Can your choice of food impact how your immune system works? The answer to that question is a definite yes. How? You may ask, well, in this series we will provide you with the answers that may fulfil that question. Imagine your immunity as a child, in order for that child to grow and be strong enough to fight any disease, you must provide him with healthy nutrition, exercise and general mental and physical well-being. You don’t expect your child to be well and healthy if all your feeding him is high calorie and high fat food, do you?
Immunity and food
The immune system is a group of interconnected organs that protect you against microbes and certain diseases, starting with the biggest organ in your body which is the skin and other organs scattered all over your body. In order to maintain a healthy immune system, you must maintain a healthy diet, but what is a healthy diet anyways? Well, the world health organization characterizes healthy food as food that contains a variety of micronutrients, antioxidants, minerals, and a high-water content and low sugar content, so your diet must contain these components. You also must add foods that boost the natural microflora to your diet.
What are micronutrients and antioxidants? Well to keep it brief, micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that your body can not produce and has to obtain it from external sources, AKA, food. Antioxidants on the other hand are substances that protect your body by neutralizing the effect of free radicals that may come from unhealthy foods, tobacco, or radiation. These antioxidants can protect you from developing life threating disease such as heart diseases.
The connection between food and immunity first originated in the ancient times. For example, ancient home remedies were recipes made of nutrition filled food that helps the body combat a certain disease. Ancient Egyptians firmly believed in the healing powers of honey and used it to combat seasonal flu and inflammation. Now adays, it is recommended to eat food high in vitamin C such as consuming chicken soup seasoned with citrus juice when you are combating a cold.
So, what exactly are the categories I should pick my food out of? Dairy products are essential for obtaining minerals and microflora that help boost the natural microflora in your body as well as help with the digestion process. Whole grains are an essential component for obtaining carbohydrates for energy. Poultry and meat products are an essential component for obtaining proteins and minerals that help boost the immune system and many more!
Tips for a healthy body
However, diet alone without having a general healthy lifestyle is not going to have the desired impact on your general healthy and immunity. In order to get the maximum benefit out of having a diet that protects you against microbes, you must have a healthy sleeping schedule which includes going to bed early and waking up early in addition to regular exercise and of course avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking.
In this Feed your immunity series, we will provide you with the information on each category of food and how to utilize each element in order to obtain the highest amount of nutrients that you possibly can along with a general definition on what antioxidants, micronutrients and microflora are and how to choose your food to fit your diet plan, not just that, but we will also provide you with instruction on how to purchase it from our online store as well! So, stay tuned for more and do not forget to feed your immunity!