This holiday season it is more important than even that we take care of our physical health. We are all excited to experience a more traditional holiday season but we should still approach this second Covid season’s greetings with caution! If you are traveling home to see your parents or away from home to see the kids, make sure you are still practicing excellent hygiene and getting enough sleep and exercise to support a solid, natural defense system against viral intruders. As this holiday often centers around shared meals, you might want to keep these nutrients in mind as they too will help your immune system stay battle ready!
First, as we’ve mentioned before, a big part of our immune system relies on the microbiome, a collection of trillions of microorganisms that live inside our gastrointestinal track and help with bodily functions from breaking down food to destroying harmful bacteria. Fermented foods like kefir or sauerkraut support this system with their probiotic content. Just as important are foods containing prebiotic material such as garlic, bananas and beans! Stock up on these microbiome happy nutrients to give your system that extra push.
It’s a given that vitamins and minerals support our immune system and the lack of certain vitamins and minerals can stunt our bodies ability to fight off infection. Sometimes, it is difficult to get enough of certain minerals and vitamins from one’s diet consistently but a well rounded and balanced diet increases that chance. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables can also help and there are some vitamins and minerals that you can focus on specifically to make sure your body has the ammo it needs to be ready for that one particularly snotty-nosed nephew you just “have to hold.” According to an article from Harvard’s School of Public Health those nutrients are zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, D, and E.
Vitamins and minerals are everything though so do your best to limit your overall stress as much as is possible and as much as these two hints might seem counter intuitive, limit your alcohol consumption. Time with your family is amazing but make sure you prioritize time to reset and recharge so everything stays happy, healthy and whole! Happy holidays!!
(Chandra RK. Nutrition and the immune system: an introduction. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 1997 Aug 1;66(2):460S-3S.)
Shomali N, Mahmoudi J, Mahmoodpoor A, Zamiri RE, Akbari M, Xu H, Shotorbani SS. Harmful effects of high amounts of glucose on the immune system: An updated review. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2021 Apr;68(2):404-410. doi: 10.1002/bab.1938. Epub 2020 Jun 8. PMID: 32395846.