Your Digestion and Your Immunity!

Our immune systems are complex. There are specialized white blood cells designed to eat away at foreign invaders, others to mount an inflammation response, some to tag problematic cells, and the list goes on. They all work in concert with one another to keep us safe. But the key aspect of our immunity that many people seem to forget is that it starts in the digestive tract.

Our digestive tracts are the first line of defense against bacteria, viruses, parasites, metals, and everything else trying to sneak its way into our bodies. So, maintaining a healthy digestive tract is a great way to ensure a healthy immune system.

Immune cells are made up of protein. Including a variety of proteins in your diet is a great start to ensure you have the building blocks for a healthy immune system this fall (and into winter). From a Chinese Medicine perspective, enjoying warm, cooked foods in the winter is especially nourishing and it helps you to build Yin. Bone broth or homemade chicken soup (cooked with bones in) gives you healthy proteins and veggies, keeps you hydrated in the winter months, AND is a warm, cooked food, thereby giving your body the added Yin bonus.

Probiotics and fermented foods are another way to support your digestion and immunity. Healthy gut flora helps to break down your food (again allowing you to absorb proteins, vitamins, and minerals) and is the first line of defense when you encounter a bacteria or virus. Probiotics help identify potential threats and eliminate them without having to mount a more significant immune response, such as a fever.

So after Thanksgiving, save those turkey bones and make yourself some broth – your immune system will thank you for it!

– Dr. Chanel Cressman, ND