Winter and the holiday season are quickly approaching—bringing more time indoors, crowded gatherings, travel, changes in diet, and added stress. All of these things can challenge your immune system. Just like planning a trip, preparing your immune system ahead of time helps you stay healthy through the season’s demands. Is your immune system ready for winter?

Diet Quality Determines Immune Defense and Resiliency

General immune health depends first and foremost upon diet. The food that you consume affects your susceptibility to an immune challenge as well as how quickly you bounce back. Food can either nourish your immune system with quality proteins, fats, carbohydrates and micronutrients or stress and inflame your body with ultra-processed, calorie rich, nutrient poor, pro-inflammatory foods.

A whole foods diet provides building blocks for immune cell formation and function, as well as antioxidant protection against oxidative stress. A nutrient rich diet provides nourishment for the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and the mucosal barriers in the gut and respiratory tract. Whole foods also provide nourishment and place less stress on other immune tissues (bone marrow, spleen, thymus, tonsils, adenoids) in your body.

A short-term splurge or lifelong unhealthy dietary pattern will change the gut microbiome causing dysbiosis and provoke oxidative stress with your immune system. Think about how you felt the day after a trip to a theme park or state fair eating deep fried, high sugar foods, or after consuming a bowl of Halloween candy.

Sugar, especially added sugar, suppresses white blood cell activity for up to 12 hours essentially handicapping your “first responders” with their antimicrobial activities. Other dietary challenges like gluten and omega-6 oils also affect your gut-immune tolerance, intestinal permeability, and inflammation load. Helping your immune system stay strong and resilient requires daily healthy choices. Here are some things to focus on.

Fundamental Dietary Choices

Quality protein, preferably animal protein, provides all amino acids that make “first responder” immune cells, other response and regulator cells, and support repair. Insufficient dietary protein contributes to immune aging and loss of resiliency. Individuals on restricted, poorly implemented diets, and/or have limited access (plant-based, fad diets, school, senior care), or other scenarios may be at greater risk for insufficient protein intake. 

During illness, amino acids are pulled from muscles to make immune compounds. Higher protein intake up to 1.0- 1.5 gm/kg body weight/day may be required when recovering from an immune challenge.

Colorful fruits and vegetables provide micronutrients that protect you from oxidative and inflammatory stress caused by immune responses. Strive for at least 5-9 servings per day. Adding fruits and vegetables to a protein smoothie is an easy way to increase intake.

Keep the fiber in the smoothie to buffer against the higher natural sugar content and to “chew” the smoothie. Chewing the smoothie surrounds the food particles with your oral microbiome and digestive juices which are necessary for initiating the first steps of digestion and immunity.

Fiber-rich foods help your gut microbiome to make several compounds like butyrate, a postbiotic and short chain fatty acid. Postbiotics are the most important fuel needed for mucosal lining integrity and repair, immune system homeostasis, and cytokine-immune signals that affect all tissues and organs in your body. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut also help support your mouth and gut microbiome.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients like vitamins A, C, D, and zinc provide immune surveillance, germ recognition and mucosal barrier protection in the gut, sinuses and respiratory tract. Furthermore, these nutrients plus vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), copper, glutathione, and selenium, protect against systemic oxidative stress.

Spices like turmeric, ginger, and oregano along with other phytonutrients like resveratrol, grape seed extract, astaxanthin, quercetin, luteolin and others provide antioxidant, immune surveillance, autophagy, mitophagy, and other actions required for your immune cells to thrive and be protected.

Other extraordinary nutrients for immune vitality and resiliency include PEA/palmitoylethanolamide, colostrum, arabinogalactan and others.

Synbiotics and Gut-Lung Health

Healthy immune function and gut health also depend on synbiotics, i.e. probiotics and prebiotics. Synbiotics support the gut microbiome and influence nutrient absorption, immune recognition and surveillance, and the “gut-lung axis”.

Research demonstrates great effects of the gut microbiome on lung health and immune resilience especially with age-related decline. Clinical trials have shown those who consumed or supplemented with probiotics needed fewer days off from daycare, school, or work. 

Immune Support for Infants

Critical nutrients for healthy immune function in infants and toddlers include vitamins A, C, and D, B vitamins, iron and zinc.

Super Mini Multi is a great supplement for this age group.

Immune Support for Children and Adolescents

Children and teens often struggle with inadequate nutrient intake due to food choices, food availability, and eating patterns. Common nutrient deficits seen in children and adolescents include lack of iron, iodine, vitamins A, C, D, and E, folate, selenium, and zinc.

Great resources to keep kids fortified include Super Mini Multi (2-12 years old) or Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Daily Protector Eye & Immune, Vitamin C, Vitamin D 1000 or 2500 IU, and Daily Protein. Additional support may include Immune Plus or Super Immune Booster.

Immune Support for Adults

Adult nutrient intake varies considerably with age, digestive health and absorption, medication use, exercise and lifestyle, alcohol use, and cumulative wear-and-tear. Common nutrient deficiencies may include vitamins A, C, D, and E, B vitamins, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, plant-based antioxidants, and protein.

With increasing age, Bifidobacteria bacteria levels in the gastrointestinal microbiome decline while other non-beneficial flora become more dominant. This may increase immune susceptibility, increase intestinal permeability and add to the total burden of inflammation making synbiotics like Super Dophilus a helpful adjunct to your nutritional regime. Super Dophilus works great with Tributyrin Plus.

Fundamental support for adults includes Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Daily Protector Eye & Immune, Vitamin D3 + K2, and Daily DHA for ongoing immune support.

Extra support may include Quercetin Phytosome + Luteolin or Repair Plus, Oregano Oil, Vitamin C, Strengthener Plus, Immune Plus, Super Immune Booster, Daily Protein, Glutathione Ultra, and many others.  

Some of the most fundamental nutrients for lifelong immune vitality in childhood and adulthood are vitamin A, vitamin D, omega-3 essential fatty acids, pre-, pro-, and post-biotics, and protein. These nutrients are also needed for numerous other functions. Is your immune system struggling to keep up or are you ready for winter season?

Additional Resources

Immune Health and Vitality for All Stages of Life

New Research Links Cancer to Sugar Intake

Is Your Immune System Support Nutrient Rich or Sugar Overloaded?

Enlarged Adenoids Linked with Food Allergies

Navigating A Plant-Based Diet: What You Need to Know for Optimal Health

Glutathione and Vitamin D: A Powerful Essential Connection

Vitamin D and DHA needed for Serotonin, Mood, and Impulse Control

Vitamin D and Magnesium: Essential Partnership for Health

Vitamin A – An Essential Nutrient for Immune, Respiratory, and Gut Health

Vitamin C for Stress, Collagen, Immunity

The Hidden Impact: Meds that Deplete Vitamin D and How It Affects Your Health

Vitamin D and Your Immune System – Are You Getting Enough?