Boosting Immunity through Nutrition

Ahh winter, my love/hate relationship with you continues. While I do love the ability to wrap up warm, the excuse to purchase a big, beautiful, cosy winter coat, I loathe the (what seems like) never ending sea of sickness that sweeps through the whole family from having a wee one in kindy. If you’re anything like me, it seems to be one bug straight after the other at the moment and we’re only in the early stages of the season (insert slow exhale emoji here).

BUT solder on we must and while the immune system is very complex with a number of factors involved in strengthening it such as sleep, exercise, age. Nutrition too, plays a starring role. It is in these situations where families are exposed to a variety of seasonal bugs that knowing what foods contain immune boosting nutrients that can make a real difference to the occurrence, severity and recovery from colds, flus and viruses.

The first and really simple tip, the whole family can implement is to stay well hydrated. In cooler weather, people tend to drink less water, there’s less need to cool down, we’re not as hot or sweaty and therefore our desire to drink naturally decreases. However, despite the weather, the body is still losing fluid through respiration, sweat and urination. When we are caught out by illness, keeping fluid levels high will assist the body’s natural detoxifying organs (kidney’s, skin, liver and gut) to flush out imposter pathogens and speed up the recovery process. Whereas dehydration can worsen cold and flu symptoms and increase feelings of lethargy. Water is the number one choice. Try and aim for 2 litres per day (less for little ones). Herbal teas can also be a comforting option or warm water with lemon, ginger and honey can soothe a sore throat.

Next up, make sure you and your family are eating enough. Which tends to go against the usual thought process of indulging and comfort eating over the cooler months but if you’re someone who is highly active and your kids are amping up the winter sports training, we need to ensure we are consuming enough energy (in the form of whole nourishing foods) to support our training load. When energy in is significantly insufficient over an extended period of time, immune defences start to break down and illness can start to creep in. Ward this off by preparing wholesome snacks for pre and post training schedules such three ingredient, oat, banana and peanut butter cookies, boiled eggs, yoghurt, tuna/cheese and crackers.

In terms of nutrients, zinc plays a crucial role in immune function. The body needs zinc to fight off infection, when your levels are low, you’re more susceptible to infection. The body cannot make zinc, it has to be obtained from food, nor can it store it so regular intake of zinc is essential. Oysters are the richest source but appreciate the majority of us may not be consuming these daily! Other options include beef, eggs, dairy, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.  The bioavailability of plant based sources is less compared to animal sources so vegans and vegetarians may want to consider having their zinc levels checked and supplement if required.

Vitamin D regulates our immune response in retaliation to infection. When our vitamin D is low, we are at higher risk of infection. It becomes even more crucial in the winter months as our richest source of vitamin D is the sun and exposure of UV rays to (bare) skin. This can be tricky when skies are grey and it’s too cold to be outside and very few foods contain vitamin D. Oily fish such as trout, salmon, mackerel, sardines and cod liver oil, eggs, mushrooms that have been exposed to the sun and fortified dairy. Which is why deficiency in winter can be very common, especially for plant based individuals and those not consuming oily fish 3x per week.

Vitamin C strengthens our immune response by controlling oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. When vitamin C levels are low, the body can become more susceptible to severe respiratory infections. Try loading up on fruit and veg through nourishing soups, adding fruit to your morning breaky and using cut up fruit and vegetables alongside yoghurt and nut butter for pre-dinner snacking.

Finally, vitamin A plays a vital role in maintaining the body’s natural defence systems such as the mucous barriers in the eyes and lungs which help trap bacteria and prevent them from entering the bloodstream. As well as the production of white blood cells which help capture and clear bacteria from the body. Deficiency, can therefore increase our chance of infection and/or delay recovery when we do get ill. Liver, salmon, eggs, milk and cheese are rich animal sources, green leafy vegetables, orange and yellow fruit and vegetables all contain vitamin A. Try adding greens to your eggs, grating frozen liver into bolognese for little ones or making egg muffins containing salmon and a variety of coloured capsicums and cherry tomatoes.

While no one food or nutrient can dictate your immune response, I hope these tips go a long way to helping you and your family bolster your immune system in the lead into the winter months and you feel less concerned the next time a toddler coughs on your child’s face in the playground!