Immunity, it is a real “buzz” word at the moment! We are hearing about our immune system all the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are all currently experiencing.

You might be surprised to know that we have approximately 38 trillion microbes living out their lives within your gut – foraging for food, jostling with each other for survival and reproducing. This is your microbiome, the ecosystem of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that work synergistically with your body to keep you healthy.

Your gut-microbiome is Intimately linked to our own health, in particular to our digestion and immune function. Stress, illness, anti-biotics & poor diet choices can significantly reduce the amount of ‘good guys’ and allow the ‘bad guys’ to thrive! Studies prove that an imbalance like this can drastically reduce your capacity to fight pathogens, which as we know can lead to colds, flu and other viral infections, like the one we are facing now.

Fortunately, there are positive choices we can all  make to restore and maintain a good microbial balance in our gut, which leads to improved immunity. So, here are my 5 top tips on improving our gut immunity.

We have to really support our immunity, so my 1st tip is probiotics. Lets talk about probiotics, now as a naturopath, I must note that ‘not all probiotics are created equal’ due to the certain manufacturing processes, the quality of ingredients and even the particular strains used. Choosing the correct strain is also vital as there is no one probiotic that will address everything. Did you also know that some foods are probiotic? Fermented vegetables, yoghurts, kombucha, kefir, the list goes on…

My number 2 tip…Reducing Stress! With our current situation in particular, stop watching so much media! Now, I’m talking about both social & news programs, it’s just not healthy for us to be bombarded with so much information. I suggest allowing only 1 hour per 24 hours to watch the news or being on social sites. Now, I know this is a big ask for a lot of people, but if you get busy with other things, the benefits will be immense! Practice meditation more, exercise more, did you know that negative states of mind & stress creates 50% less antibodies! So, the perfect suggestion, my number 3 tip…

SUNSHINE! Yes, get out in the sun for a good 10-20 minutes per day. I’m definitely not apposed to our sensible sun-protection, what I am talking about is making sure you are getting a good dose of vitamin D each day. The sclera of our eyes (the white part)  has the most absorption abilities, so no sunglasses for this short time.  Much research has been completed on vitamin D,  and it’s well  known about the effects on our immune responses and cell immunity. Supplementation may be beneficial here too, did you know that adding a sprinkle of cod liver oil to your vegetables each day will also give you a nice dose? Now that I’ve mentioned vitamin D, I’ll move onto my number 4 tip…Nutrition

Nutrition is always right up the top of my list, why? Because food is medicine!!! Now, I am not going to go into diet fads here, but I am going to say this. Giving your body a range of fresh food, loads of vegetables (think a rainbow of colours on your plate), a couple of serves of fruit, and good quality proteins (plant or animal-organic if you can!), wholegrains (nuts & seeds), with good quality fat (olive oil, or omega blends) is the fuel human bodies thrive on! Reducing, or even better removing processed foods which are filled with nasties is obviously always a better decision. Making sure we all get a big dose of vitamins & minerals from our diet is essential.

My number 5 top tip…you guessed it! SLEEP!!! Most of the work of our immunity is actually done while we are sleeping. Aim for 7 or more hours per night. Some people do find it hard to fall asleep, others find it hard to stay asleep. Reducing artificial lights about two hours before retiring to bed is going to produce more melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates our sleep/wake cycles, but it is also supportive of our immune system by having anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory actions. There are loads of App’s too that can help, if your concerned about the lighting levels (lux levels), aim for under 100 lux by using the lux app. Now, if your mind is racing, worrying or just filled with chatter, then you know I am going to suggest meditation! But, at night try keeping a book & pen beside you to jot down your thoughts, getting them out of your head actually allows you to look at those things the next morning.

So, there you have it, my 5 top tips to help support our immunity. This list could run for much, much longer but I’m sure you have lots of things to do, and I’m very pleased if you made it this far. Stay strong, stay positive, and as always don’t hesitate to reach out if you need more help with any aspect of your health & well-being.