Healthy Habits for Immune Health
“Oh, Caterina’s out sick again? Shocker.” My frequent absences were a running joke amongst friends in high school. I was constantly sick and completely run down. Catching every bug and cough that went around. Coughs were what I dreaded most because once I developed one, it would stick around for weeks, sometimes months. As a teenager I found this particularly embarrassing. What could be worse than everyone staring at you during calculus because you sounded like you were hacking up a lung?
Nowadays I get sick two or three times a year. I’ve learned what to do when I get sick, and maybe of greater importance, I’ve learned how my everyday habits affect my immune health as a whole! Here’s the thing: how you treat your body each day matters. You can’t mistreat your body, withholding the good input it needs, and then expect it to do its job flawlessly. So, as we go into the colder months, here are some healthy habits that help build up the foundations of our immune health, help prevent illness and fare better when we do get sick.
Sleep – Healthy habit number one is increasing the amount of sleep you get.
The human body needs sleep, and it needs more sleep than most people are getting. Seven hours just isn’t cutting it. If you are regularly getting less than that, that’s long-term sleep deprivation. We might convince ourselves it’s fine because we go about our day and get things done. But long-term sleep deprivation is associated with chronic low-level inflammation, increased instances of acute infection, and worse outcomes during times of illness (Besedovsky, Lange, & Haack).
Omega Fatty Acids – Healthy habit number 2 is increasing your intake of omega 3s and reducing omega 6s. Omega 6s often get a bad rap because they’re inflammatory. But we need the ability to produce inflammation sometimes. Think about a sprained ankle, the inflammation keeps you from walking on it - which allows it to heal. We need to consume omega 3s and omega 6s in the right ratio. Historically folks ate about a 1:1 ratio. Unfortunately, most people eating the standard American diet are consuming significantly more omega 6s, which leads to chronic low-level inflammation (Simopolous). Vegetable/seed oils are a major source of omega 6s, so try avoiding fried foods and dressings and opting for things like olive oil, avocado oil, and ghee instead. Sardines, tuna, and mackerel are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids. If you struggle to get enough in your diet, consider a good quality omega 3 supplement.
Gut Health – Healthy habit number 3 is increasing diversity in your diet to support the diversity of your gut microbiome. As much as 70-80% of our immune cells are present in the gut (Wiertsema, Bergenhenegouwen, Garssen, & Knippels). A healthy gut is imperative for a well-functioning immune system. Eating a wide variety of whole foods helps support beneficial diversity in the gut flora. Try incorporating a small salad before each meal and switch up what kind of greens you use. If you make your own salad dressing this is also a great place to sneak in sardines for those omega 3s! Start including a variety of fermented foods daily such as pickles, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, etc.
As you start making shifts in your habits you’ll be supporting the very foundations of immune health. Something wonderful about habits like those mentioned above is that they have a multitude of good benefits. I’ve chosen to focus on the improvements to immune health, but you’ll see other improvements too. You might notice improved digestion, better skin, improved mood, etc. Let’s get to taking care of our bodies and then watch them take care of us in return.
Resources:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30920354/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12442909/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33803407/