Super Charge Your Immune System

In these unprecedented times, having a robust, intelligent and fast acting immune response is more important than ever. There are many things we can do on a daily basis to ensure we are keeping our immune system on the ball. 

Taking a vitamin C supplement has been widely recommended lately. If you are choosing to take a supplement, here are a few things to consider: the body cannot store vitamin C, so it should be taken daily ideally in a Time Release form. Everyone’s needs are different. If you are a smoker, if you are highly stressed, if you exercise a lot, your need greatly increases.

To know how much your body can absorb, increase your dose daily until you notice your stools are becoming looser than usual. Then reduce your dose by one.  Ensure you have vitamin C rich foods at every meal: bell peppers, green leafy veg, broccoli / purple sprouting, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kiwi fruit and citrus fruit are all good sources. Steam your veg rather than boil as vitamin C is water soluble so gets lost in the cooking water. Goji berries are also a great option.

Vitamin D3 has been in sharp focus throughout this period of COVID-19. It is hugely important for a smart immune system and the vast majority of people who live in the UK are known to be at the low end of the recommended range, or below range. Being only just in range is not really sufficient to be functioning optimally.

Due to our limited and weak sun in the UK, getting enough of the sunshine vitamin is virtually impossible. Relatively few foods contain vitamin D. It is a fat-soluble vitamin meaning is it found in the fat of foods and critically if supplementing, needs to be consumed with foods that contain some fat. Vitamin D rich foods include oily fish like mackerel and sardines, egg yolks some cheese and organ meats. It is advisable to get a vitamin D test before taking a supplement to be sure you do need more, as it is possible to have too much, but it is incredibly rare. Test kits are easily available online.

If your levels are right at baseline or lower than the recommended range, it’s worth taking a vitamin D3 supplement that also contains vitamin K2 (it will be more expensive) as vitamin Ks greatly enhances how well your body uses vitamin D and recent research has shown K2 to be a big player in immunity. 

Zinc and selenium are 2 minerals often lacking in the diet and also key to strong immune systems. Zinc is found in pumpkin seeds, eggs shellfish, red meat and beans. Selenium is plentiful in Brazil nuts and just 3 Brazil nuts a day should give you a good daily dose.

A little known super-food is black cumin seed oil (nigella sativa). It is quite bitter tasting, this bitterness coming from antioxidants with amazing health-giving properties. It is believed that the antioxidants in black seeds may help discourage certain viruses from spreading within the body by making it difficult for viruses to duplicate within the cells. Black seed oil can also boost your body’s natural killer cells, a type of white blood cell that seek out and destroy viruses. Black seed oil must be kept cool, never heated. Ideally buy one in a dark bottle, keep it in the fridge and buy the best quality you can afford i.e cold pressed, organic. It can be used as a culinary oil in salad dressings or take off the spoon like a medicine. 1 - 2 teaspoons daily. 

Do not forget the importance of a healthy gut for a strong immune system. Around 80% of your immune system lives in the lining of your digestive tract. It can be very tempting to turn to sugary, processed treats, have some extra alcohol, chocolate and snacks during times of turmoil and uncertainty. However, these foods and drinks can compromise the gut microbes that are helping to keep us strong and well.

Feed your gut microbes with fibre-rich foods like brightly coloured and green leafy vegetables, onions, leeks and garlic, nuts and seeds, berries, kiwi, beans and lentils. All these foods contain prebiotic fibre, your gut microbes’ favourite food. Boost your gut microbes with fermented foods like live natural yogurt, mature cheeses, fermented vegetables like raw sauerkraut and kimchi and non-alcoholic fermented drinks like dairy, coconut and water kefir and kombucha. These all contain a range of beneficial microbes to help support gut health and immune response. 

Sunshine and the outdoors is great for mental and physical health too. Be well. Be safe. Be kind.