The fall season is upon us. While this is the time of year we begin to cozy up for soup weather and get into the holiday spirit, it’s also flu season. That reality takes on a special gravity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of us will opt for a flu shot, many will not. While the rate varies from state-to-state and our rate of vaccination this year is yet to be seen, the flu shot alone is no guarantee of health.
Flu, colds, COVID, and other ailments are all distinct possibilities — while not only possible this time of year, they seem to be more prevalent. While a flu shot and taking an echinacea supplement may help safeguard your immune system, they’re far from the only steps you can take. In fact, your daily nutrition plays a key part in the effectiveness of your immune system — and thus, your overall health.
If you’re looking to avoid getting sick this season, make nutrition of utmost importance. Even if we weren’t amid a pandemic, prioritizing your immune system — and thus your health and wellbeing — is a surefire way to cut down on stress levels going into the holiday season.
The Immune System is Complex
First things first, we need to understand how our immune system works. We often misunderstand or over-simplify our bodily functions and, as a result, have some skewed ideas about cause and effect within the body. The immune system is among the most complex — utilizing cells, organs, molecules, and tissues together to protect the whole body. Because of this, you can’t take a single supplement or even modify your diet in a way that creates sudden changes.
The immune system is something you impact in the long-term through consistent dietary habits versus seasonal changes.
All of that to say: don’t think any one thing is going to “boost” your immunity. That’s not how our immune system works. It should also be noted that, though your diet can impact the functionality and effectiveness of the immune system, it is not a surefire way to “prevent” illness, particularly in the case of COVID-19.
With that said, here are your top tips for optimizing immune function through nutrition!
3 Ways to Optimize Immunity Through Nutrition
1) Rely on whole foods, not supplements.
The American diet tends to be heavy on red meats and sugar — not ideal for optimal nutrition. Not only that, but we have an overabundance of and access to highly processed foods. These foods have low nutritional density and offer little in way of useful calories for our bodies to process.
Eating whole foods means that you consume more nutrient-dense calories. Some micronutrients play a key role in immune function, including:
Folate
Copper
Iron
Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and D
Selenium
Zinc
Malnutrition can disrupt the production and function of immune cells and antibodies. It can be easy to try to balance a poor diet with supplements. The thought is, “if I’m eating overly processed foods and “empty” calories, I can make up for it by taking vitamin supplements.”
While supplements can be beneficial for at-risk groups: children, the elderly, nursing and pregnant women, or those with certain medical conditions, they should not be relied upon as a sole source for proper nutrition — only to fill necessary gaps. At times, the over-consumption of supplements can actually harm the immune system and function. While in many cases excess vitamins and minerals are expelled from the body without harm, in other cases, high levels of certain micronutrients (like zinc) can be harmful.
A multivitamin can be helpful if you find yourself unable to consume a regularly balanced diet. But in general, everyone who is able should get their nutritional value from the foods that they eat, not in the supplements that they take.
2) Keep it balanced.
In general, the best way to “boost” your immune system is through a consistent, balanced diet. Prioritize leafy greens, whole grains, lean protein, and water intake. Whole fruits and vegetables, too, are essential. Keeping your nutrition balanced and well-rounded also impacts weight, energy levels, and sleep quality — all of which impact your immune system. Keep your diet balanced by limiting how often you eat fast food, buy processed food products, consume sugary drinks, and partake in alcohol.
If you approach eating and drinking with a firm sense of balance and moderation, you’re likely on a good nutritional path already.
3) Consume pre- and probiotics.
Trying to improve your immune function? Science says that your gut health plays a major role. The microbiome — that is, the trillions of microorganisms and microbes living in the body (mostly in our intestines) — directly impact immune function, as the gut is a hotbed of immune system activity and the production site for antimicrobial proteins.
Thus, consuming pre- and probiotics can be a great way to improve immune function.
Probiotics are foods that contain live (good) bacteria, whereas prebiotics contain fiber and other substances that feed existing helpful bacteria in your gut.
Probiotics are most often found in fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut) as well as in yogurts with active cultures. Prebiotic foods are often vegetables, such as artichokes, seaweed, asparagus, onions, and leeks. Bananas, too, bring a prebiotic punch to your diet.
What steps are you taking to protect your immune system this flu season? Share in the comments.