Simple Ways to Support Your Immune System
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Todd Pesek, MD.
I get it. You want relief.
Maybe it’s more energy. Maybe you feel unwell or have a major illness. Or maybe you want to delay the slow-down that can come with aging. If you have bothersome symptoms to address, I see you and I am here to help.
My first and biggest piece of advice is to give your immune system some extra love. Your immune system is your first line of defense against anything trying to attack you on the inside and out. Externally, it combats foreign invaders like parasites, bacteria, and viruses, but it also must function properly on the inside to avoid harming you.
An improperly functioning immune system can create autoimmune diseases and contribute to long-term health problems like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. If your immune system is underperforming, you might notice frequent colds and flu infections.
How You Can Support Your Immune System
When it comes to your immune system, you have a very simple but important job: support it with what it needs to thrive.
Since much of your immune system resides in the gut, digestive health and a balanced microbiome are essential. A whole food-based diet rich in nutrients is your baseline. Gradually increase your intake of leafy greens, rainbow-colored fruits and veggies, and functional foods like fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, fermented cashew and almond-based “cheese” spreads), fresh herbs, a variety of spices, and mushrooms.
Your immune system also requires key nutrients (vitamin D, iodine, zinc, vitamin C, and quercetin) and the support of two critical glands—the thyroid and adrenal glands—which provide cellular energy to protect against disease. These nutrients should come from both a proper diet and high-quality supplements. Even if you eat well, supplementation is still necessary. Why? In today’s world, your immune system and overall health are compromised like never before due to stress, nutrient-depleted soils, non-optimal farming practices, and excessive environmental toxins. The world we live in is very different from that of our ancestors, or even just a generation ago.
Keep in mind, you can never “supplement” your way out of a poor diet—they work together to create the best version of you.
Best Supplements to Support Immune Health
Vitamin D
When it comes to prioritizing supplementation for immune health, vitamin D is the superstar. Vitamin D is a hormone that plays a crucial role in overall health. It helps balance your immune system by protecting your cells from chronic inflammation and assists it with the fighting off invaders like cold and flu viruses. Beyond immune support, it also contributes to bone strength, memory, cognition, and sleep. Additionally, vitamin D has been linked to the prevention of various cancers, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis.
You can obtain vitamin D from sun exposure and food sources like mushrooms, but whole food supplementation is quite helpful. It’s recommended to take 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 orally per day, adjusted based on your lab results. However, this is a maintenance dose and is only sufficient once optimal levels have been achieved. If your vitamin D levels are very low, you’ll need to do more to catch up*.
Since this information isn’t common knowledge, opinions vary on what constitutes an “optimal” level. I recommend that your 25-OH-D level (the measure of vitamin D in your blood) be no less than 60 ng/ml, with an ideal range of 80-100 ng/ml. You can get your levels checked at Heinen’s Personalized Nutrition Center and then take the necessary steps to reach your optimal levels.
*Please consult your healthcare provider or Heinen’s Personalized Nutrition Center before starting a vitamin D supplement.
Iodine
It’s fair to say that every cell in your body is driven by your thyroid gland; its hormones play a major role in the body’s metabolism, growth, and development. Your thyroid gland is named after the Greek word thyreoiedes, meaning “shield-shaped.” Think of your thyroid as your body’s life shield, protecting you from stressors and ensuring your immune system functions properly.
Although the thyroid is part of your endocrine system, it’s crucial to include it in this discussion because it plays a key role in immune modulation. Iodine is the next basic supplement required for immune health because it fuels your thyroid—the gland uses iodine to produce thyroid hormones.
For food sources, try seaweed varieties like kelp, nori, kombu, and wakame. Nori, the dried seaweed often used to wrap sushi rolls, is available in Heinen’s International Foods Aisle and makes a tasty sandwich wrap!
Like vitamin D, iodine is difficult to obtain without supplementation. At a minimum, ensure your whole food-based multivitamin contains iodine, as well as zinc and vitamin B12.
Every incremental step you take can improve your immune health. Consider starting with a foundation of supplemental vitamin D3 and a whole food-based multivitamin (with iodine, zinc and vitamin B12) combined with a whole food-based eating plan rich in Mother Nature’s bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits.
*Please consult your healthcare provider or Heinen’s Personalized Nutrition Center before starting an iodine supplement.
Beyond the Basic Supplements
Want to do better than basic? If you’ve been following along with our good, better, best supplement strategy for optimal immune health, I also recommend taking additional supplementation for key nutrients including zinc, vitamin C, and quercetin (a flavonoid in many veggies and fruits and in particular alliums or onions).
Your immune system can support you through anything if you give it this kind of fuel. Here’s to your health!
*Please consult your healthcare provider or Heinen’s Personalized Nutrition Center before starting a new supplement.
To learn more about a healthy immune system, check out my book Eat Yourself Super, consult the Certified Wellness Consultant at your local Heinen’s, or attend one of my free wellness events.
