The Best Defense...

It’s time for another post regarding the all important immune system. I know I already had a post regarding sickness and the immune system, but it’s that time of the year that everyone is really worried about catching something. I’m going to go into more detail and depth in this post and tell you what to do to improve your immune system and what to avoid doing that would weaken it. This post will be rather extensive so I will divide it into two parts. The first post will be the “do not eat” and the second post will be the “do eat.”

There is an update on my new and ongoing vegan diet. I told you that I would be including chicken in my diet but I’ve changed my mind since then. I’m doing a 100% full, authentic vegan diet now. It’s only been a little over a week and I feel like my brain functionality and focus has increased significantly. I also feel immediately wakeful first thing in the morning. I already had a low body fat percentage due to a very healthy and strict diet, but I’ve noticed that my mid section is beginning to shed what little fat was left. I’m going to have a overall health and fitness screening at some point next month. I’ll have more precise details when I get the test. Many people have asked me what prompted this change in diet. I watched a lecture regarding animal products online. If you’re interested I’m providing the link here.

http://buellerskitchen.com/?p=1228

Enough about me and my midsection. What seems to be the number one enemy of the immune system in the American diet? Let’s go ahead and look at the culprits.

1. Sugar. Sugar comes in all different forms. You can call it refined sugar, raw, fruit sugar, honey, or high fructose corn syrup, but no matter what kind you eat it will raise your body’s level of insulin production. When white blood cells are exposed to high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, they have a decreased ability to engulf bacteria and have weakened resistance to all infections. Ideally, you should have about 1 teaspoon of sugar in your bloodstream. There are plenty of sugary drinks and foods that will shoot your sugar level high above the healthy limit. You will pass this limit even if you have a healthy lifestyle, but eating pure sugar and refined carbs will cause your levels to rise almost immediately. If you factor in the weakened white blood cells and the overstressing of the pancreas while producing insulin I think sugar is one of the most dangerous substances to be eating while sick or ever.

2. Excessive amounts of caffeine. Caffeine places stress on the adrenal glands (usually stressed already from a busy lifestyle) and adversely affects the nervous system, resulting in anxiety, hyperactivity, and potentially, insomnia.

No matter how much you may love caffeine or insist that you need it to function, you cannot deny that it deprives the body of a relaxed state. If your body is constantly expelling energy and cannot relax it will severely affect your ability to heal.

3. Alcohol. I probably don’t need to tell anyone that you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol if you’re concerned about your health, but I’ll cover it a little. A lot of people think alcohol makes them energetic, but the drug is considered a depressant. True to its name, it depresses the immune system, inhibits the bone marrow’s ability to create blood cells, is toxic to your liver, depletes B-vitamins, and dehydrates the body. If you’re fighting an illness this is a huge no. I don’t recommend consuming alcohol at any point in your life. Many people say you should drink wine for the antioxidants. You can get just as many antioxidants from grape juice and remove the danger of alcohol.

4. Raw Meat. Raw meat is another food that seems obviously dangerous. The FDA does allow companies to sell raw clams, oysters, and sushi. This does not mean they are safe to ingest. They’re not going to kill you if you eat them a couple times a year. They will however hurt your immune system. Raw meat products contain so many bacteria and potentially parasites that wouldn’t normally affect a healthy immune system, but can significantly hurt an already ailing body.

5. Rancid fats and oils. Most oils will turn rancid when they are exposed to high temperatures. These rancid oils are a train wreck waiting to happen. The oils create free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that can cause chain reactions of chemical disruption. This will cause injuries to cell membranes, enzymes, and potentially DNA.

The best example of rancid oils are those found in fried foods. The oil used to fry food is heated to very high temperatures to ensure fast and thorough cooking. In many cases the oils is used again which makes the oxidation even worse.

I know people love to indulge in the foods that I’ve listed. If they didn’t there wouldn’t be such a problem with health in this country. I understand that these foods aren’t going to kill you in the short term. Over long amounts of time they will shorten your lifespan and make you susceptible to many illnesses over your lifetime. The least you can do is cut out these foods when you are sick or think you may soon become sick. If you are not willing to permanently cut out these foods at least limit them throughout the year.