Winter is coming, and gut health and your immune system are your greatest allies in fighting viruses and infections. After all, 80% of your body's immune system lives in your gut, did you know?
Your Immune System is your Body's Natural Defense System.
Think of your immune system as an army within you. When it's strong and supported by a healthy gut, it has the ideal tools to fight off attacks. But if this army is weak, it's vulnerable to attack.
With flu season approaching, coupled with an ongoing pandemic, it's more important than ever to strengthen your gut health and immune system to give your body the support it needs to fight off these invasions.
And the best way to support your immune system is to start with your gut!
The diversity and health of our gut microbiome are known to significantly affect many aspects of our immune health. Several studies have shown that taking certain strains of probiotics can also help prevent the onset of the flu. Those studied include certain strains of Lactobacillus species as well as Bifidobacterium species. The results were even better when used together.
We'll give you the tools you need to be more prepared than ever for the upcoming flu season, which experts say could be severe, potentially causing a "twindemic" of flu and COVID-19.
But when the immune system is functioning optimally, acute inflammation is a critical weapon that protects you against severe and immediate stressors. This type of inflammation is localized and acute—think of a sore throat or the red, inflamed skin around a cut. It subsides when the threat passes.
On the other hand, when the immune system is suppressed or weakened, it cannot defend itself against harmful bacteria or viruses. This can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation and put the body in a constant state of alert. This type of inflammatory response is often the root cause of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
So, never forget: the gut is the gateway to optimal health!
We cannot have a healthy immune system without a healthy gut.
Keep this in mind. As mentioned, your gut health and immune system are your greatest allies in fighting foreign invaders. When they function properly, you can distinguish between different types of bacteria, keeping the good ones at bay and keeping the bad ones at bay.
Ways to support your immune system
Caring for and nourishing your immune system is actually quite simple. The best way to support our immune response is to provide our body with all the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients it needs. Here are some ways to support your gut health and immune system for the upcoming flu season.
1. Treat your Digestive System
Without a healthy gut, your immune system cannot do its job effectively.
Gut problems —and remember, this organ is part of the digestive system, which begins in the mouth and ends in the anus—can cause more than just stomach pain, gas, bloating, or diarrhea. They can be the root cause of many chronic health problems. Gut imbalances and leaky gut have been linked to hormonal imbalances, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, eczema, and rosacea, to name a few.
A healthy diet, with a variety of plant-based, colorful, and whole foods, can improve the immune system by providing the body with adequate nutrients and their respective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are a fundamental part of this immunity-boosting protocol. Certain foods are best known for these properties. These include berries and other red-colored foods—such as tomatoes and red apples, avocados, green tea, and mushrooms.
2. Do an elimination diet
This proven approach starts by removing all inflammatory foods from your diet, such as corn, gluten, dairy, sugar, and eggs.
At the same time, supplements such as digestive enzymes are used to aid digestion and promote intestinal repair and a healthy inflammatory response.
3. Foods to add to your diet
Bone broth
Bone broth tops our list as one of the most important foods for gut repair. It contains gelatin and collagen, two key players that support healthy mucosal lining, proper digestion, and intestinal function. The glucosamine in bone broth helps repair leaky gut, enabling a healthy inflammatory response and stimulating the growth of new intestinal cells.
The gelatin extracted from the bone during cooking is an excellent source of minerals (iodine, sodium, magnesium and potassium) and collagen contains amino acids such as glutamine, glycine and proline, which are easy to digest and promote intestinal health and accelerate healing.
Herbal Defense Bone Broth 225g - Planet Paleo
Probiotics
Taking probiotics daily for a few months before the cold season—they work to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the common cold. Choose a probiotic formula with multiple strains.
Also opt for naturally fermented foods that contain probiotic bacteria species: sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and coconut kefir, natto, kombucha, and raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
Zinc
Probably the most studied supplement for treating the flu: zinc's mechanism involves interfering with viral replication. Several studies have shown that, if taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, it can shorten the duration of the infection. Zinc plays an important role in improving our resistance to infection—and individuals with low dietary zinc intake have more vulnerable immune systems.
