Support Your Immune System by Chef Paige

​You have more control over whether you get sick or not than you may think. Year round, it is important to be incorporating actions that support and build a healthy immune system while protecting you from the harmful bacteria we come into contact with on a daily basis. Now, especially, it is time to check in with yourself and ask if you are doing everything you can to prevent illness, and I am not talking about buying out the entire shelf of hand sanitizer and Lysol at the grocery store and hoarding toilet paper. I am talking about protecting yourself from the INSIDE out. Because your immune system is largely controlled by your gut health, and no matter the preventative measures you may lather on your body topically, if you don’t have that gut health/strong immune system as your foundation, you are more susceptible to becoming ill.
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Luckily, it is very easy to change your own gut health by consuming certain foods and avoiding a few others.

Top immune boosting foods to add to your daily diet:

1. Bone broth or collagen supplements: collagen (found in Bone broth) will help build the foundation of a healthy gut lining. If you already eat healthy, but still feel bloated or gassy after a meal it is possible that you may have a weak gut lining. Leaky gut is a major cause of many immune issues and food allergies. Adding bone broth/collagen is a huge step in building a healthy immune system. Tip: Look for organic/grass fed collagen and broth, and try to find hydrolysate powder form instead of pills and capsules. 
2. Probiotic rich foods and beverages: incorporate fermented foods and beverages into your diet DAILY for protection from bad bacteria. Think of those “probiotics” as little troops of soldiers you are sending in to eradicate the body of the unwanted bad guys. You have bacteria ALL over your body, inside and out. Bad bacteria and good. Probiotics are the good guys, and you want to do everything you can to tip the scale of bad vs. good bacteria in the right direction. By adding things like Sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, kefir and other fermented foods, you are doing your part to send in the troops! (supplements are also available as probiotics, but I always prefer to get mine from the food source first, when possible).
3. Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric: These three are powerful in killing bad bacteria and fighting inflammation. Inflammation is detrimental to a healthy immune system because when the body is inflamed, it is constantly working overtime trying to fight the cause of the inflammation. Your body is using valuable resources to fight; Energy and disease fighting blood cells, which would be put to better use elsewhere. Keep inflammation away and you will be able to boost your body’s response to invaders. BONUS: garlic, ginger and turmeric are what we call prebiotics, which are like food for your troops (probiotics).
4. Herbs/Spices: Oregano, Parsley, Cilantro, Cinnamon… these are just a few herbs and spices you should incorporate daily to help ward off disease. They are natures medicine, and they play a powerful role in supporting your health.
5. Vitamin D: Vitamin D supports the immune system. Deficiencies in Vitamin D can make it easier to become sick. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins to add to your daily regime. 
6. Andrographis: Going back to herbs, Andrographis is an herb commonly used for medicinal purposes in India. There are a lot of ailments which Andrographis can help with, but for the immune system Andrographis aids in killing harmful bacteria. Andrographis is sold in supplement/pill form and should be taken daily, especially when you feel worn down or that something is “coming on”. 

 
Food to avoid for a healthy immune system:
There are many foods that may increase inflammation and cause harm to your immune system, and we are all different, so what is harmful to me may not be harmful to you. To find your triggers, I suggest following an elimination diet or getting a food allergy test. Common inflammatory foods include: Gluten, processed foods, corn, soy, dairy, and for some nightshades. But there is one food that is harmful to everyone…SUGAR.

If you want to decrease your likelihood of getting sick. CUT THE SUGAR! Sugar is food for harmful bacteria. Plain and simple, if you are eating a diet rich in sugar, you are destroying your immune system and opening yourself up to infection. 
Without sugar, disease and bacteria have a lot more trouble thriving.

Yes, we all love donuts, but so does that virus you’re trying to avoid! Do your body a favor, and skip the sugar. Replace it with small amounts of Coconut palm sugar, raw honey (good for avoiding cold/flu), or maple syrup (not mrs. Buttersworth, the real stuff).

Trust me, giving your body what it needs to work properly and building a healthy immune system from within is going to do a lot more for you than that bottle of Lysol will. It is a slower process, but one that will make all the difference in your body’s susceptibility to infection. 
 
A few other tips for avoiding illness are:
Stop obsessing over the idea of getting sick! What you think about you draw into your life. If the idea of catching a virus is starting to cause you anxiety, you are focusing on it way too much. Try cutting the amount that you follow the media coverage. Stop buying into the pandemonium, because it is causing you stress. Which leads me to another important tip: Cut back on stressors and focus on things that help relax your mind. Meditate, pray or whatever brings you peace. Find things that are causing you unnecessary stress and avoid them or say no to them. Stress is a major immune system killer! Day to day stress is unavoidable, of course, but if you have anything in your life which is causing an unhealthy amount of stress/anxiety, find a way to either let it go OR find a balance by incorporating healthy stressing coping mechanisms. 
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Also, WASH YOUR HANDS.