How To Build Your Immunity

We see too many people struggling with their health. Our modern, ultra-processed diet loaded with sugar, flour, and unhealthy oils coupled with never-ending diet trends makes it nearly impossible for people to know what to do. 

Before offering some tips on how to build your immunity, it’s important to know where and what the immune system consists of. Did you know that 70-80% of your immune system is found in your gut? It is home to a complex and diverse community of bacteria. This is called the microbiome. This ecosystem plays an essential role in your overall health, including your immunity. A healthy, balanced microbiome is like a well-trained army, ready to destroy invaders and keep you healthy.

Factors such as chronic stress, processed foods, prolonged medication use, sugar consumption, and refined foods can disrupt the intestinal ecosystem. This imbalance can lead to a weakened immune response, making you more vulnerable to disease and reducing your body's ability to recover quickly. Thus, it can significantly impact your quality of life.

So, how can you reverse this trend and strengthen your immune system? The answer lies in understanding and maintaining good intestinal health. It's all about adopting a lifestyle that promotes a healthy microbiome—managing stress, eating healthy foods, and getting rid of congestion so you can benefit from healthy transit on a daily basis.

So, what exactly do we mean by healthy transit? This is the amount of time it takes for you to digest food and eliminate waste. If your digestion is weak, food may sit too long in your gut, causing fermentation and inflammation. The goal is to make sure your bowels are moving multiple times a day to ensure a strong and healthy microbiome.

To help this process, we must avoid refined sugars and processed foods. These foods are foreign to your cells. Think more to nature, implementing more fruits and vegetables in your diet. This will provide you with the good fibre required to help stay clean and provide for a good transit.

Stay well hydrated. Your body is more liquid than solid. Do not wait until you feel thirsty. By this time, your cells are dehydrated. Dehydration leads to constipation and makes it harder to digest food.

Prioritize your sleep. Create healthy habits by getting into bed at the same time every night and spending your last few hours away from computers and phones. Your last meal should be at least three hours before bed.

Move more than you already do. Your lymphatic fluid is responsible for moving waste from your body, and unlike blood, it has no pump. The only thing that moves lymph is movement. Lack of movement leads to constipation and a weakened immune state.

Lastly, be cautious with antibiotics. Ongoing use of these drugs destroys your gut flora, leading to a chronic weakened immune system.

Until next time,

Frances