Some people experience nausea when taking zinc on an empty stomach, but taking zinc capsules (up to 15 to 30 mg daily with food) at the first symptoms of a cold is safe and effective. There are many forms of zinc, which vary in absorption capacity.
Foods rich in zinc in winter can also help; these include lean red meat, oysters, shrimp, pumpkin seeds, lentils, chickpeas, cashews, and sesame seeds.
Vitamin D
Increase your vitamin D reserves. Two in three Portuguese people are vitamin D deficient, and these levels in winter can be even more alarming. Vitamin D is a natural immunomodulator and anti-inflammatory and plays a role in preventing COVID-19 and autoimmune diseases. Studies have shown that higher vitamin D levels may also reduce the risk of the flu.
Mega D-3 & MK-7 60vcap - Agora Alimentos
The best source of vitamin D is the sun. It's true that some foods contain vitamin D, but in very low concentrations. Therefore, the best option is to take a supplement , especially during the winter months. A safe dose may be 4,000 IU per day. However, you may need more. Consult your doctor to determine the best dose for you.
Vitamins D3 & K2 90caps - NutraMedix
Vitamin C
Vitamin C scavenges free radicals produced by oxidative stress and plays a vital role in supporting a healthy immune system response. Humans cannot produce vitamin C, so we need a daily intake. Furthermore, our bodies consume a large amount when we're under stress. Therefore, adding an additional 1,000 mg twice daily is a great way to keep your stores high.
Foods rich in vitamin C: papaya, broccoli, kiwi, mango, citrus fruits, Brussels sprout seeds, watercress, tomatoes.
Vitamin C 1000mg 120cap - NutraMedix
Foods rich in beta-carotene
Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is essential for promoting a healthy immune system response by supporting your body's natural defenses. This includes the mucous membranes in the eyes and intestines that trap bacteria and viruses. Vitamin A also facilitates the production of white blood cells, which fight pathogens in the bloodstream.
Foods rich in beta-carotene include green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, and apricots.
Medicinal mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms are also known to be effective immune boosters. Examples of mushrooms such as reishi, maitake, shiitake, and other fungi, taken as a preventative measure at the beginning of cold and flu season, can be quite helpful.
Prop olis
Propolis has been extensively studied during this pandemic—and its effectiveness has been proven with distinction in its antiviral and immunomodulatory activity, not only in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Many studies on propolis demonstrate its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and healing properties. It is classified as a natural antibiotic, offering advantages over industrialized antibiotics because it only combats pathogenic (harmful) agents, not beneficial ones. This is important in the treatment of intestinal dysbiosis (imbalance of bacterial flora).
Propomax Propolis Drops EPP-AF 60% Alcohol-Free - Lehning 
4 - Reduce stress
Our bodies are designed to handle acute stress; however, chronic stress weakens the immune system's response and leaves you more vulnerable to viruses and diseases.
Meditation and breathing exercises are practices that have helped you calm anxiety and relax.
Dancing: Moving your body can literally help “shake off” stress.
Listen to music: Surprisingly, half an hour of music can reduce your cortisol levels.
Gentle exercise: A long walk in nature and a change of scenery can be enough to relieve stress.
5 - Sleep, rest and more rest
Inadequate sleep can affect your heart and brain, slow your metabolism, cause depression and anxiety, and weaken your immune system and gut health.
The amount of sleep needed for gut health and a healthy immune system depends largely on your age. As you age, your body and brain require less sleep to recover and develop.
The foods we eat at dinner and before bed also influence our sleep quality. Choose foods rich in tryptophan—turkey, chicken, and seafood; magnesium—bananas, avocados, and green leafy vegetables; and melatonin—your body produces melatonin naturally, but you can also get it from pork, salmon, and cherries.
When you get sick, don't fight your body. To eliminate a virus from our system, we need plenty of sleep to support our immune system and the body's ability to recover from the inflammation caused by the virus. The body's energy is focused on overcoming the virus.
Now you have the tools to strengthen your gut health and immune system.
As you can see, there are tons of things you can do to prevent and treat a cold or flu. If you're prepared with some of these natural, at-home remedies, you might not need to run to the pharmacy or spend the whole day sniffling.
Other products that can help you:
Active Omega 3 Immunity 60sft - Salengei
