocolate, go for it.
You want to eat something salty too. Salt, specifically sodium, boosts Interleukin 17 (IL17). This is a family of pro-inflammatory cytokines. They are produced by a group of T helper cells. After binding to the receptor, IL-17 activates several signalling cascades that recruit the immune cells.
Get some good quality salt and put it on your salad, in your soups and in other meals. If have an autoimmune issue in the gut you want to cut down on sodium, otherwise, sodium is your friend and a crucial part of your health. Listen to your body, most of the time, it will tell you if you are depleted in sodium as you will crave it more. If it tastes too salty it is your body’s response to cut down on this spice of life.
Apart from sodium, other electrolytes like potassium, magnesium and calcium are always beneficial too.
Have a big salad of leafy greens with a high-quality protein like chicken breast, salmon or tempeh. Have some nuts and seeds too. They have lots of zinc which is an important part of the immune system as well.
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium which many people are depleted in because of the depleted soil we grow our food on. Selenium is required to make glutathione, one of the most potent antioxidants.
Don’t forget about adding garlic and onions to your meals, as well as some warming herbs like ginger and turmeric, and possibly even cayenne pepper.
The four best supplements to improve your immune system
The following compounds are the most potent for creating a strong and resilient body in the long term. They are not just quick fixes that you get when you have flu or other infections. All of them can be taken as part of your daily supplement regime. However, do consider talking to a pharmacist or your GP before doing so.
1.Vitamin D always makes the list of top things for your health and immunity. The easiest way to obtain it is from the sun. Your body turns cholesterol into vitamin D when exposed to UVB radiation. Simply exposing as much skin as you can to sunlight in the middle of the day for about 15-20 minutes will do the job. You don’t even have to do it every day, since vitamin D is fat-soluble and the body can store it easily. Once or twice a week should do, the amount can vary greatly depending on your geographical location, skin type and time of year.
Sunlight through a window won’t do the job as the UV rays are blocked by the glass and only infrared radiation passes which gives you the warmth you experience. But if sun exposure is not accessible, vitamin D supplements work well too, which you do have to take daily. Read more about vitamin D in our previous article here.
2.Zinc is a building block of your immune system and is one of the key supplements you want to consider. Zinc is naturally lower in men than women, thus men require about 11mg a day and women around 8mg. There are around 300 chemical reactions in the body that require zinc including testosterone production. It helps get rid of heavy metals and it’s a potent anti-oxidant. It really is essential for the human body.
In the immune system, zinc increases the number of dendritic cells (dendritic cells process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells - one of two primary types of lymphocytes), natural killer cells (your innate immune cells that fight against tumour cells and virus-infected cells), and lymphocytes (they help your immune system remember every antigen it comes in contact with and help fight cancer and foreign viruses and bacteria).
If your zinc levels are adequate, the supplementation won’t have major benefits for the immune system, but if your levels are inadequate, supplementing with zinc can increase activity levels by 200%.
3.Your next stop is Andrographis. This is a plant native to South Asian countries and commonly used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine. Andrographis leaf and stem might work by stimulating the immune system. It might also prevent flu viruses from binding to cells in the body. A big study showed that along with being anti-viral and anti-fungal, it had numerous additional benefits like anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective (liver protection), analgesic (reducing pain), anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties and even improved fertility.
4.Reishi mushroom (or Ganoderma lucidum) contains a whopping 400 bioactive compounds and has been used for over 2,400 years for its medicinal properties. Anti-tumour, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (good for the nervous system) effects are just a few main ones. Taking this supplement daily can improve your immune system and prevent major diseases.
Other supplements you might consider
Ashwagandha (Withania) - you should take a break of at least two weeks after two weeks of supplementation.
Schisandra berries
Rhodiola Rosea
Chinese wormwood (Artemisia annua)
Glutamine - the most abundant and versatile amino acid in the body. It can be good for your gut where the immunity is built.
So what about vitamin C?
We have learned in the previous article that the idea that we need copious amounts of vitamin C is mainly the result of marketing. Your body can only utilise about 150-200 mg of vitamin C, which is a lot less than the 1,000 mg or more that some people tend to take. You can get the required amount from one orange a day.
Vitamin C molecule is shaped similarly to glucose, so they fight for the same receptor in the cell. It is more important to minimise foods with high sugar content than it is to gorge on vitamin C tablets. This way you will free up more receptors for vitamin C to bind on. Fruits often contain both sugar and vitamin C along with plenty of fibre, water and antioxidants so they are always a good choice.
Conclusion
Everything you put in your body has some effect on your immune system. The dos are just as important as the don’ts. A healthy and clean diet free of pro-inflammatory processed foods is key. Create a stress-free environment and put your body through regular bouts of intense stress like exercise and hot and cold exposure. And always allow time to rest afterwards. And don’t underestimate the importance of consistently good quality sleep. Sleep is one of the best things not just for your immune system, but for overall health.
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