Simple Tips to Keep your Immune System in Tip Top Shape this Fall
It’s that time of year - flu and cold season! It’s all around us and it’s important to take precautions so we don’t get knocked off our feet. So, what can you do different this fall? Read on to see!
Your gastrointestinal tract is incredibly sensitive. This is where your body absorbs the nutrients from your food! Keeping this system strong and functioning optimally will result in overall well being.
Did you know that 70% of our immune system lives with in the gut?!
The gastrointestinal system plays a central role in immune system homeostasis.
The good bacteria line up like little solders along your gut lining protecting it, but when they are weakened or damaged due to things such as stress, hard to digest foods, a highly processed diet, vegetable oils, alcohol…. the healthy gut lining can be compromised leading to food sensitivity symptoms and a compromised immune system. These soldiers (the good bacteria) protect you from invaders, turning on and off your immune system at just the right time.
When leaky gut develops (the gut lining is compromised), you can experience many unpleasant symptoms in relation to different foods you eat. For example, you'll eat a piece of cheese, and particles will slip through the intestinal barrier and set off an immune reaction. The food isn’t necessarily the “bad guy” however your body sees it as an invader! Continuing to eat these foods can lead to chronic inflammation and pain because the immune system will continue to see these particles as invaders. All of the sudden you are experiencing these unpleasant symptoms all the time and you can’t figure out where they are coming from!
You might be wondering…what should proper gut health involve?
First let’s start with what the gut actually is. The gut (gastrointestinal tract) starts with your mouth and ends with your back end….your bum hole :) Our body works together as a whole - as does our GI tract. Just as a rope obtains its strength from many intertwined individual strands, a solid foundation of health supports balance in proper gut health.
A strong foundation includes:
Optimal digestion
Hydration
A nutrient dense diet
Good sleep
Stress management
Avoiding foods you are sensitive to
If you want to improve how your body breaks down, processes and absorbs your food’s nutrients we must build our foundation! Not only will this improve digestion, but by putting less of a workload on our immune system it can focus more on fighting off seasonal bugs.
Here are 2 tips you can start doing today to start building a solid foundation and to help support a healthy gut:
#1. CHEW YOUR FOOD:
Not chewing your food well has been linked to a reduction in how many nutrients your body absorbs from your diet.
When you chew properly, your mouth starts doing the work in order for a smooth digestion process. Your teeth break down the food into smaller particles, and the enzymes in your saliva start to break down the fats and the carbs in your food. To improve the way you are chewing:
Slow down! Work on chewing your food and swallowing before taking the next bite.
Avoid distractions. When you sit down to eat, focus simply on eating. When you’re distracted by your phone, the TV or reading it is much more common to eat quickly and more than your body needs!
Be mindful. Practicing mindfulness helps slow your eating pace, which results in putting less strain on your digestive tract. Bring your awareness to your food. Notice the different temperatures, flavours, textures, and smells with every bite.
# 2. IDENTIFY YOUR FOOD INTOLERANCES:
The easiest and most cost effective way to do this involves following a temporary elimination diet by removing common allergens such as sugar, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and anything else that you might be sensitive to.
I recommend at least a 21 day elimination period followed by reintroduction of one ingredient at a time. During this time, notice what foods work and don't work for you. Though some of these foods may have caused you issues before, your gut can heal through the process of the elimination diet and you may experience less sensitivities once you’ve completed it!
I wish you well on your gut health journey! I would love to hear your experience by implementing these two steps.
Thanks for stopping by!
Xo erin