Holiday Stress May Hurt Immunity

If you find that you have a tendency to get sick during the holiday season, it's not surprising. The stress of holiday preparations, shopping and guests, combined with end-of-the-year work-related stress and the change in the seasons, all work against your immune system. While stress is one of the problems hurting the immune system during the holidays, holiday food may be the biggest issue.

Good nutrition is one of the best ways to support your immune system. During to the holidays, many people stop watching their diet and eat more unhealthy foods. To help you through the holiday season (and the rest of the year) we have some simple tips to help you stay healthy.

1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which naturally support the immune system. Recent research on several vitamins and zinc has found a connection between zinc deficiency and illness. If you missed our article on zinc and pneumonia, you can read it here.
2. Get enough lean protein. Protein should make up about 15% of the caloric value of the diet during the cold season. A good rule of thumb is to consume at least 1 gram of protein for each 3 pounds of body weight (for example, a 150-pound person should consume at least 50 grams of protein daily.) Protein is necessary for the white blood cells to manufacture antibodies, the "first responders" in the body's fight against antigens (allergens, bacteria, and viruses). Look to beans, lentils, soy products, eggs (especially egg whites), poultry (without the skin) and fish for low-fat sources of protein.
3. Avoid unhealthy fats. While that's always good advice, it's especially important during the cold season. Saturated fats are sources of chronic inflammation and they suppress T cells, a type of white blood cells. Limit total fat intake to less than 30% of your caloric intake. Limit saturated fats to less than 5-10% of your dietary caloric intake.
4. Be sure to get omega-3s. There's a reason omega-3s are always in the news, they seem to be good for just about everything. In the case of immune support, omega-3s reduce chronic inflammation. The immune system can use less of its resources fighting chronic inflammation, and instead fight harmful pathogens.
5. Reduce stress. While it's easier said than done, remember to make time to relax and reduce your stress level. Try some light exercise, breathing exercises, yoga or simply take 10 minutes to stretch your muscles before bedtime.
6. Get enough sleep. We can't say enough about the importance of sleep. A recent British study that followed 10,000 government employees' sleep patterns for 17 years, found that people who reduced their sleep from 7 hours nightly to 5 or fewer hours, nearly doubled their risk of an adverse cardiac event. Interesting, too much sleep (more than 9 hours a night) led to other health problems. Current research indicates that 7 to 8 hours is the ideal amount for adults. Remember, your body does its repair work while you sleep.
7. Incorporate probiotics into your diet. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract, creating a buffer between the intestine and any food or harmful bacteria you ingest. The presence of "good" bacteria makes it harder for the harmful bacteria to adhere to the intestine, forcing them to pass through your system without causing illness. Probiotics may also increase the body's production of immune cells. Probiotics are found in some foods like yogurt and kefir as well as in supplement form.
8. Practice good oral hygiene. That may sound silly, but at least one study has found that 90% of the immune system's resources can go to fighting plaque and bacteria in your mouth. So remember to floss and brush at least twice a day so your immune system is not overtaxed by this work.
9. Avoid overeating. Overeating may suppress the immune system, and excess body weight taxes the heart and may increase chronic inflammation.

Finally, consider taking a multivitamin and an immune-boosting supplement like our Immune Support with EpiCor, echinacea and goldenseal products, OptiZinc®, cranberry extract or reishi mushroom extract.