Eat for Your Immunity

Does how you eat affect your immune system? Absolutely. Eating healthy can reduce your chances of getting sick this winter just as much as poor eating can increase the risk of getting sick. Your diet has a significant role in helping you defend against viruses and other germs that can get you sick.

Many things will contribute to your body defending itself from the common cold, flu, or other infections, including proper handwashing and not hanging around others who are sick. What you are or are not eating can also directly affect it.

Eating well is no guarantee that you will not catch a cold or be affected by the flu virus, but it can help reduce the chances of getting sick or reduce the severity of the illness and help you recover faster. And before you reach for the vitamin C mix or any other supplement with dubious claims, remember that food naturally has the nutrients you need to help keep your immune system healthy enough to do its job correctly.

PROTEIN

One of the most overlooked nutrients which can help with a robust immune system is protein. The antibodies or "soldiers" that help defend the body from invading bacteria and viruses are proteins themselves. If we are not getting adequate protein, especially in combination with excess sugar, fat, and even alcohol, our defenses can be compromised. One does not need to get extra protein to help improve the immune system either. And don't think that "more is better." It isn't hard to get enough protein since it is a nutrient in nearly all foods, including beans, nuts, seeds, fish, chicken, and other meats. Keep some balance: not a diet that is all protein to exclude other foods, but not too little either.

HEALTHY FATS

Healthy fats, like omega-3 fats, found in walnuts, soybeans, flaxseeds, and fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, can help with the immune system doing its job correctly. Other healthy fats include nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and oils made from these. Nut butter, like peanut butter and almond butter, is also a source of healthy fats.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS FROM FOOD

While supplement companies promote the over-hyped benefit of vitamin C or zinc to help with dealing with the common cold or other ailments, your best bet is actual food that contains these nutrients along with the others that are helpful in immune function. Vitamin C and zinc get a lot of "air-time" when it comes to the immune system, but there are so many more nutrients that play a role in keeping the immune system healthy.

Many vitamins and minerals play a role in keeping our immune system strong and healthy, including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, copper, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc. To ensure you get these vitamins and minerals, consider eating foods from all the food groups, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, eggs, fish, poultry, meat, and dairy foods. A variety of these foods will provide the nutrients that have a role in your immune function, along with many other health benefits.

Keep in mind that there must be balance with these nutrients. It is not common to get excesses of most vitamins and minerals through food since most people will stop eating far before any potential toxicities related to over-consumption occurs. However, it is easy to overconsume individual vitamins and minerals with supplements, which can lead to adverse effects. For example, zinc is essential for immune system function; however, excess from supplements can lead to a weakened immune system and contribute to a copper deficiency by reducing our ability to absorb it.

PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS

A healthy colony of bacteria in our gut can help our immune system too. Probiotic foods can help build beneficial gut bacteria, such as yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables like certain types of sauerkraut and kimchi. While there are thousands of probiotic supplements available, there is no way to know which one is best for you. While some probiotic supplement will tout the billions and even tens of billions of bugs in their product, no known amount is optimal, and this may not be a case where more is better.

While probiotics are widely known, the lesser-known counterpart is prebiotics. Prebiotics are foods rich in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, that help create a healthy environment for the good bacteria in your gut to grow. Face it, no matter what, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are just going to be right for you in so many ways.

WATER AND OTHER FLUIDS

Water is an essential nutrient to humans. We get it through the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. Many people do well in meeting their fluid needs, while others fall short. The optimal amount of fluid for each person will differ based on many factors, including their activity, age, and sex. But its role in helping us stay healthy and reduce the chances of getting sick from the cold or other viruses and bacteria isn't what most people think. It isn't because it helps flush out toxins, which it does with the liver and kidneys, and other body systems. It isn't because it helps the body and cells stay hydrated. No. It is for this reason: drink lots of fluid, go to the bathroom more often, wash your hands more often. Handwashing is one of the single best things you can do to reduce your chance of getting sick this winter.

A version of this article (authored by Shelley Rael, MS RND LD) was previously published in January 2020 in the Albuquerque Journal. This was prior to the global pandemic - so no mention of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, or coronavirus occurred. However, this applies to all viruses and communicable diseases.