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How To Protect Your Health With Food by Janet Lynas, Ph.D., N.H.D.

Allopathy medicine tells us that we need pills and injections to protect our health. Natural Health practitioners tells us that food builds our immunity. Then, we’re told that the soil is depleted and our food supply is inadequate. However, if the soil is lacking, how do plants manage to grow? Is your head spinning yet? I know mine is!

What can I do?

One would think that I would encourage you to take a couple of handfuls of vitamins and minerals. That’s not the case. But, I do recommend certain steps to take to strengthen one’s immune system. I hear you asking me, “What do I need to do to boost my immune system?”

Immune System support is a broad based approach consisting of essential vitamins and minerals to support and boost your immune system. This combination helps create the ideal environment for optimal immune function.

Therefore, a common sense approach is recommended. (Yes, I know, what’s common sense?)

  • First, eat a well-rounded diet.
  • Then, exercise regularly. Walk your way to health.
  • In addition, get enough sleep. Sleep is important!
  • Remember, wash your hands with soap and water.
  • Reduce your stress. For instance, stop being plugged into the news media!
Strengthen your immune system naturally

The natural way to boost your body’s defenses is to eat a variety of vegetables daily. After that, look at the type of foods you eat. Similarly, shop the edges of the grocery store where the fresh food is. Remember, eat the rainbow!

Consume vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, collard greens, and spinach. These foods are a great source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber. Fruits such as blueberries, bananas , and mangoes are good sources of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Citrus foods high in vitamin C include grapefruit. oranges. tangerines. lemons, and limes.

Supplements

While the list of supplements can be long, I will discuss the basic supplement supporters. Seek out a good multivitamin geared for your gender and age. Research the different brands on the market.

Having said this, let’s look at a few boosters. Take a probiotic to keep your gut in shape. A healthy gut equals a healthy body.

Therefore, vitamin C has been found to boost the natural resistance of the body, improve gum health and alleviate dry mouth. Consuming vitamin C tablets also helps in treating allergies such as hay fever, asthma and eczema. This supplement can lessen the effects of sun exposure such as redness or sunburn.

Vitamin E can stop oxidative stress and repair free radicals to help strengthen the immune response.

B vitamins play an important role in cell metabolism. Vitamin B Complex consist of (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12). Make sure your B complex includes all of these B vitamins.  Vitamin B6 is known as a catalyst for multiple biochemicals reactions that take place in the immune system. However, taking vitamin B12 helps you produce DNA and red blood cells. It encourages healthy nerve function. It’s found naturally only in animal sources. Which means people who don’t eat meat or dairy products can have trouble reaching the daily recommended 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12. B6 helps to improve immune markers such as T lymphocytes and neutrophils.

Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin found in food and supplements. Vitamin D is one of the best vitamins for immune system health. The D vitamin helps in reducing inflammation, fights bacteria and viruses and regulate differentiation, cell proliferation, and cell death.

Wrapping It Up

Eat your fruits and veggies! Take a good multivitamin containing the ones listed above. Get enough sleep! In addition to these recommendations, breathe deeply to circulate the oxygen in your body. Move! Any form of exercise is good.

Most importantly, relax, stop watching the drama on the news! Above all, enjoy life! Life is too short for worry. Know you are in charge of your health! In other words, trust yourself, you’ve got this! You have the knowledge to maintain your health! Now, you have the tools, use them!

Eat healthy and live well!

 

 

 

Boost Your Immune System Naturally! by Janet Lynas, Ph.D., N.H.D.

I never get sick! So, my immune system must be healthy so I don’t need to think about boosting it. I’m good to go!

Are you sure about that? Are you telling me people who have allergies have a poor immune system?

The Immune System

Bet you didn’t know we have three immune systems! Yes, indeed we do.

  • Innate immunity: Everyone is born with an innate (or natural) immunity, a type of general protection. Without this general protection, most of us would die shortly after birth. The moment you’re born, you have entered the minefield of bacteria, both good and bad.
  • Adaptive immunity: Adaptive (or active) immunity develops throughout our lives. Through exposure to environmental pathogens, our body learns to recognize those germs that are harmful to us. Active immunity is the immunity which results from the production of antibodies by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen.
  • Passive immunity: Passive immunity is “borrowed” from another source and it lasts for a short time. What is passive immunity? Passive immunity is the short-term immunity which results from the introduction of antibodies from another person or animal.
Show and Tell

I’m not going to get technical in this article, but I will touch base on the basics. I like “show and tell”, so I will show you the basic immune cells. You can go in depth on how much you want to know about each cell.

