We are starting to talk about boosting immunity to help protect you from cold-weather ailments like the cold and flu.
Last week we reviewed four simple strategies to boost your immune system. To read more about that click here.
Before moving on to simple supplements that can boost your immunity I want to mention one more really important area of focus when discussing immunity.
One of the most important determining factors of immune resilience is the health of your gut.
What?!
Yes. This fact has been known for thousands of years. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of Ancient Greek Medicine ( and author of the Hippocratic Oath sworn by all practicing medical doctors) stated:
All disease begins in the gut.
And the flip side is also true – all health begins in the gut.
But what does that mean?
It is true that 70% of your immune system is found in your intestine aka gut. Gut- Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) represents around 70% of the entire immune system. It is responsible for regulating both innate (broad spectrum) and adaptive (antibody driven) immunity
In addition, we now know that we have an entire nation of bacteria living inside our guts. These colonies of bacteria – known as the microbiome – play a super important role in regulating immunity.
It is the variety of bacteria in your microbiome and their health that helps determine your ability to mount an immune response and fight off infection.
A seminal study found that mice treated with antibiotics that eliminate bacteria in the gut exhibited an impaired immune response. These animals had low counts of virus-fighting white blood cells, weak antibody responses and poor production of a protein that is vital for combating viral infection and modulating the immune response.
Studies show that our microbiome can regulate immunity not just in the intestine – but in the respiratory system as well.
For example, in this study mice fed lactobacillus bacteria had reduced severity in an influenza infection.The lactobacillus-treated mice had only minor lung damage as compared with untreated mice.
So keeping your gut and microbiome healthy is an important consideration for your overall health and immunity.
How can you cultivate a healthy and varied microbiome?
By reducing your intake of sugar and increasing your intake of prebiotics and probiotics!!
Prebiotics are types of fibers that the healthy bacteria in our guts need to eat. These types of fibers are found in vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
While we humans cannot digest these fibers, your good gut bacteria can. These fibers provide important nutrients to your microbiome.
Foods that are high in prebiotic fiber include:
- Oats
- Berries
- Legumes
- Garlic
- Onions
Probiotics are foods that actually contain the healthy bacteria that we want in our guts. Most fermented foods have probiotics in them.
Examples of probiotic foods include:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Kombucha tea
- Kimchi
- Pickled vegetables (unpasteurized)
While we are on the topic of fermented foods and probiotics I want to mention one more thing.
Kombucha is a fermented drink made from tea and a sweetener. During the fermentation process the sugar and tea are eaten by the bacteria in the culture and you are left with a tangy, carbonated drink that has potential health benefits.
Kombucha seems to improve immunity, combat inflammation, help the body detox, and improve sugar metabolism.
Kombucha can be made at home but I must admit that I really enjoy Jenny’s Jun Kombucha in flavors like blueberry basil, pomegranate ginger and more. Jenny makes a special type of kombucha called jun which is made from green tea and raw honey. This means that in addition to the health benefits of kombucha it carries the benefits of green tea as well which include antioxidants that lower inflammation, L-theanine that instills calm and improved sugar metabolism.
To check out Jenny on instagram: @Jenny’s Jun.
So here’s to prebiotics, probiotics and a healthy microbiome to help us stay healthy this winter!
