Winter Immune Challenges

Although winter is known as a time we are most susceptible to getting sick and we often blame the cold weather for this, we may be more to blame than we thought. As the temperature drops, it becomes more and more tempting to curl up on the couch and eat comfort food all day. The problem with this is that it renders us more sedentary and what we consider “comfort” foods are not always the most nutritious choices. In addition, the holidays often become excuses to make unhealthy choices as we consume more refined sugars and alcohol.

If you’re one of the many people who seem to be prone to getting sick, particularly during the cold season, you may want to reconsider your winter habits. According to nutrition response testing, your body knows what it needs and when it is deprived of these necessities, it acts out. This will put your body in a state of acute stress, which will leave certain systems of the body, such as the immune system, weaker.

Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to own your health and stop making up excuses. Nowadays, we’re so accustomed to seeking quick fixes that fit into our hectic daily lives. However, when it comes to your health, making a quick and easy isn’t always the path to take, especially if you’re looking for long-term results.

There has been some controversy over whether or not the flu vaccination is a beneficial option and while some believe it’s the only way to avoid the flu, others believe that the risk of flu vaccines are not worth it and seek to find other alternatives. The best way to prevent the flu, as well as any virus, is to nourish the body with whole foods. Some of the best preventative foods include healthy fats, such as omega-3s and monounsaturated, and lacto-fermented food, such as all-natural yogurts. More importantly, it is crucial to avoid any sugars or refines carbohydrates as they blunt the immune response. Foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins work wonders for the immune system. For example, cod liver oil, if taken every day, is a highly recommended preventative whole food. It can also be used during time of illness, in which case you would have to increase the serving size from about half a teaspoon per day to 3 teaspoons per day.

Medical science has proven that good nutrition is the most important factor in supporting the immune system. In fact, there are many recent discoveries in the healing power of some whole foods and herbs. For example, it has been established that protein malnutrition is related to many immune diseases. Deficiency of high-quality protein, such as eggs and fish, may lead to depletion of immune cells and inability of the body to make antibodies against foreign invaders. In addition, the recommended amount of all vitamins and minerals is necessary for your immune system to perform at its optimal.This doesn’t mean you have to spend time calculating the amounts of each vitamin in each of your meals. A diet rich in whole foods and very low in processed foods should ensure that you’re getting what you need.

A telltale sign of malnutrition is frequent colds and other immune-related ailments. In a way, getting sick is your body’s way of telling you that all is not well and that you need to make some adjustments to your diet. If you want to avoid the unpleasant virus or infection in the first place, Nutrition Response Testing^TM(NRT), a study of how the different points on the surface of the body relate to the state of health and to the flow of energy in each and every organ and function of the body, uses your own body’s signals to determine what you need. You can read more about NRT
on our website.

For more detailed information about the connection between the immune system and nutrition, read the following article from the Journal of Clinical Nutrition: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/66/2/460S.long