Top 3 Foods to Boost Your Immune System

We’ve all heard the expression “Let food be thy medicine” (shout out to Hippocrates!) but how often do we pop a supplement or a medication in order to deal with an impending cold or flu without really considering our diet? Natural supplements are very important for defending yourself against viruses and pathogenic bacteria, and you can be sure that when the flu season comes around, my medicine cabinet is stocked with medicinal herbs and homeopathic remedies. However, the foundation of health truly lies in taking care of the basics, of which diet is primary.

More importantly, while you may be more motivated by short-term reasons like avoiding a cold or flu because you have an important presentation or event coming up, we also want to think of our long-term immunity. Our ability to resist chronic and even life-threatening diseases such as auto-immune conditions and cancer relies heavily on what we put into our mouth day-to-day. Our health is truly the sum of our daily habits.

Today I will be covering my top 3 favourite foods to boost your immune system, as well as some general dietary advice relating to your very important system of defense.  Here they are!

Fermented Foods

Humans have been consuming bacteria-ridden foods since ancient times. Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, yogurt/kefir, kombucha, miso, tempeh, kimchi, and others are a wonderful and delicious way to maintain the good bacteria in our bodies that form part of our immune system. These good bacteria are called probiotics and unpasteurized fermented foods are an excellent source. Cultures around the world include fermented foods as part of their culinary traditions, but are severely lacking in the typical North American diet.

Did you know that 70% of our immune system lies in our gut? Probiotics are essential to the health of our gastrointestinal tract, so in turn will greatly affect our ability to resist disease. As well as keeping our gut tissue strong, probiotics also enhance the action of our immune system soldiers, the white blood cells, and compete for growth with bad bacteria (meaning the more good bacteria we have, the less bad bacteria is able to grow). Look for unpasteurized, preferably organic fermented foods that contain little or no sugar, and try to consume them daily!

Mushrooms

As a broad category, mushrooms are so exciting because of their ability to adapt. Mushrooms communicate with each other via a complex underground network of roots called the mycelium. This communication enhances the species’ ability to adapt to disease, pollution, and other environmental threats. Interestingly, mushrooms happen to be genetically very similar to humans and are vulnerable to the same sorts of diseases and environmental toxins as we are. However, because of their incredibly efficient network of communication, mushrooms are able to learn to build a resistance to these threats much more quickly than we can. The good news is, we can reap the benefits of this resistance simply by consuming mushrooms!

Even the common white button mushroom and the portobello have immune boosting properties, or you can experiment with more powerful (and still delicious) culinary mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, morels, or porcini mushrooms. If you are more adventurous, brew up a cup of chaga- a powerfully immune-protective mushroom that can be boiled into a rich beverage. It makes a great coffee substitute!

Please note that mushrooms should never be eaten raw! Cooked only please!

The Allium Family

I’d like to re-introduce you to two foods: Allium sativum and allium cepa, otherwise known as garlic and onion, respectively. For all their breath offending, these two characters are great health promoters.

Long recognized as agents to ward off viruses, bacteria, and vampires, garlic and onion have been used in traditional remedies to treat infections for centuries.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic. It is especially high in allicin, a sulfur compound that is highly antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. Raw garlic, chopped up into small pill-sized pieces and swallowed whole (don’t chew the pieces!) is a great remedy for an impending cold or flu. Try it next time you feel that ominous tickle in your throat!

Onions are naturally high in a compound called quercetin, and for you allergy sufferers, quercetin is nature’s antihistamine. Onions are also antimicrobial and enhance the action of white blood cells.

Epidemiological studies have also shown that those whose diets are highest in the allium vegetables (which also includes leeks, shallots, chives, and scallions) have the lowest rates of cancer. Maybe they’re worth the antisocial odour after all!

The Bad Guys

Sugar is the evil emperor of immune system depressants. Sugar directly suppresses the immune system by inhibiting the action of the neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that gobbles up bacteria and other pathogens). When sugar is consumed, the neutrophils get distracted and eat the sugar instead of the invader. Turns out those sugar cravings are present even at a cellular level! Sugar is also very easy food for bacteria, viruses, and fungi, so the more sugar available to them, the more likely they will be able to grow and spread!

When you are feeling under the weather, it may be tempting to reach for ibuprofen or acetaminophen based pain-relievers to temporarily reduce discomfort from pain or fever. However, these drugs may be disrupting an essential immunological process. Fever is actually a good thing when we have an infection because it increases the ability of the white blood cells to gobble up, pacman-style, bacteria and virus-infected cells. Increased body temperature is a sign that the body is fighting the infection, and if we suppress it, the illness is more likely to be prolonged. Use these medications very sparingly- if fever has truly gotten too high or if your symptoms are preventing a good night’s sleep.

And speaking of sleep, it is nearly impossible to stay well if we are not getting quality sleep. Lack of sleep severely impairs our ability to recover from illness. Ever wonder why you feel drained when you’re sick? It’s because you need rest! There is nothing better for preventing and treating illness than rest.

As well as 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, rest during the day is important too. Take regular breaks to bring yourself back into a grounded, calm state if you find your days getting too frantic. Stress is a big enemy to the immune system. Moderate exercise, positive social and physical interaction, and plain old fun are wonderful ways to minimize stress and improve general health.

Take care of yourselves and stay well this season!

Alex