In order for our immune system’s to perform their best, we must give them the support they need. Food can have a dramatic impact on our immune health, and several foods have reproducibly been shown to decrease our immune systems’ ability to fight off infections.
Research has long shown that nutrition plays an important role in our immune health. Our post last month highlighted many foods that have been shown to improve our immune function, helping us to ward off infections. Conversely, certain foods have consistently been shown to weaken a person’s immune response, making them more susceptible to infection and slowing down the healing process.
Foods that Weaken the Immune System
“Everything in moderation” is a common refrain you often hear when someone wants to justify eating something that they know is not healthy, but they want to eat it anyway. And many times, eating something on occasion – let’s say at a birthday party or other yearly celebration – that isn’t healthy but provides a great sense of pleasure or satisfaction – like a piece of cheesecake or bowl of ice cream – probably doesn’t do any long-term harm. However, there are certain foods (or food ingredients), that have consistently been shown to depress immune function. This effect may last for a few hours to a few days after consumption, no matter how often you eat them. Naturally, the more often you eat them, the greater the effect on the immune system, which can significantly decrease your body’s ability to fight off infection over time.
Here are the foods to avoid in order to optimize immune health:
Foods High in Sugar
Research has consistently shown that foods high in sugar – whether that is sucrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, organic cane sugar or beet sugar or any other source – consistently and reproducibly depresses immune function, and this effect can last from hours to days after consumption. Eat foods that are high in sugar (or simple carbohydrates) too often, and you will significantly increase your risk of infection.
Foods high in sugar or simple carbohydrates include:
- Soda, fruit juices and energy drinks
- Candy, chocolate and sweets
- Cakes and cookies
- Baked goods, including muffins, breads and pastries
- Sugary breakfast cereals and bars
- Sweetened and flavored dairy products, including ice cream, sweetened yogurt and chocolate milk
Many alcoholic beverages present a particularly nasty combination of immune-suppressing ingredients because they are often loaded with sugar, increase consumption of unhealthy foods and displace healthier foods and drinks from the diet. Not only that, alcohol contains more calories (7 kcal/gram) than either carbohydrates or protein (4 kcal/gram), and almost no beneficial vitamins and minerals to help properly use those calories. This robs the body of these vital nutrients, putting further strain on proper immune function.
Be honest – when was the last time you reached for a salad or steamed vegetables after having a few drinks? It’s much more likely that you reach for some rich and savory foods – commonly referred to as comfort foods – and that you eat more than you would normally, as alcohol stimulates the appetite and depresses your ability to recognize when you’ve eaten enough. This is all to say: go go easy on the alcohol to improve your immunity.
Processed foods often contain unhealthy fats, sugars and additives designed to improve taste, texture (mouth feel) and shelf life; unfortunately, this combination of anti-nutrients has the undesirable effect of weakening the immune system.
Processed foods include almost anything in a bag, box or package that can sit on the shelf for an extended period of time without spoiling.
Typical offends include:
- Fast food – anything that can be served to you through a window or a drive through
- Microwave meals
- Cookies, cakes, crackers and breads
- Soda and sweetened beverages
- Chips, crisps and salty/sweet snacks
- Processed meats, including bacon, hot dogs, salami, deli meats, sausage and ham
What you eat matters; in the case of immune function, it matters a LOT. By making better food choices, you can give your immune system the support it needs to keep you healthy and fight off any invaders that you may encounter as you enjoy your life.
