These are strange times we're going through at the moment. I've been watching the situation with Covid-19 unfold and seeing things from many different angles. How concerned should we be? How do we protect ourselves? Is the Government doing enough? These are all difficult questions to answer. However, one thing I can definitely help with, is how do we take care of ourselves and support our immune system?
HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Here are some ideas that you can start to implement at home. They're all super simple tips that won't break the bank either.
Get more fresh fruit and veg into your diet. There's been a lot in the news recently about panic buying. It's understandable when people are so uncertain of what's going to happen next. But one thing that's still fairly abundant in the shops is fresh fruit and vegetables. It's these foods that will really support your immune system and help you cope with any potential assaults against it. You can find many studies that link particular compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals to a strong, healthy immune system.
In particular, you can also increase your vitamin C intake. This paper details the many functions vitamin C plays in regulating the immune system and highlights the fact that a deficiency in vitamin C can lead to impaired immunity and a higher susceptibility to infections. Which foods are high in vitamin C? Citrus fruits, red and yellow peppers, broccoli, spinach, papaya, kiwi, blackcurrants, thyme, parsley, kale, Brussels sprouts, lychees and strawberries (although not quite in season yet - maybe go for frozen strawberries). You can also add a vitamin C supplement to your diet if you feel you could do with an extra boost.
Pay attention to your gut health. Anyone who has been to one of our gut health workshops will know that roughly 70-80% of your immune system lives in your digestive tract. The immune cells that live in the gut are heavily supported and modulated by our gut microbes, who also reside there. It therefore makes perfect sense that to support our immune system, we should also look to supporting our gut microbes. You can do this by following the first point - eat more fruit and veg - as this provides vital fibre for our microbes. They also love the fibre from whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses. You can also support your microbiome by eating probiotic rich foods. The simplest way to do this is by eating sauerkraut or fermented vegetables. Here's a great video by Sandor Katz, fermentation revivalist and expert on how to make a really simple sauerkraut. If you'd rather not wait for your veg to ferment, pop down to The Fig or Vedi Cafe in Derby, Vegan Revelation in Belper or The Natural Food Company in Nottingham to get stocked up on some delicious varieties of Praxis Probiotics fermented veg. Kefir, kombucha and live natural yoghurt are also delicious probiotic foods and drinks you can take to keep your gut bugs happy.
Add lots of wonderful herbs and spices to your diet. The nutrients in herbs and spices are highly concentrated, so small amounts give a huge injection of beneficial nutrients. Here's a great article that lists some herbs that contain anti-viral properties.
Get enough sleep! In his brilliant book Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker eloquently explains that 'sleep restocks the armoury of our immune system, helping fight malignancy, preventing infection, and warding off all manner of sickness.' (pg. 7). He later goes on to describe an experiment in which participants were exposed to rhinovirus and then monitored in laboratory conditions. There was a clear relationship between how much sleep the participants had received in the week prior to the exposure and the rate of infection. In those sleeping around 5 hours, the infection rate was 50%, those getting 7 or more hours sleep experienced an infection rate of just 18%. (pg. 182). So, get more zzzzzzs!
Stress is another immune disruptor. When the body is under stress, it prioritises its fight or flight response whereas other bodily functions such as digestion and the immune system are put on the back burner. This is a difficult one because the current climate is probably causing you quite a bit of stress! While you may not be able to control the situation, you may be able to reduce your body's stress response by limiting your time on social media, getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated and employing whatever stress relieving techniques work for you - yoga (at home if you're isolating - Yoga with Adriene is my favourite home practice), meditation (Calm, Headspace), keeping up with a hobby such as drawing, knitting, crochet - whatever helps you to relax. Also, if you're worried about being isolated and need some help, reach out to the people around you. It's at times like this that being part of a community becomes essential for our physical and mental wellbeing. If you're local to Derby, there's a great Facebook group that's just cropped up where you can offer to help or request help from those in your local area.
If you're at all worried and would like some reassurance or advice on how you can support yourself nutritionally, please do get in touch. I'm happy to reply to any emails or messages you send my way.
Stay safe, look after yourselves and each other and thanks for reading :)
Lucy x