Along with the start of fall and October and “holiday season” comes fighting off flu, strep throat, covid, viruses, a cold and everything else out there we love to spread around. Have you ever thought about how our diet could be affecting our immune system? The desire to safeguard our health fuels the search for effective preventive strategies. There is a huge interest in how to support immunity naturally. This was mind blowing to me when I first learned this, but 70 – 80% of our immune cells are in our gut! So, it is no wonder the more we damage our gut, the more often we get sick and it effects how long we stay sick. Think about these next 3 months. Halloween and fall parties with trick or treating followed by eating that Halloween candy for weeks after followed by more fall parties and Thanksgiving treats followed by Christmas parties with all the Christmas treats. 3 months of basically eating sugar and junk. So, do you think it is really cold and flu season or sugar killing our immune system season? Dysbiosis (imbalances in gut bacteria) affects the body’s immune responses and makes us more susceptible to autoimmune diseases, allergies and frequent/more severe infections. Having a deficiency in A, B’s, C, D, E, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc all affect our immune system. If your diet during these holiday months is more high sugar processed foods, it can be easy to see how they may not be getting in near enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats and lean protein. Over the next few months think about how you can enjoy the holidays at work without it completely taking a toll on your immune system. At the next work party, sign up for bringing the fruit or vegetable tray which will both be loaded with vitamins. You will end up enjoying the holidays that much more, not being sick.
