Healthy Eating
and Immune System

Are we eating the right food
for a healthy immune system?

Article courtesy of Native Remedies

There was a time when the experts in the medical science field worried about influenza. Today the focus seems to have shifted to ‘affluenza’. Lifestyle diseases, more than anything else, are snuffing out lives and shortening productive years of the population.

The mantra seems to be to get rich, buy cars, get houses and get meals out. When we chase such a lifestyle what we get in return is appalling. We get obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory problems and cancer. We fail to appreciate that despite the progress in medical science, there are sure cures for a very small number of ailments.

On top of it, there is an extraordinary level of reliance on the antibiotic alternative as patients and doctors are in a hurry to earn the next buck, which does not make things any better. Herbal antibiotics, on the other hand, treat ailments and boost the body’s responses to illness.

Besides the visible physical problems, a prolonged illness can wreck mental health and can also affect immune system health negatively. It can hinder the body’s capacities to self-heal. Immune system is a relatively new area of study for the medical experts and not much is known about the mechanisms of its dysfunction. However, it has been established that there are certain factors that affect immune system health. The way we eat and what we eat is one of them.

The immune system, which is primarily responsible for recognizing foreign substances like bacteria and toxins, must be in proper shape to perform its function of destroying such foreign material.

A weakened immune system is an invitation to disease in two ways:

It is incapable of fighting infections and you are therefore susceptible to contracting diseases more often. The immune system also loses its capacity to recognize foreign invasions and starts destroying the body’s own normal cells, which causes autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

Food has been the most prominent of all causalities behind the gradual decline of traditional family patterns and eating practices. We may be eating more calories but we are obtaining them from poor sources, eating fat of inferior quality (trans-fats), more sugar, refined carbohydrates, more meat, chemicals and preservatives. This type of diet can adversely affect the body’s self-healing capacity.

Instead of the multi-vitamins and dietary supplements that you may choose to add on to your food, opt to eat certain foods that help your immune system. Vitamin C in combination with magnesium and calcium resists infections. For people who have problems of heartburn, citrus fruits may not be advisable as they are highly acidic in nature.

Crabmeat, lobsters and oysters are rich in all three nutrients - calcium, magnesium and Vitamin C. Salmon is rich in a lot of minerals and vitamins along with a substantial quantity of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are good for arthritis and heart disease and also aid immune system functioning. Other healthy sources of Vitamin C are broccoli, tomatoes, peaches and guava.

Selenium is a trace mineral that is essential for immune system health, which you will not find in multi-vitamin supplements. Chicken and broccoli are healthy sources of selenium. Different types of edible mushrooms increase the production of white blood cells, which are essential for effectively combating disease. A case also exists for the use of herbs for immune system. These are herbs that our ancestors used, to maintain health and vitality. These herbs are still an integral part of traditional therapies and the mainstay of homeopathy.

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