Basic information includes:

  1. They destroy the disease-causing agents like microorganism’s, parasites, and the toxins related to them, thereby preventing infections from taking hold.
  2. Some of the cells work by neutralization of foreign material. They are the warriors or “exterminators”, our protectors.
  3. The function of other cells is to eat and destroy the disease-causing microbes. Who said cannibalism is wrong? At least in this case, it’s a good thing!
  4. However, a few of the cells help to keep a memory or blueprint of the previous attack. This is done so as to launch a quick attack in-case of another infection.

It’s amazing how the immune system works. I’ve just given you a thumbnail of information. Needless to say, our immune system is complex. The immune system protects your body from outside invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and the toxins or chemicals produced by these microbes. It’s made up of different organs, cells, and proteins that work together. Amazing isn’t it?

The cells from the parts of the immune system are made in various organs of the body. These organs include: Adenoids. Two glands located at the back of the nasal passage. Bone marrow. The soft, spongy tissue found in bone cavities. Lymph nodes. Are you impressed yet? Our body is very smart!

I will leave the basic lecture at this point because I don’t want to teach a class on the immune network in this article.

But wait! There is a little more!

The definition of active immunity is:

Active immunity involves the production of antibodies (by B lymphocytes) and cell-mediated response (with T lymphocytes). It provides relatively longer immunity (compared to passive immunity).

Active immunity is a scientific term used to describe the process through which a being, typically a human or an animal, builds up a specific resistance to a harmful invading substance.

Lastly, naturally acquired active immunity occurs when a person is exposed to a live pathogen. Then they may develop the disease. By having the disease one becomes immune as a result of the primary immune response. Once a microbe penetrates the body’s skin (our largest organ), mucous membranes, or other primary defenses, it interacts with the immune system. It’s exposed to the immune process which gives the body the upper hand.

Is there a disadvantage to active immunity?

Disadvantages of active immunity includes suffering from the disease, and the disease may be so severe that it may kill the individual. However, vaccines can kill as well. You have to weigh the facts before choosing what action you will take. (Read my earlier article on the flu vaccine.)
So, what do we do to support the immune system?

Go back to the basics! Chuck the junk foods! Not only does eating fast foods impair the body’s ability to protect itself, it also, destroys the workings of the body’s repair system.

Eat as much organic fruits and vegetables as possible. Limit the organic meat and grains. You’re heard me say in the past to “eat the rainbow”! It’s essential to eat a variety of foods. Foods rich in color have more nutrients than those with little color.

The best vitamins and minerals for a strong immune system include vitamins A, C, D and E, zinc, selenium, copper and iron . Research shows these nutrients have a great impact on the immune response. These nutrients are directly responsible for maintaining the health of various structures in the immune system and actively support  strengthening the body.

Furthermore, it’s important to get enough sleep, exercise (just move the body), breathe from the diaphragm to move the oxygen throughout the body, and don’t forget the healthy fats. As always, limit sugar! Many diseases are fed by sugar. Limit the food supply and the germ dies.

In addition to the above, stay hydrated not only with water, but with organic teas such as Green Tea or Turmeric Tea. Drinking fluids that will help support the body and nourish it are essential to keeping you healthy.

What else can we do?

 I’m glad you asked! Meditation along with breathing exercises will help you reduce stress. You know the difference between good stress and bad stress, so, reduce the bad stress. Prolonged stress weakens the body. Take a walk and breathe deeply to help reduce stress.

In addition to the recommendations above you may find that:

  • Research has shown Elderberry can reduce the symptoms of viral upper respiratory infections, but more research is needed.
  • You know that coneflower you think that’s so pretty? It’s called Echinacea. A study in over 700 people found that those who took echinacea recovered from colds slightly more quickly than those who received a placebo or no treatment, but some researchers feel the difference is insignificant. Recommendation in taking Echinacea is for six weeks. Start it just before the cold and flu season. Stop it when the season is ended.
  • Garlic. A 12-week study in 146 people found that supplementing with garlic reduced the incidence of the common cold by about 30%. However, please make sure you take the odorless supplement. Otherwise, you will run off more than the common cold!
  • A good general multivitamin is recommended routinely for building the body’s defense system and overall health.

