A healthy immune system starts in your gut
I rarely worry about sickness during the summertime but it seems like there is a lot going around right now!
There’s nothing worse than getting a cold or a flu virus in the summer, so in this week’s blog I wanted to share with you all some of the things I’m doing to keep my immune system going strong, plus some natural remedies/tools you’ll want to have on hand in case you start to feel something coming on.
My best defense has always been taking preventative measures. It’s so much easier to prevent sickness than treating it once it takes hold.
A healthy immune system doesn’t mean you’ll never get sick, but it should mean you don’t get sick very often and that your body is able to fight off whatever it is relatively quickly.
So how do we develop a healthy immune system?
It starts in the gut!
Did you know that 70% of your immune system is in your gut? If you’re struggling with constant illness, then the first thing you want to do is look at gut health.
Here are some of the things that can disrupt the gut:
STRESS
I could write an entire book on just this topic. Stress wreaks havoc on the entire body, but it does tremendous damage to the gut, as well as your overall immune system.
When you’re stuck in a stress state, your digestion stops. This causes a cascade of problems. You’re not digesting your food fully, which leads to excess fermentation in your gut. This is uncomfortable and often causes gas and bloating, but eventually it ends up wearing down your gut lining. This wearing down causes leaky gut, which allows bacteria, viruses, and food particles to pass through and enter your blood stream. But all of these things shouldn’t be able to pass through your gut lining, so your immune system then starts to attack those invaders, which creates overall inflammation. (This is also what usually causes food intolerances)
This fermentation/lack of proper food breakdown also disrupts and kills off the gut microbiome which is at the forefront of your immune system.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. This is why managing your stress is so important! It’s why managing stress is my focus as a health coach. Stress does so much damage to the body, but especially if you want a strong immune system, you must manage your stress response.
POOR DIET
Even if you have zero stress, a poor diet can cause a lot of the same damage that I described above.
Most processed foods contain chemicals that break down the gut lining and destroy the microbiome.
The one to be the most aware of is Glyphosate or RoundUp. This won’t be added on an ingredients list, but most crops in the US are sprayed with this chemical in order to kill off weeds. But it works like an antibiotic. And most people know that antibiotics will kill off your good gut bacteria.
Wheat especially tends to have higher levels of glyphosate because they spray the crops just before harvest because it causes the plant to wither and it makes it easier to harvest the wheat berries.
It’s impossible to avoid this chemical altogether, but be picky with what you choose to consume if you want a healthy gut. Choose organic wherever possible since organic produce has not been sprayed with this chemical. Be familiar with the Dirty Dozen and opt to buy those organic if possible. Maybe try cutting out the worst offenders like wheat/corn/soy products for a bit and see how you feel!
But here’s something very important!: If trying to avoid certain foods stresses you out, then don’t focus there. Instead, focus on the good foods you’re going to add into your diet!!
Focus on getting quality protein with each meal. Work your way up to eating 1-2 cups of vegetables with each meal. Increase your fiber intake. Add in fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, or kombucha.
Your gut microbiome is really the key to overall health, so eat in a way that you will sustain it!
POOR SLEEP
This is almost always part of the cause when I end up getting sick. Sleep is crucial for overall health, but especially when it comes to your immune system.
We want to get 7-8 hours of sleep every single night. It means making sleep a priority. It means giving yourself time to wind down each night. It means turning off screens. It means not eating too close to bed time (you should stop eating 3 hours before). It means creating a quality sleep environment.
It takes a lot of intention to get quality sleep.
The easiest thing I love doing to help my overall sleep is prioritizing getting sunlight in my eyes each morning. Face toward the sun (don’t look at it) for 10-15 minutes each morning and it helps to reset your circadian rhythm. By doing this, your brain will start the process of making melatonin which will cause you to be sleepy later that night.
If you want a healthy immune system, it is vital that you do whatever you need to do to improve your sleep quality.
If you can just focus on these 3 areas, it can do wonders for your immune system!
But just because I want to give you allll the tips, here are a few extra things I do to keep my immune system strong:
SAUNA
There has been so much research linking a healthy immune system to using a hot sauna. I’m less drawn to a sauna in the summertime because it’s already hot outside, but this is such a great tool to build a robust immune system. There are portable saunas you can get online, or a lot of yoga studios or gyms give you access to sauna sessions.
HYDRATE
Water is so important for overall health. But especially in summer we want to make sure we’re keeping ourselves hydrated. Stay away from sugary drinks (sugar shuts down your immune system for 4-6 hours) and choose things like unsweetened iced tea instead. Or have a glass of water and add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt for a natural electrolyte drink. Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water each day!
EXERCISE
There are countless studies showing the correlation between exercise and a healthy immune system. But it doesn’t need to be anything crazy intense. Start by making it a goal to go for a walk every day. Extra points if it’s in nature! You not only get the benefits of moving your body but nature is incredibly regulating to your nervous system.
SUNLIGHT
We need sunshine. We need that vitamin D! But you won’t get the conversion if you always have on sunscreen. Yes we want to prevent burning, but the sun is not our enemy. I stay out of the sun during peak UV times (11-2) but I soak up as much as I can in the hours before and after. Don’t be afraid of the sun, it’s actually incredibly beneficial to us.
SUPPLEMENTATION
You likely already know that I love my Happy Juice because of how it supports a healthy microbiome and decreases your stress hormones, but there’s another supplement that I don’t talk about enough, and it’s called MentaSync. This supplement is from the same scientists who developed Happy Juice but it’s more focused on the immune system and specifically the gut-brain axis. I’ve heard countless stories of people starting on this supplement and seeing dramatic improvements to their overall immune system. Last fall only my husband was taking it regularly and he was also the only one that avoided each virus my son and I got. So it’s now a part of my supplement plan. You can grab it here: https://amare.com/g10/1752504/p/ms
Okay now that we talked about things we can do to build a healthy immune system, now what do we do if we actually get sick?
Here are a few of my favorite tools:
Vitamin C: This vitamin really is a miracle when it comes to the immune system. You can look up foods that are naturally high in vitamin c, but once you’re already sick, it’s easiest to take a supplement to up your levels. Here’s my favorite one: https://equi.life/collections/immunity
Boiron Oscillococcinum Homeopathic Remedy: This is my favorite homeopathic remedy that I ALWAYS have on hand. It works wonders but you must start taking it at the first sign of symptoms. This is more geared towards the flu or flu-like symptoms, but at the first sign of a sore throat, this is always my go to. https://amzn.to/4fgowYw
Organic Olivia’s Zinc Plus: Zinc is a necessary mineral for the immune system but it needs certain components for your body to be able to absorb it. I love this formulation because it has everything you need in order to best utilize zinc. https://www.organicolivia.com/products/zincplus
Natural Antiobiotic: This is a home remedy that I swear by for anything bacterial. It has prevented so many sinus infections in my family! At first sign of any sickness, even if it’s viral I always make this:
2 cloves garlic cloves (crushed or minced)
2 tbsp raw honey
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Mix together then eat 1 tsp every 1-2 hours until gone. Yes you smell like garlic but it works wonders!
We can’t always prevent sickness, but there is so much that we are in control of for our immune system! I would love to hear what your tricks are too! Make sure and save this post for future reference!
*This is not medical advice. Always seek the care of a medical provider.
