Improving Immunity Part 2 - Diet
Tanner Mackenzie • May 2, 2021
Food's Role in Immune Health
In the first installment of Improving Immunity, we talked about some of the ways sleep impacts your ability to be resilient against, and recover from, disease. Let’s turn our attention to another pillar of health: diet. Most of us know that there are ways to eat that keep our hearts and brains healthy, and reduce our risk for conditions like cancer and diabetes. Today, we look specifically at food’s role in our immune function. Are there specific foods that boost immunity? How does our diet impact our immune-related physiology? These are a few of the questions we will try to answer in Part 2 of Improving Immunity.
Vitamin C
There are specific foods, even food groups, that have a positive effect on our immune systems. If I asked you to name one, most of us would give the same answer: oranges (or citrus fruit). The vitamin C found in citrus fruits does in fact
boost immunity, and is not stored in our bodies. This means we need to take in foods rich in vitamin C on a regular basis. Speaking of vitamin C, red bell peppers have triple the vitamin C of a typical orange, so don’t forget them either! In some studies, Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the
duration and severity of colds.
Antioxidants
While vitamin C gets a lot of attention, antioxidants as a whole are very important for immunity. Vitamins C, E and A (converted from beta-carotene) can preserve your immune system’s
response to certain environmental hazards such as UV light, tobacco smoke and air pollution. With that being said, your best bet is not supplementation, but rather a diet rich in naturally-occurring antioxidants. Broccoli and spinach are both phenomenal
sources of antioxidants including vitamins A, C, E, lutein and sulforaphane. In addition to their antioxidant properties, cruciferous vegetables contain other compounds that specifically activate your
immune response, and boost the gut’s local immunity and defense. Another note: eating your veggies either raw or steamed preserves their nutritional content.
Hot Hits the Spot!
Another great source of antioxidants that is not food, but a hot beverage, is tea! Green and black teas are both sources of flavonoids. One flavonoid that has been studied in-depth for its role in health is
EGCG. Green tea is much higher in EGCG than black tea, because it is not allowed to oxidize during its preparation (they are from the same plant). However, black tea is high in theaflavins, another well-studied flavonoid with health benefits. Both teas are beneficial, so just choose whichever you prefer (people who like an extra hit of caffeine might opt for black).
Immune Continuity
As a final consideration when talking about food and immunity, let’s consider the idea of immune continuity. Some people have no problem helping others, but leave themselves last in line for self-care or consideration. However, there is evidence that our diet (high or low quality) is encoded into our DNA and gut, and passed onto our children. The next time you prepare a healthy meal for your family, gather some peace of mind knowing you are not only feeding yourself but many generations of children to come.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Improving Immunity: Exercise!
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Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
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