Is Your Body Ready to Fight?

Did you know that immunity is always limited to its own ability to function properly? There are several factors that limit or inhibit immunity: nutritional insufficiency, body toxicity, cellular dysfunction and stress. Are we really getting enough of the right nutrients to support our immune system? Can the proper nutrients help with the other limitations?

Vitamin A is critical for immune defense. This vitamin enhances white blood cell function, resistance to infection and carcinogens and helps maintain skin and mucus membrane defenses to infection. White blood cells are part of our mobile immune system that entraps invaders and kicks them out of our system, helping to detox the body and limit cellular damage. This vitamin can be naturally found in sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, squash, cantaloupe, sweet red peppers, tuna fish and tropical fruit like mangos.

Vitamin C is used by the white blood cells to combat infections and inflammation. This vitamin offers support to wound care. This supplement is found naturally in berries, broccoli, cantaloupe, cauliflower, melon, oranges, sweet potato, tomatoes and peppers. However, this water-soluble vitamin can leave the body easily through urine, so in people need a continuous supply.

Vitamin D is important to reducing inflammation and playing a key role in the absorption of calcium and the prevention of bone degeneration. While inflammation is good in acute situations, chronic inflammation can lead to toxicity and cellular damage. Our skin can absorb this vitamin through sunlight, but can be missed if sunlight is not readily available. Other natural sources of this can be found in salmon and tuna. Beef liver, cheese and egg yolks contain trace amounts. Some products have been fortified with this vitamin like in milk, breakfast cereals, orange juice and yogurt.

Probiotic supplements will help ensure that good bacteria stay in control of your gut. We eat every day and our system fights invaders every day, so we need to take a probiotic every day, more than simply eating a yogurt. The important thing to consider when choosing a probiotic is the number of live strains that will actually make it past the stomach and to the intestines where they are needed. For more information about the correlation between gut health and immune strength visit our blog from last week!

OMEGA EPA/DHA is widely recognized to decrease inflammation. However new research suggests that this may be due to the omegas stimulating the movement of white blood cells. Either way it helps the immune system and can be vitally important for fighting back. 

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