Boosting your immune system, what no one is telling you!

In the Northeast we are fully into fall and soon winter will have its grip on us impacting the health of thousands of people as they battle colds, flus and other seasonal disorders.  Flu shots are available and people are lining up to get them, stocking up on vitamin C and other immune boosting herbs, supplements as well as cold/flu medicines.

There is however, a critical aspect to supporting your immune system that very few people talk about — your “gut” health.  Considering 60-70% of your immune system lives in your intestines and colon it’s surprising this area is almost never mentioned in the context of boosting our immune system.

I’m here to change that.  I don’t believe you can have a complete or meaningful conversation about supporting or boosting your immune system without talking about the health of your gut.  The good news is, supporting our gut health is pretty easy to do!

There are a myriad of ways you can support your gut health and today I’m going to focus on my favorite – PROBIOTICS and PREBIOTIC’S.

WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTIC’S?

Probiotics – are LIVE bacteria and yeasts (“bugs”) that are good for your health, especially digestive and immune health.

Prebiotic – you can think of these as plant fibers that fertilize or feed the “good” bugs in your body.

In other words — probiotics help grow and increase the number of the “good” or “helpful” bacteria in your body and prebiotic’s feed these guys so they flourish and do their job well.

HOW DO PROBIOTICS SUPPORT OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Simply put, good bacteria in the gut keep the immune system ready to fight infection from toxic bacteria and viruses we become exposed to from eating, breathing and living in the world.  Ensuring the “good” bacteria outnumber the “bad” bacteria in the gut is key!

WHAT ARE WAYS TO CONSUME PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTIC’S? 

This is my absolute favorite part because there are SO many ways to get the “good” guys in AND to ensure they are well fed and happy!   Here’s a quick list:

Probiotics:

• Quality probiotic supplementation
• Kombucha tea’s
• Probiotic drinks
• Fermented foods 

Prebiotic:

• Plantains (both green and yellow but opt for more green to reduce sugar intake)
• Cooked and cooled parboiled white rice
• Cooked and cooled white potatoes and tapioca flour
• Tigernuts
• Properly prepared (soaked and sprouted) legumes

There are so many things I want to tell you all about these wonderful pre and probiotics so be on the lookout for more information and yummy recipes soon.

In the meantime, when you decide to build your arsenal against the cold/flu this season, make a run to your local health food store and stock up on the items mentioned above — your “good” bugs will thank you for it!

In Good Health,
Chinyere

P.S. I will be giving a live demo in Brooklyn to showcase these lovely pre and probiotics and provide a super yummy immune-boosting smoothie that you can make at home!  Details and a link to register will be available soon.