Ili mfumo wetu wa kinga ufanye kazi vizuri zaidi, ni lazima tuwape msaada wanaohitaji. Chakula kinaweza kuwa na athari kubwa kwa afya ya kinga yetu, na vyakula kadhaa vimeonyeshwa kwa urahisi kupunguza uwezo wa mfumo wetu wa kinga kupambana na maambukizi. Utafiti umethibitisha kuwa chakula kina jukumu muhimu katika afya ya mfumo wetu wa kinga. Katika makala yetu ya mwezi uliopita, tulizungumzia vyakula vingi ambavyo vimethibitishwa kuboresha mfumo wetu wa kinga, na kutusaidia kuepuka maambukizo. Kwa upande mwingine, vyakula fulani vimeonyeshwa kudhoofisha mfumo wa kinga ya mtu, na hivyo kumfanya awe na uwezekano mkubwa wa kuambukizwa na kupunguza mwendo wa uponyaji. "Kila kitu kwa kiasi ni msemo unaosikia mara nyingi wakati mtu anataka kuhalalisha kula kitu ambacho anajua si cha afya, lakini anataka kula hata hivyo. """ Na mara nyingi, kula kitu wakati mwingine - hebu tuseme kwenye sherehe ya siku ya kuzaliwa au sherehe nyingine ya kila mwaka - ambayo si ya afya lakini hutoa hisia kubwa ya raha au kuridhika - kama kipande cha keki ya jibini au bakuli la aiskrimu - labda haifanyi madhara yoyote ya muda mrefu. Hata hivyo, kuna vyakula fulani (au viungo vya vyakula), ambavyo vimeonyeshwa kwa ukawaida kudhoofisha utendaji wa kinga. Matokeo ya dawa hii yanaweza kuendelea kwa masaa kadhaa hadi siku chache baada ya matumizi, bila kujali ni mara ngapi unakula. Kwa kawaida, mara nyingi unapoila, athari juu ya mfumo wa kinga ni kubwa, ambayo inaweza kupunguza uwezo wa mwili wako kupambana na maambukizi kwa muda. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, utafiti umeonyesha mara kwa mara kwamba vyakula vyenye sukari nyingi - iwe ni sukari, glukosi, sukari ya mahindi yenye fructose ya juu, sukari ya miwa ya kikaboni au sukari ya beet au chanzo kingine chochote - mara kwa mara na kwa kurudia huathiri utendaji wa kinga, na athari hii inaweza kudumu kutoka saa hadi siku baada ya matumizi.""" Kula vyakula vyenye sukari nyingi (au wanga rahisi) mara nyingi sana, na utaongeza sana hatari yako ya maambukizi. Vyakula vyenye sukari nyingi au wanga rahisi ni pamoja na: - Soda, juisi za matunda na vinywaji vya nishati - Peremende, chokoleti na peremende - Keki na biskuti - Bidhaa zilizokaangwa, pamoja na muffins, mikate na keki - Chakula cha kiamsha kinywa na baa - Bidhaa za maziwa zenye sukari na ladha, pamoja na aiskrimu, yoghurt yenye sukari na maziwa ya chokoleti - Vinywaji vingi vya pombe vina mchanganyiko mbaya sana wa viungo vya kuzuia kinga kwa sababu mara nyingi zina sukari. Kwa kuongezea, pombe ina kalori zaidi (7 kcal kwa gramu) kuliko wanga au protini (4 kcal kwa gramu), na karibu hakuna vitamini na madini ya manufaa kusaidia kutumia vizuri kalori hizo. Hilo huondoa virutubisho hivyo muhimu mwilini, na hivyo kufanya kazi ya kinga iwe ngumu zaidi. Uwe mnyoofu <unk> ni lini mara ya mwisho ulipopata saladi au mboga zilizokaangwa baada ya kunywa vinywaji vichache? "Ni uwezekano mkubwa zaidi kwamba utapata baadhi ya vyakula vyenye ladha na vyenye ladha, ambavyo kwa kawaida huitwa ""vyakula vya faraja"" na kwamba utakula zaidi kuliko kawaida, kwani pombe huchochea hamu ya kula na kupunguza uwezo wako wa kutambua wakati umekula vya kutosha." "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Kuwa na kiasi kidogo cha pombe ili kuboresha kinga yako.""" Chakula cha kusindika mara nyingi kina mafuta yasiyo na afya, sukari na nyongeza iliyoundwa kuboresha ladha, muundo (hisia ya mdomo) na maisha ya rafu; kwa bahati mbaya, mchanganyiko huu wa anti-nutrients una athari isiyofaa ya kudhoofisha mfumo wa kinga. Chakula kilichotengenezwa ni karibu kila kitu katika mfuko, sanduku au kifurushi ambacho kinaweza kukaa kwenye rafu kwa muda mrefu bila kuharibika. "Kila kitu kinachotumiwa katika chakula cha haraka, chakula cha haraka, chakula cha microwave, biskuti, keki, biskuti na mikate, soda na vinywaji vyenye sukari, chips, chips na vitafunio vyenye chumvi, vyakula vya nyama, pamoja na bacon, hot dogs, salami, deli, sausage na ham, ""alisema." Kwa kufanya uchaguzi bora wa chakula, unaweza kutoa mfumo wako wa kinga msaada unaohitaji ili kukuweka na afya na kupambana na wavamizi wowote ambao unaweza kukutana nao wakati unafurahia maisha yako.