You may think about the benefits to your waistline, heart or energy level when considering the importance of eating properly. What may not immediately come to mind is how vital a healthy diet is for supporting your immune system. Your body is constantly bombarded with bacteria, viruses and toxins that can make you sick. It's the immune system's job to fight against these foreign agents so you'll stay healthy. Eating a healthy diet and getting the proper amount of essential vitamins and minerals are crucial to maintaining a strong immune system.
Antioxidants
Foods containing antioxidants can play a powerful role in immune support. Antioxidants are substances that help protect your cells from damage due to free radicals. Free radicals develop due to exposure to toxins such as cigarette smoke, but they also form naturally as your body breaks down food. These harmful byproducts can suppress your immune system. Eat antioxidant-rich foods such as berries, beans, tomatoes and whole grains to combat this damage. It's best to get antioxidants from food sources rather than supplements.
Plant-sourced Foods
Design your meal to revolve around plant-sourced foods rather than meat, full-fat dairy and other animal-based sources of fats. Vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains should be your diet's centerpieces rather than afterthoughts pushed to the side of your plate. Plant foods that aren't heavily processed are naturally high in fiber, low-fat and contain many vital nutrients. They help support your immune system in fighting the abnormal cell development that can cause cancer.
Avoiding Bad Fats
Fat is not always the enemy; in fact, your body needs fat to properly function. Certain fats, however, should be avoided. These include saturated fats, which come from animal sources, and trans fats, which are artificially produced. They contribute to both obesity and cancer risk. These fats raise your cholesterol level and may also stress the immune system. Inflammation is one way your immune system responds to attack. A study published in 2009 in the journal "Cell Metabolism" found that saturated fatty acids cause chronic low-grade inflammation that contributes to insulin resistance.
Warning
Eating a healthy diet is important for everyone, but if you have an autoimmune disease, you should not try to increase your body's immune response. Your immune system sees your own cells as a danger or foreign invader when you have an autoimmune disease. Your body essentially attacks itself because of this excessive immune reaction, so consuming high amounts of nutrients or supplements designed to increase immunity could cause serious medical problems. Medications for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis work to decrease immune response.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Diet, Exercise, Stress and the Immune System
- American Dietetic Association: Antioxidants
- Helpguide.org: The Anti-Cancer Diet
- "Cell Metabolism"; Hematopoietic Cell-Specific Deletion of Toll-like Receptor 4 Ameliorates Hepatic and Adipose Tissue Insulin Resistance in High-Fat-Fed Mice; Maziyar Saberi, et al.; Nov. 2009
