Eliminate, Nourish and then supplement

Thomas Faulkner, Mchiro, DC
April 27th, 2020

We all have an immune system, it can be strong or weak in some and compromised in others but regardless of its current state, it always needs to be supported.

If you imagine your immune system to be like an army, when the army is well cared for with water and food it is strong and ready to fight any battle. If neglected with no proper care or attention then it doesn’t matter how tough the soldiers are, the army will not have the energy to fight even the smallest of scuffles.

The best ways to support your internal army is to firstly eliminate the bad things, nourish with all the good stuff and then supplement with some extras… simple!

Eliminate

At Human Health, our chiropractors in Jersey are always talking about keeping your biochemical toxicity low in order to keep your body healthy. Biochemical toxicity refers to anything that you put in or on your body that creates internal stress. Unfortunately, and I am sure it won’t surprise you, sugar and alcohol are top of that list. Both of these can be huge immunosepressants (meaning that they lower your immunity).

If going cold turkey scares you then be realistic with your cutting. For example, if you normally have three sugars with your tea, try having one sugar instead. This way you can gradually decrease your intake so that it is manageable and doesn’t send you on a sugar frenzy.

Nourish

Nourishing your internal system with good quality, whole food is one of the best ways to support your immune system. Lots of nutrients that our body extracts from food are used in the makeup of our immune system so it is vital that you are putting good stuff in your body.

Research suggests that immune boosting foods include mushrooms, particularly Shitake and Reichi as they work on cells directly involved in fighting major disease processes. Mini trees… also known as Broccoli are full of a compound that helps the immune system. Other foods that fit nicely into this category are green tea, orange vegetables, goji berries, blueberries, garlic, honey and yoghurt. However, these are NOT superfoods and it doesn’t mean that if you eat only these foods your immune system will be strong and healthy. Having a varied and balanced diet made up of “real” unprocessed food is step one and then adding a sprinkling of immune boosting foods is step two.

Supplement

Supplementation is last on the to do list for immune system support. This is because a cocktail of supplements will never be able to replace a good diet. Many people believe that supplements are magic pills that somehow correct the effects of a bad diet or even give people permission to ignore certain food groups in their diet. We promise you, this is not the case, adding them on top of a healthy diet & in cases where modern agriculture has made nutrients hard to find will have the most benefits to you and your immune system.

Vitamin C

This is a common supplement that we all know contributes to a healthy immune system. Like discussed earlier, components of your immune system rely heavily on the intake of nutrients and Vitamin C is one of those. Special cells in our immune system need Vitamin C to cary out their defence actions so it is important we supplement on top of Vitamin C rich foods like raw red pepper, oranges and broccoli.

Vitamin D

The sunshine supplement! A large proportion of the population is Vitamin D deficient which is scary considering it is one of the most powerful nutrients for supporting immune function. Ideally buy in the form of D3 + K2.

Probiotics

Probiotics refer to the good bugs that live on and in you, a large majority residing in the gut. Adding extra good bugs will support the health of the gut which is actually where most of our immune system is found. If you are wondering about the difference between pre and probiotics; PREbiotics are the compounds that probiotics need to eat in order to survive and grow. Amazing prebiotics are cruciferous vegetables like Broccoli… are you seeing a certain theme with the broccoli here?

It is never too late to start supporting your immune system.