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How to Strengthen Your Immune System: The Deep Dive

Our immune system is composed of a robust front-line defence team. Our white blood cells and proteins called antibodies, all form an alliance to protect our body from foreign invaders. The immune system, after our nervous system, is the most complex organ system in the human body! So it’s important to understand what it takes to keep our immune system supercharged, so you can implement these tips on a routine basis. 

 “Evolution has arranged that we take pleasure in understanding – those who understand are more likely to survive.” – Carl Sagan

 Our body’s defence against infection is composed of two components.

 Your First Layer of Defence – Innate Immunity

  • Skin acts is a defense barrier
  • Mucus traps invaders 
  • Stomach acid destroys invaders
  • Enzymes in sweat have antibacterial compounds

First and foremost, we need to stay hydrated. If we can keep our skin healthy, strong and intact, we’ve got a huge advantage in blocking anything from entering our body. Dried-up skin lacking in hydration cracks, and those cracks are direct openings into our body, giving outside bugs a free pass to slip on through.  

Hydration is also important in producing mucus, especially in our nose, mouth, and gut. If the mucus is dried up, or too thick, it doesn’t coat our mouth and nose effectively, and bugs have another easy way in. Especially since the skin in our nose and mouth are very thin. 

Stomach acid and enzymes also help in the defence system, and remaining hydrated helps both of those mechanisms.

Eight glasses of water are what is typically recommended, but to get more specific, read our article here on how to calculate your water intake. Remember, 20% of our daily water intake comes from our food, so enjoy your favourite fruits and veggies on a daily basis!

Second Line of Defence – Acquired Immunity 

  • White blood cells like neutrophils engulf pathogens (think pacman). 
  • Natural killer cells (another type of white blood cell) help put our cells out of misery if they become cancerous or infected with a virus.
  • Specialized white blood cells called B cells make proteins called antibodies. 
  • Antibodies bind to invaders and can deactivate them, tag them for our natural killers to easily recognize and destroy, or coat them in a gooey coating, preventing them from invading our cells. 

Our mucus membranes line our mouth, entire digestive tract, lungs, reproductive and urinary systems, inside breast glands, and even on our eyeballs. That’s a lot of surface area! In fact, our gut alone covers the size of half a badminton court (40 square meters, vs. skin at 2 square meters). So we’ve got a lot of surface area for infection exposure, and our mucosal layer is only one cell layer thick. Meaning we need to have a very effective defence team. 

Luckily, we have our A-Team. Our mucosal membranes contain the antibodies Immunoglobulin A (or IgA). In a study, researchers found that those who ate cooked white button mushrooms every day for one week boosted their IgA production by 53% compared to those who did not have any mushrooms. In week two, this group stopped eating mushrooms yet sustained the benefit, and their IgA production measured at 56% higher than the control group, meaning the benefits were maintained for one week (but by week 3, the mushroom group fell back to baseline). 

Boosting your A-Team’s numbers by incorporating mushrooms into your routine diet seems like an effective way to prevent foreign invaders from getting into our bodies. This study used regular button mushrooms, but there are others out there that can be even more helpful. Shiitake, oyster, maitake, and lion’s mane can be found in grocery stores and make delicious meals. Medicinal mushrooms for immune support also include chaga and turkey tail.

Check out this simple immune-boosting Mushroom & Bok Choy Miso Soup Recipe.

Last but not least, know that a healthy mucosal layer rests on top of your gut. This is where keeping our guts healthy can be one of the biggest players in our immune health. A healthy gut is able to produce antibodies and also houses 20% of our immune system fighters. 

This is where a warm hearty cup of bone broth comes in handy. Easy to enjoy as is, or incorporate into any soup, stew, or curry dish! Bone broth can help keep your gut lining intact, as it is packed with proteins and collagen which are building blocks for your gut. There are also vitamins and minerals in bones which can help give your body an extra boost, but I often recommend adding vegetables when making your broth. This is an even bigger source of viable vitamins and minerals. Vegetables like garlic and ginger have their own anti-microbial properties (as do many herbs and spices), so don’t be afraid to flavour it up! 

A recipe for your own homemade bone broth can be found here. If accessible, try to get your bones from healthy animals (ie. grass-fed beef, antibiotic and hormone-free chicken). Talk with local butchers in your area to understand the quality of the food you are purchasing. 

BONUS NOTE:

Lymph helps transport antibodies and our immune cells throughout our body. Our lymph system is like a mirror of our circulatory system, a network of vessels and nodes. Unlike our circulatory system, however, it doesn’t have the heart to move the fluid around. Instead, our lymphatic system lies just under our skin’s surface and next to our muscles. This is one reason movement/muscle contraction can be so helpful in preventing us from getting sick. It helps us circulate our defence team. Another way we can help this process is by dry brushing, or for the brave – hot and cold showers!

Chronic inflammation resulting from sleep deprivation, regular intake of processed foods, fatty liver disease, or in our joints as (arthritis) can divert our immune system’s attention. This means we don’t have the full force to fight off infection and foreign invaders and this is why we can get sick more easily if we have underlying inflammation.

Check out our video on anti-inflammatory foods to find out how to reduce chronic inflammation so your protective force can focus its strength on keeping you from catching any infections!