Remember, what your mind dwells on is what you will manifest into your life. Positive thinking promotes health, whereas, pessimistic thinking undermines healthiness. It’s ok to have fun with your food! Take a lead from children, they know how to enjoy their meals!

As always, talk to your doctor before starting a new regime. 

 

 

 

Food for thought! by Janet Lynas, Ph.D., N.H.D.

Last night, I decided I wanted to have a creamy dessert. I opened the freezer door, reached in and grabbed a package. Opening the refrigerator door, I took out a container of almond milk. Dumping the contents of the package into my blender and adding the almond milk, I began to blend the creamy dessert.

Once blended, I poured the contents into a bowl and took my seat on the couch to enjoy my treat. Tasting the first spoonful of the ingredients, I realized it didn’t taste like blueberries! The bowl was a green concoction! What happened?!

When I reached into the freezer, I had grabbed a bag of kale instead of blueberries. Laughing out loud at my mistake, I sat back down and enjoyed my Kale smoothie.

Above all, the lesson to this story is, turn on the light in the kitchen before you snatch a bag out of the freezer. Then read the label before you deposit the contents into the blender. Most important of all, have a sense of humor, laugh at yourself when you mess up!

What is kale?

Kale is a leafy, dark green vegetable and at times may have some purple coloration. It is filled with nutrients and flavor. For instance, kale belongs to the same family as broccoli, collard greens, cabbage, and cauliflower. This group of vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals. To me, kale has a mild flavor, not pungent as some greens can be.

Benefits of kale

Kale is full of vitamins and minerals, including:

  • Vitamin A
  • B vitamins
  • Vitamin C
  • All important vitamin K for blood clotting

In addition, kale is rich in, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and phosphorus. It also supplies energy-supporting B vitamins, some plant-based omega-3 fatty acids and plant protein. It also has a good amount of fiber to help keep your bowel movements regular. Kale contains antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and may also help protect against cancer. Kale supports the immune system, heart and eye health.

For instance, kale’s rich contents aids in the health and reproduction of skin and brain cells. Kale is additional a potent source of antioxidants known to reduce inflammation, a trigger of premature aging and disease. One cup of kale is filled with 10% of the RDA recommendation of omega-3 fatty acids.

Our friend, kale furthermore, improves blood sugar, insulin and lipid levels in sufferers of type 2 diabetes.

List of the dirty dozen 2020 the downside of fruits and vegetables
  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Peaches
  8. Cherries
  9. Pears
  10. Tomatoes
  11. Celery
  12. Potatoes

I’m a strong advocate of eating organic as much as possible. Eating clean is a choice and can be expensive. However, by eliminating junk food such as cokes, candy, potato chips, and sugary desserts, as well as tobacco products, you will see that you have the money to make healthier choices.

In other words, make sure that you clean your food products well. Rinsing is not enough. There are organic food cleaners that you can buy at your local grocery store. Using food cleaning products helps to ensure that your food is cleaner and pesticides are eliminated or at the very least reduced.

Growing your own food organically is a great alternative to buying organic foods. Many neighborhoods are having community gardens. My neighborhood is considering doing just this very thing!

How to eat kale

I like to eat vegetarian pizza. Often times, I will through a handful of kale on my pizza for extra nutrients. As of last night, I now enjoy a kale smoothie. This smoothie consist of kale blended with a small amount of almond milk. Let’s look at some other ways to eat kale.

Adding kale to your diet is easy. Mix a cup of kale into your favorite soup recipe. By adding this power packed green to your soup, you have given the recipe a boost in nutrients.

If you want to snack on something crispy, roast fresh kale in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Each batch takes about 16-17 minutes to cook. Make as many batches as you want.

Prepare the kale by washing and rinsing the leaves to remove contaminates. Remove any thick/tough stems from the kale.

Next, place the kale on a cookie sheet spreading it out evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and add a touch of sea salt if you want the taste of salt.

Once baked for 16-17 minutes, take out of the oven and let the chips cool.

If you don’t want to take the time to make these chips from scratch, you can buy them pre-made.

Be brave! Add kale to all your favorite recipes! You will be pleasantly surprised!

     

    If you take blood-thinning medicine (such as anticoagulant or anti-platelet drugs), you may need to limit vitamin K foods. It’s well known, vitamin K can affect how these medicines work. Realize that vitamin K clots the blood.