Dialing up nutrition for immune health
It’s easy to not worry about getting sick, until … you get sick. Maybe you just don’t want to jinx it!
But by focusing on your health right now, you’re in a better position to avoid the latest respiratory or GI virus, or at least get through it with less pain and suffering.
Of course we have vitamins, herbal remedies, cold medications and chicken soup to help us out, but most these remedies deliver only modest benefits once you’re shivering under the covers.
Staying healthy starts with quality nutrition (along with good sleep, daily exercise, managing stress).
How does food support the immune system?
Certain vitamins, minerals, polyphenols (colorful compounds in fruits and veggies), proteins and other nutrients in our foods work directly to stop viruses and bacteria from multiplying.
And some nutrients work to keep immune cells healthy, act as antioxidants or counter inflammation. From a big picture view, know that eating a nutritious diet overall keeps you healthier, and that by default supports better immune function.
My immune-support nutrition tips:
1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Your body needs water to eliminate toxins, digest food, boost energy and support sleep. As well, staying hydrated helps prevent tiny cracks from forming in your mucous membranes, where viruses can sneak in.
Aim to drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces every day. That’s 75 oz. for someone 150 lbs. This is your minimum. Exercise, hot weather, stress, sauna, caffeine, alcohol and anything else that causes you to lose water (hot flashes, and diarrhea among the less enjoyable) all increase your water needs.
In addition to filtered plain water, try mineral or sparkling waters and herbal teas. And consider an electrolyte supplement when fluid loss is significant.
2. Eat for nutrient density
Fill your plate with a wide range of quality, whole foods, including protein, healthy fats, lots of colorful vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Choose organic and seasonal produce when possible.
Staying healthy doesn’t mean you can’t indulge here and there (the holidays are around the corner!), but keep in mind that sugar and alcohol are absent of nutrients, suppress immune function and feed bad actors in the gut, which can impact immunity in other ways. Caffeine can fuel stress and hijack sleep quality for many people.
3. Seek out immune-boosting all stars
The nutrients below play key roles in immune function. Food is the best source — our bodies absorb them better than supplemental nutrients. And know that minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins and other nutrients from food work together to produce their bounty of benefits.
When you eat a varied, mostly whole foods diet, you’ll naturally take in many of these nutrients. Here are a few nutrient all-stars and where to find them:
• Zinc: oysters and other shellfish, fish, beef, lamb, lentils, quinoa, spinach, pumpkin seeds, cashews
• Vitamin A (known as retinol): liver, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, dairy foods; Carotenoids, precursors to vitamin A: red, orange and yellow veggies, i.e. carrots and butternut squash, as well as leafy greens
• B vitamins (i.e. folate, B6, B12 and others) liver, fish, beef, pork and other meats; eggs, sweet potato, potato, lentils, beans, spinach, sunflower seeds, asparagus, bell pepper, beets (B vitamins are degraded with heat in cooking)
• Vitamin C: papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, pineapple, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, oranges, kiwi, cantaloupe (vitamin C is degraded with heat in cooking)
• Vitamin D: sunshine! Small amounts found in wild salmon, sardines, milk, eggs and cod liver oil
• Vitamin E: almonds, sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens, avocado, sweet potato, butternut squash, olive oil
• EPA & DHA (omega-3 fatty acids): wild Alaskan salmon, sardines and other cold-water fish, cod liver oil, pasture-raised beef and eggs
• Probiotics: grass-fed yogurt & kefir, fermented vegetables (i.e. sauerkraut and kim chi) miso soup + feeding your gut’s own healthy bacteria with foods rich in polyphenols (berries and other colorful plants) and high-fiber foods
• Mushrooms: Some mushrooms, including Reishi, Maitake and Shiitake, are gaining attention for their health benefits, including helping to modulate the immune system. I add dehydrated mushrooms to soups and stir-fries.
• Chicken soup: It’s magic! Your grandma may have told you that, and I’m here to back her up. Skeptical? Check out the chicken soup study. I love classic chicken soup, but more often I make this chicken & roasted vegetable soup.
Supplemental immune support
Do you have a favorite go-to cold remedy? Let me know what you works for you! If you don’t, call me. I help my clients figure out which supplements to take, to fill gaps in their diet and to support specific health concerns, like immune function.
Immune-supportive supplements with well-researched benefits include zinc and vitamins A, C and D. And the herbs echinacea, elderberry, elderflower and quercetin are common in herbal immune formulas, along with many other herbs.
Remember to talk to your doctor about supplements you take and to avoid contraindications with other vitamins, herbs or medications. (Also, buy from a trusted source. See my thoughts on vitamin sourcing.)
Slow your roll
Besides nutrition, other lifestyle factors like sleep, stress and exercise play major roles in our body’s ability to fight infections.
When I get sick, undoubtedly stress has been high or my sleep has been off. Both are key to health overall, and by extension, immune function. Sleep and rest help cells and organs build up their defenses.
Managing stress and improving sleep as we head into the holidays may seem unrealistic. So make small changes where you can. Take an Epsom salt bath. Quit screens a few hours before bed and hit the sack a half hour earlier.