Here’s to supercharging your immune system this fall!

Reference:

Nutrition and Immunity

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/advancements-in-research/fundamentals/in-depth/the-gut-where-bacteria-and-immune-system-meet

Dietary Intake of Agaricus bisporus White Button Mushroom Accelerates Salivary Immunoglobulin A Secretion in Healthy Volunteers

https://europepmc.org/article/med/22113068

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Immune Homeostasis and Autoimmunity.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/

Surface Area of the Digestive Tract Much Smaller than Previously Thought

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140423111505.htm

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Better Mornings – Berry Beet Smoothie Bowl

Beets are a vegetable containing a natural source of dietary nitrates which, as a vasodilator, have a positive effect on blood pressure and cardiovascular health. Try this great smoothie recipe and feel the benefits.

2 servings; 10 min prep time

Notes:

Protein Boost:

Add your favourite protein powder to kick up the muscle-building properties.

Raw vs Cooked Beets: 

Depending on the strength of your blender, cooking your beet first (via steaming, which is fastest, or roasting) can make it smoother.

Topping Ideas:

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, chia seeds, ground flax, hemp seeds, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, bee pollen, or shredded coconut.

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Gut Health For Your Mental Health

The second most important structure in your body for mental health!

Tamara Kung, ND

Many of us are looking for ways to boost our brains to support mental health as well as to prevent neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. 

But did you know that you may have an untapped source of treating the root cause of many mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and dementia? That source is in your gut!

Science is paving the way in understanding the role of what they call our ‘second brain’, the microbiome. The microbiome consists of trillions of microbes that live within our gut, and studies are showing that it can influence our mental health, and risk for chronic diseases.  The latest science is just scratching the surface on how our microbiome can be your heavy hitter in boosting our mood, keeping us calm, motivated and focused. 

Scientists have discovered that 90% of our serotonin (happiness neurotransmitters) and 50% of dopamine (motivation/ reward neurotransmitters) are actually produced by our microbiome by 39-100 trillion microbes that live within us!  With this new understanding we are starting to appreciate how mental illness like anxiety and depression emerge when our gut is not healthy. 

The old thought is that upstairs is your brain, the center in command, and downstairs is your gut responsible for… processing food and making waste. We previously thought of these two as unrelated organs. What we are learning is that the connection between the two is impressive. Both are in constant, rapid, communication, hooked together by five hundred million neurons that form the longest nerve in your body – the vagus nerve. It carries five times more nerves than you’ll find in your spinal cord. This is a superhighway, and our bodies evolved this way for a reason.

Scientists are learning that brain health and gut health are totally intertwined. The magic is in gut microbes, and mainly gut bacteria and their by-products (ie. serotonin, dopamine, and anti-inflammatory molecules) which communicate and protect our brain.

Your Inner Rainforest

So how can we make sure we keep our guts healthy, and our microbiome working to protect us? Think of it this way – your microbiome is like your inner rainforest. It thrives when it maintains its diversity, just like any forest who’s inhabitants all contribute to a healthy and resilient ecosystem. We’ve got trillions of microbes, and their favorite food that helps them grow healthy and strong is… fiber!

Unfortunately the Standard American Diet (SAD) is seriously lacking in fiber. On top of this, nutrition information is heavily skewed to focus on the macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Fiber is too often forgotten because we think that it’s just something that helps us poop. We think it is not digested or absorbed, and that our human cells don’t use it – so we disregard its function. This leads to behaviours that ultimately do us harm. Did you know less than 5% of North Americans reach their minimum daily intake of fiber?  Beans and lentils for example are not often regularly consumed in North America, while highly processed grains in which most of the fiber has been stripped away is the majority – especially in breakfasts, and snacks. 

So here is your big takeaway – understand that you are composed of more microbes than human cells, at a ratio of 10:1. This means you are actually more microbe than human, and our microbes love to eat fiber. They are the ones using it, digesting, absorbing and making by-products like neurotransmitters and anti-inflammatory compounds.

Just like any ecosystem, the health of the entire organism, our body and mind, depends on the symbiotic relationships that support the health of all parties (human and microbe). Ideally we want a bountiful amount of diverse microbes to generate their helpful by-products which our body uses to thrive. So let’s shift our focus from just human cells, so we can take care of our ecosystem, our inner rainforest, and utilize this astounding, untapped source of health that’s internally generated and sustainable!

Some fiber rich meal examples:

  • Lentil curries with your favorite greens
  • Sweet potato noodles with ginger tempeh and kimchi
  • Seeded crackers, or red pepper boats with avocado and sauerkraut
  • Farro in salads
  • Artichoke hearts with your whole grain pasta

Fiber Fueled

The ecosystem within you depends on you. Every bite you take influences who thrives, and who dies. The good bacteria can make serotonin & dopamine for you, and help quench inflammation, but only if we feed them their favorite meal which is fiber. There are also bad bacteria, and they are connected with the production of inflammation, obesity, chronic disease. Not surprisingly, they love processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol. So when we eat, we want to be considerate, and know that we’re not just eating for one, we’re eating for trillions, 39-100 trillion to be exact. 

Tamara Kung, ND, Book An Appointment!

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