Support Your Immune System with Wellness & Good Nutrition
By Jen Sletten Registered Dietitian, Masters in Psychology and Owner at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition
How can you support your immune system to protect yourself this winter? Now is the time to double down to optimize your health. Consider these 5 things you can start doing today.
1). Get enough sleep - I can’t stress this enough. Aim for 7-9 hours of good sleep if you really want to focus on enhancing your immune system this time of year. While good sleep is beneficial for our immune system, on the flip side, we know that poor sleep is associated with weight gain, food cravings, anxiety, and low energy. If you’re not sleeping well, pursue options to find a solution. Visit with your doctor about a sleep study or a book a visit with us to specifically address your sleep.
CLICK below to Download our Stronger Sleep Quiz
CLICK to Download Nutrition & Sleep Tips
2). Tame your stress level. Stress does indeed affect our immune system. So instead of overexposing yourself to a worrisome environment (for example excess news or negative influences) keep your environment in balance. Choose to include things that make you feel empowered like taking care of your health and nutrition, meditation, prayer, laughter, helping others, being with friends and family who fill your life with positivity.
Resources to help:
Redfit Infrared Sauna at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition
Medical Grade Red Light Therapy at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition
Mediation: try the Braintap in our Tranquility room here at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition
3). Make sure to keep up on your hydration by filling up a large water bottle a few times each day. Fruits can also be a hydrating food source. Flavor your water with lemon, lime, or other fruits and drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day.
4). Learn about eating balanced meals that include healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Include 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables (which are healthy, complex carbohydrates) to really set yourself up for optimal health this season. Limiting excess sugary drinks and treats will benefit your healthy weight goals AND YOUR immune system. Limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks.
Resources to help:
Meet with a Registered Dietitian to assess your current diet and deficiencies
Partner challenge to decrease alcohol intake or check out books or podcasts such as:
5). Protect yourself from nutrient deficiencies. Many trendy diets put people at a higher level of risk since they often leave out entire food groups. Work with us at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition to make sure you are Including all nutrients & foods that enhance your immune system this time of year.
3 Important Nutrients
Along with good balanced meals - make sure you are getting enough vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc in your diet. As a Registered Dietitian, I have always been a "food first" proponent. The decisions we make in the kitchen matter. Here are food sources of some of the big players that can help support our immune system.
Vitamin C - go for the brightly colored orange, red, and green fruits and vegetables. Discuss with your doctor or schedule a visit with our Registered Dietitians if you are wondering about additional vitamin C. Some Dietitians may discuss supplementing with 500mg 1-2x/day. There is not good evidence for taking more than that and excessive amounts of vitamin C can cause diarrhea - and diarrhea is NOT good for your immune system.
Vitamin D - crucial for our immune system and some of us may already be deficient. Vitamin D is mostly found in dairy and eggs. The best “helper of Vitamin D” is sunlight. If you don’t eat these food sources of vitamin D or don’t get enough sunshine (15-30 minutes at least twice a week) then you could be at risk for a low Vitamin D. We can test your Vitamin D lab here at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition. If you are low, you’ll want to supplement to be sure you are optimizing your immune system. For most individuals it’s safe to aim for 2000 to 4000 IU of vitamin D daily during the fall & winter to support the immune system. If you are taking a good multivitamin it may include this amount already. If you are deficient you will likely need a higher absorbable recommendation - but individual recommendations vary.
Zinc - In the form of lozenges (better than getting zinc in pill form) has been shown to reduce the severity and duration of colds and upper respiratory symptoms. Without onset of symptoms or a documented deficiency – it is likely not necessary for healthy individuals to supplement with Zinc. Instead aim to get good food sources of zinc which includes chicken, grass fed beef, beans, nuts, yogurt, whole grain breads, crackers, and cereals.
The Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) is also looking at potential immune health benefits of some of these nutraceuticals: vitamin A, selenium, quercetin, green tea, resveratrol, elderberry, echinacea, melatonin, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and curcumin. With any decision to use supplements, always look to your doctor, licensed health practitioner, or registered dietitian like here at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition for individual recommendations - since we are all very different humans.
Create A Healthy Nutrient Shopping List
Here are some examples of how to incorporate nutrient-dense foods to support your immune system through your eating:
• Vitamin C – citrus, papayas, all berries, kiwi, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, & peppers.
• Vitamin D – salmon, fatty fish, eggs, dairy, cheese, mushrooms; Plus 20 min. of sunshine/ day.
• Zinc – seafood, chicken, grass fed beef, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, beans, lentils & legumes.
• Vitamin A – tuna, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, spinach, cantaloupe, peppers, grapefruit, and broccoli.
• Selenium – 2 Brazil nuts a day (From Brazil, not China), tuna, shellfish, eggs, sunflower seeds
• Magnesium – Chocolate, avocados, nuts, beans, seeds (may be helpful for good sleep)
• Quercetin – Apples, onions, dill, fennel, oregano, capers, grapes, berries, green tea, citrus fruit
What can you do today and review resources above:
Aggressively tackle any sleep issues.
Create a healthy physical environment for less stress.
Prioritize hydration.
Make sure your diet is balanced with healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
Avoid excess sugar and alcohol.
Ensure you are getting all the micronutrients from the lists above.
Meet with a nutrition expert or registered dietitian for customized healthy nutrition recommendations
Regardless of whether you want to optimize your immune system or if you just want to eat healthier at Stronger Wellness and Nutrition, we help people navigate individualized plans for success.
For Lab information, click HERE.
For Jen's Immune System Supplement Favorites click HERE.
Jen Sletten RD, MA
Registered Dietitian
Masters Counseling Psychology
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