Supporting your Immune System: What Should You Eat?
For patients battling Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses, nutrition plays a critical role in recovery. Food can serve so many purposes; from enjoyment and pleasure to tissue healing and reducing inflammation. Besides avoiding major inflammatory ingredients (such as processed foods, inflammatory oils, alcohol, added sugar, and artificial sweeteners), it is important to specifically support the immune system, as that is the critical component to overall healing. For immune wellness, here are some key components:
Protein:
This immune system requires adequate amino acids to function, and impaired dietary protein weakens the immune response. Many individuals are not consuming adequate amino acids to begin with and have increased nutrient needs from one or more infections. To meet nutrient requirements for healing, try to consume a wide range of proteins, including bioavailable high-quality animal proteins, fish, eggs, and plant-based proteins such as beans and lentils. Aim for ample protein at each meal to support healing and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Hydration:
Proper fluid intake is key to support circulation and detoxification, both critical components of immune functioning. A basic guideline for fluid intake is to try to drink about half your body weight in ounces every day. Increase fluid intake if you consume caffeine or alcohol, or to replenish fluid losses of exercise, sweating (on a hot day or using a sauna, for example), or diarrhea. If you find yourself thirsty despite meeting your fluid intake needs, consider electrolyte supplementation.
Vitamin C:
Vitamin C is not only a major antioxidant, protecting the body from oxidative stress, but it has multiple beneficial effects on cellular functions of the innate and the adaptive immune system. Vitamin C additionally has antimicrobial properties. So it’s an all-around win and can also taste so delicious in the many food sources it comes, including berries, citrus, and bell peppers.
Antioxidants:
Support the body’s healing by consuming a diet rich in antioxidants, including those found in dark leafy greens, dark rich berries, broccoli, carrots, sweet potato and squash, coffee and tea. Antioxidants can improve certain immune responses, such as increased activation of cells involved in tumor immunity and fighting infections.
RESOURCES:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17403271/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/#:~:text=Vitamin%20C%20stimulates%20neutrophil%20migration,decreasing%20neutrophil%20necrosis%20and%20NETosis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8227682/#:~:text=Recent%20clinical%20trials%20have%20found,tumor%20immunity%20in%20the%20elderly
About Janna Neitzel,, MS, RD, CDNSupporting your Immune System: What Should You Eat? Related Blog Posts
Supporting your Immune System: What Should You Eat? Related Services
Lifestyle and Prevention
Nutrition is an essential component to preventative health, and is one of the most modifiable factors in our lives. Embracing a proper diet for your body has the power to positively impact your health on all levels, helping you reach your own distinctive state of wellness.Lifestyle and Prevention
Nutritional Counseling
The practitioners at the Center recognize that diet is often the basis for your heath and your potential to heal. Adopting a healthy diet is often the first step towards correcting health problems. Many medical conditions can be treated more effectively when the patient implements specific diets and uses nutritional supplements. These interventions afford fewer complications and side effects than…Nutritional Counseling
Women’s Health
Our reproductive health and fertility are a part, expression and source of our overall health. At The Stram Center we maintain that a broader understanding of the individual is just as essential as a focused examination of the reproductive system and it’s functioning within that person. Our integrative approach to women’s health provides holistic, balanced and effective care to achieve…Women’s Health
Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease Diagnosis and Treatment in Delmar NY and Burlington VT offices At the Stram Center we vow to continue our education on Lyme Disease research, stay up to date on the most effective testing and all the safe available therapies. Moreover, our years of experience in treating patients according to the whole person-integrative medicine approach allows us the most effective way to care…Lyme Disease