Try meditation or deep breathing. Make a cup of calming chamomile tea. Whatever helps your nervous system chill out, do that.
Exercise, but not too much
When it comes to exercise, moderate intensity workouts have been shown to reduce upper respiratory tract infections, while high-intensity exercise may reduce immunity, especially when stress is high and sleep lacking.
As well, moderate exercise can help you sleep better, reduce stress and improve your mood. You see, it’s all connected.
So remember that your best defense against getting sick is taking care of you. And when you need some guidance, I am here to help.
Sources:
Ang A, Pullar JM, Currie MJ, Vissers MCM. Vitamin C and immune cell function in inflammation and cancer. Biochem Soc Trans. 2018; 46: 1147-1159.
Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011; 59: 881-886.
Arthur JR, McKenzie RC, Beckett GJ. Selenium in the immune system. J Nutr. 2003; 133: 1457S-9S.
Beard JL. Iron biology in immune function, muscle metabolism and neuronal functioning. J Nutr. 2001; 131: 568S-579S; discussion 580S.
Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017; 9:
Cassat JE, Skaar EP. Iron in infection and immunity. Cell Host Microbe. 2013; 13: 509-519.
Cárcamo JM, Pedraza A, Bórquez-Ojeda O, Golde DW. Vitamin C suppresses TNF alpha-induced NF kappa B activation by inhibiting I kappa B alpha phosphorylation. Biochemistry. 2002; 41: 12995-13002.
Duthie SJ, Horgan G, de Roos B et al. Blood folate status and expression of proteins involved in immune function, inflammation, and coagulation: biochemical and proteomic changes in the plasma of humans in response to long-term synthetic folic acid supplementation. J Proteome Res. 2010; 9: 1941-1950.
Gombart AF, Pierre A, Maggini S. A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System-Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection. Nutrients. 2020; 12:
Gutiérrez S, Svahn SL, Johansson ME. Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Immune Cells. Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20:
Hoffmann PR, Berry MJ. The influence of selenium on immune responses. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008; 52: 1273-1280.
Kennedy DO. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy--A Review. Nutrients. 2016; 8: 68.
Lee GY, Han SN. The Role of Vitamin E in Immunity. Nutrients. 2018; 10:
Lewis ED, Meydani SN, Wu D. Regulatory role of vitamin E in the immune system and inflammation. IUBMB Life. 2019; 71: 487-494.
Liu X, Cui T, Li Y et al. Vitamin A supplementation in early life enhances the intestinal immune response of rats with gestational vitamin A deficiency by increasing the number of immune cells. PLoS One. 2014; 9: e114934.
Lomax AR, Calder PC. Probiotics, immune function, infection and inflammation: a review of the evidence from studies conducted in humans. Curr Pharm Des. 2009; 15: 1428-1518.
Long KZ, Santos JI, Rosado JL et al. Vitamin A supplementation modifies the association between mucosal innate and adaptive immune responses and resolution of enteric pathogen infections. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011; 93: 578-585.
Meydani SN, Lewis ED, Wu D. Perspective: Should Vitamin E Recommendations for Older Adults Be Increased. Adv Nutr. 2018; 9: 533-543.
Mora JR, Iwata M, von Andrian UH. Vitamin effects on the immune system: vitamins A and D take centre stage. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008; 8: 685-698.
Partearroyo T, Úbeda N, Montero A, Achón M, Varela-Moreiras G. Vitamin B(12) and folic acid imbalance modifies NK cytotoxicity, lymphocytes B and lymphoprolipheration in aged rats. Nutrients. 2013; 5: 4836-4848.
Percival SS. Copper and immunity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998; 67: 1064S-1068S.
Prasad AS. Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells. Mol Med. 2008; 14: 353-357.
Prietl B, Treiber G, Pieber TR, Amrein K. Vitamin D and immune function. Nutrients. 2013; 5: 2502-2521.
Raverdeau M, Mills KH. Modulation of T cell and innate immune responses by retinoic Acid. J Immunol. 2014; 192: 2953-2958.
Read SA, Obeid S, Ahlenstiel C, Ahlenstiel G. The Role of Zinc in Antiviral Immunity. Adv Nutr. 2019; 10: 696-710.
Rennard BO, Ertl RF, Gossman GL, Robbins RA, Rennard SI. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000; 118: 1150-1157.
Sassi F, Tamone C, D’Amelio P. Vitamin D: Nutrient, Hormone, and Immunomodulator. Nutrients. 2018; 10:
Simpson RJ, Kunz H, Agha N, Graff R. Exercise and the Regulation of Immune Functions. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2015; 135: 355-380.
Tamura J, Kubota K, Murakami H et al. Immunomodulation by vitamin B12: augmentation of CD8+ T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cell activity in vitamin B12-deficient patients by methyl-B12 treatment. Clin Exp Immunol. 1999; 116: 28-32.
Wessels I, Maywald M, Rink L. Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017; 9:
Xi D. Vitamin C in Cancer Therapeutics and Metastasis. J Orthop Res Ther. 2019; 10:
Yan F, Polk DB. Probiotics and immune health. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2011; 27: 496-501
