HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

 

I propose you take 5 steps to improve your health, to strengthen your immune system, putting them into practice is much easier than it seems, adapt them to your daily life, you may not be able to do them all at once, start with what is easiest for you.

 

1. Try to reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates in your diet and increase MACs (Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates).

When I talk about a low-carb diet, known in English as “low carb”, I am not talking about a diet without carbohydrates, I am talking about a diet or nutritional plan in which carbohydrates are not the protagonists and in which those that are consumed come from plant foods, vegetables, fruits, vegetables and some cereals and pseudocereals.

We usually talk about macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats), but this can be confusing because the concept of “low carbohydrates” or “low carb” is often misunderstood.

It involves avoiding refined carbohydrates as much as possible, which do not add nutritional value to the diet, refined flours, sugars, the abuse of pasta and rice, pastries, cookies, etc., and increasing the consumption of MACs.

 

Avoid processed and ultra-processed products, consume foods as they come from nature.

 

What are MACs? MACs are carbohydrates accessible to the microbiota. To help you understand better, it is the fiber portion of foods that intestinal microbes can metabolize.

When we talk about fiber, we refer to the indigestible part of food, but it has been shown that part of that fiber can be metabolized by our microbiota, those are the MACs, and they do not only come from plants, they are also in other foods, for example in some animal tissues.

If you consume a wide variety of products of plant origin, and if possible, from different sources, your microbiota will be more varied.

And why so much emphasis on the microbiota? Because it has been seen that a healthy microbiota (the more diverse, the better) reduces chronic inflammation, promotes metabolic balance and prevents dysbiosis, the origin of many other diseases.

But exactly, where are the MACs? In which foods? Mainly in plant-based foods.

Legumes, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, etc.

Fermented vegetables are an excellent source of MACs, prepare them at home, it is really easy to ferment your own vegetables, you can consult this post if you want to learn how to do it.

Keep one thing in mind, all MACs are fiber, but not all fiber in foods is MACs.

 

MACs are fiber, but not all fiber is MACs

 

So the question is: Which fiber is NOT a carbohydrate accessible to the microbiota? Cellulose! Hemicellulose and lignin are not fermentable either; they are fibers that are not digestible or fermentable by the microbiota.

And which part of the fiber IS? Well, pectins, mucilages, resistant starch, beta-glucans, fructans, inulin, and galactoolisacharides.

 

 

2. Try to reduce the number of meals you eat per day, 3 is a good start, and also try to delay the first one.

In addition to reducing the number of times you eat per day, you can improve it by closing the eating window between 8 and 12 hours.

By doing this, you automatically delay the first meal of the day, it should always be at least 30 minutes later after waking up.

If possible, don’t eat breakfast as soon as you get up, delay that moment for at least 30 minutes, if it can be later, even better.

A good way to achieve this is by having the first meal of the day in the mid-morning.

This simple gesture improves acidity in many cases, but also reduces insulin resistance and, ultimately, will make your metabolism much more efficient.

Hyperinsulinemia (high insulin) produces brain resistance to leptin (a hormone responsible for sending satiety signals).

 

Consuming enough protein and avoiding eating every 2 hours will help you strengthen your immune system

 

To put it one way, the brain believes thatnot enough energy is being stored, the feeling of hunger continues and generates a feeling of laziness to avoid energy expenditure.

This is easy to achieve, it is about eating satiating foods at the main meals, to achieve this, distribute the proteins evenly between them.

If you need to eat three times, try to take the same amount of protein in each one, and if you eat twice, the same.

During fasting hours, do not forget to hydrate with water, infusions and if you like, also drink black coffee, it is a good option when you get up.

 

 

 

3. Exercise regularly (20-30 min HIIT* per day) and increase your NEAT.

Between 20 and 30 minutes of HIIT per day is enough, and if you also increase your NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis), even better.

NEAT is all the exercise or movement you do throughout the day that is not part of a scheduled routine: climbing stairs, walking, lifting weights, gesturing, etc.

And if you combine strength exercises (anaerobic exercise) with aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling, etc.) in your scheduled exercise routines, you will make your metabolism more efficient and rest assured that your insulin resistance will decrease.

 

 

To strengthen your immune system it is important to exercise regularly and sunbathe every day

 

4. Get some sun every day, you need to synthesize vitamin D!

Obviously you should include foods that provide vitamin D in your diet, but that is not enough for your body to get all it needs.

Vitamin D strengthens your immune system and is essential in many vital processes, to ensure you synthesize it correctly, get some sun every day, 30 minutes a day is a good option, and if it is in the afternoon, even better.

It is interesting to keep in mind that in winter, to avoid circadian disruption, it is advisable to keep the light in the home until 9 p.m., avoid exercising in the afternoon-evening and go at least 2 hours without eating before going to sleep.

 

 

5. It is important to avoid chronic stress and get a good night’s rest.

Long-term stress and lack of sleep increase cortisol and decrease leptin.

Elevated cortisol increases the desire to eat, especially foods rich in sugars and fats, which contribute to increasing visceral fat.

Getting the necessary hours of sleep in line with the hours of darkness is vitally important.

In this section we can include the need to have healthy social relationships with people who contribute to you and avoid those who subtract, reduce the hours we spend on social networks and stop watching so much TV, instead spend your time watching movies, reading, listening to music.

Go step by step, internalize each of these points, think about how you do now and what you can improve, don’t be in a hurry, but don’t neglect yourself.

Take these steps It will involve improving some aspects of your health, strengthening your immune system and making you stronger against external aggressions.

 

*All these recommendations do not constitute medical advice, I am a Dietetics Technician and a Nutrition Degree student. My current areas of expertise include developing personalized dietary plans, nutritional education, and disseminating them.

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