Why You Should Keep A Check On Your Nutrition For Immunity Defence
Do you keep a check on your nutrition level?
Are you conscious of what is your dietary intake in everyday practice?
There is solid science behind eating the right foods to support the immune system.
Immune fitness refers to a state of a body, where an individual’s immune system is healthy and resilient which has an inbuilt capacity to adapt to challenges. It does so by establishing, maintaining, and regulating an appropriate immune response.
There is a complex relationship between your diet and the immune system. The key factor that has a positive influence that trains the immune system is nutrition.
What contributes to Immune Fitness?
The current scenario calls for maintaining a healthy and functioning immune system to fight the battle of the COVID 19 pandemic that we are faced with. A healthy and functioning immune system is paramount in dealing with any type of infection.
Immune fitness will not only help us avoiding the virus or remaining asymptomatic but will also reduce the time of infection, thereby reducing your risk of spreading the infection to others.
The crucial role of several vitamins, minerals, and trace elements helps in the maintenance of immunocompetence. These include Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Iron, Zinc, and Selenium. Inclusion of deficient nutrition in the diet can restore immune function and resistance to infection.
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The Key Role of Nutrition in Immune Fitness
Lack of adequate nutrition deprives the immune system of the essential components required to generate an effective immune response. A healthy immune system improves fitness and optimizes future health. One of the most important factors that can positively influence gut microbiota composition is nutrition.
Probiotics are shown to have multiple clinical studies having a positive impact on the gut microbiota composition and the immune system. The science of probiotics “friendly” bacteria is known to be beneficial for a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Nutritional ingredients such as specific pre-and probiotics have a positive influence on the immune system.
Why you should keep a check on your diet and nutritional choices?
Poor nutritional choices and protein deficiency results in impairment to humoral and cell-mediated immune function. Pieces of evidence also show that low energy intake can interfere with healthy immune function. Therefore, it is significant to structure our food behavior.
Increasing Protein Intake
Ensure to include protein sources in meals. Lack of essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein) may result in an impaired response by the humoral immune system, immunity mediated by our extracellular fluids which secrete the antibodies to fight the infection. Our immune system becomes weak if the protein intake is low. It interferes in the functioning and our resistance to infection or disease decreases. This happens because the immune system relies on the production and replication of active protein compounds.
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Focussing on Vitamins too –
Diet rich in vitamins and minerals is helpful in supporting the body functions in the fighting of the infections. Studies suggest that lack of vitamins and minerals can cause immune alterations that increase the incidence of infectious disease and even in some cases deaths. While researches have shown to improve the efficiency levels and slow down the severity of symptoms from the infection when there is an adequate supply of vitamins. Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant for the protection of our cells against oxidative damage.
To maintain the required level of vitamins and minerals in the body, a diet including different colored fruits and vegetables will give the body the appropriate nutrition. Avoiding vitamin deficiency becomes easier when dietary intake is proper.
Iron is Must
The intake of Iron should be as per the necessary requirement. An increase and decrease of iron levels in the body can increase the chances of infections. A lot of food items like spinach, carrot, onion, strawberry, cauliflower, etc contain a good amount of iron and must be included in the diet.
Zinc is Essential For Immunity
Through a balanced diet, it is easy to achieve the required level of zinc in the body. One of the most important functions of zinc which is a very important mineral is the proper functioning of the immune system. Its deficiency may lead to decreased cell-function, depletion of macrophages and lymphocytes, impaired antibody response.
Fatty Acids too play an important role
The ratio of omega 3 fatty acid, omega 6 fatty acid, and the total amount of fat in the diet contributes to the fatty acid requirement of the body. Include meals that provide the required amount of fatty acids to the body. Once in a while having a cheat day is okay but completely relying on it is not at all advisable.
Path to Improved Health
Small changes in your diet can significantly improve your nutritional requirements. Changing habits can be hard initially but with consistency, it will become second nature.
If you are facing any diseases, you must switch to healthy food to avoid any further worsening of the situation. Changes in diet aids in benefitting the health condition. A lot of diseases can be cured by making changes in the diet.
Few tips you should follow to keep your health in check
Combining with physical activity, your diet can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, a balanced weight, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Your food choices today will affect your health today, tomorrow, and in the future. Dietary habits established early in life has a greater impact in growing up years and helps one in staying healthy. It is easier than you think to make small changes to your diet which goes a long way in improving immunity and overall health.
- Make a checklist of items you intake every-day. What is included and at which time of the day. Find the strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary changes right away.
- Consult a dietician if you are faced with any health issue. It will be your guide to move ahead with your ailments on the right path.
- Assess your daily dietary schedule and track it very closely. It will be a guiding light. Cut down on unhealthy fat straight away. Everyone can benefit from this change.
- Do not go for fad diets. They are unhealthy and do not sustain for the long term. Rather it affects adversely.
- Avoid taking pills as supplements. Try having a variety of food instead, from which your body will benefit significantly from whole foods.
- Staying hydrated is very crucial. Cut down on sweetened drinks and beverages. Consume only fresh coconut water, lemon juice, or fruit juices.
The role-play of nutrition is highly crucial in boosting up the immunity levels of the body. A check on that will help keep in track.
Are you in line with the nutrition check? Do share your checklists for the day’s routine you follow. If you want to add something to the post, please share it in the comments.
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