Your immune system is your body’s defense against virus, bacteria, and other infections. You need a strong immune system to stay healthy.
One of the most effective things you can do to help keep your immune system strong, and something you can do right now, is to avoid those things that weaken it.
The top three things that will weaken your immune system are refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foods.
Refined sugar depresses your immune system because it inhibits the activity of the white blood cells. The white blood cells create antibodies and actively attack virus and bacteria. If the white blood cells are inhibited, their ability to create this attack force is lowered.
Processed foods may be convenient and some of them may be tasty, but they’re certainly not good for you. Processed foods almost always contain added sugar, added salt, added fat, and such things as artificial colours and sweeteners, all of which can interfere with your immune system. Try to stay away from processed foods and stick with whole foods, those that have been processed as little as possible and are free of additives.
Alcohol can damage the portion of your immune system that lives in your bowels. It affects how vitamins are absorbed and uses them up, depriving your immune system of the vitamins it needs. Alcohol also disrupts the gut barrier (a physical barrier surface that prevents bacteria and virus from passing into the blood).
There are other things that can weaken your immune system such as toxicity, food sensitivities, protein deficiencies, and other health issues but these three things – refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foods – can weaken anyone’s defense against infections.
The degree to which your immune system is damaged by sugar, alcohol, and processed foods depends on how much of them you consume. The more of these items you eat and drink, the more your immune system is weakened. If you can eliminate or at least minimize your intake of those three things, you stand a better chance of staying healthy.
Your immune system needs protein, it needs good bacteria in the bowel, it needs vitamins and minerals, and other nutrients. Everyone is different and the specific amounts of these things will vary from person to person. You should consult your naturopathic doctor to get a customized plan that meets your requirements.
Green Apple Health Care practices Cause Based Medicine™ which is the systematic process of finding and treating the core cause of health concerns by using a classic naturopathic approach combined with scientific research to optimize patient outcomes.
Our focus is cause-based. We are relentless in identifying the root cause, the “why” behind the symptoms, and we address our treatment programs to the cause of the health condition, not the symptoms.
Call us at (780) 485-9468 to book a consultation. If you prefer, online booking is available for both new patients and repeat patients.
