Building Natural Immunity

The definition of health as officially defined by the World Health Organization is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  Natural immunity is the best way to prevent illness and achieve health.  There is really only one way to build natural immunity to life's diseases, whole foods.

We are definitely what we eat.  Looking at any segment of society, we see people who are overweight, out of breath and filled with disease.  We also see fast foods, heavy creams and foods packed with preservatives.  Refined sugars, processed foods, preservatives and trans-fatty acids cause many health problems, not just repressing the immune system.  Removing these foods is the first step to any healthy eating regime. 

Reducing the amounts of refined sugars in the diet will keep blood sugars lower and keeps insulin levels steady.  This will ward off the pre-diabetes condition known as insulin resistance.  Stopping insulin resistance will stop Type II Diabetes.  A diet high in refined sugars has been linked to obesity, Type II Diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Preservatives have been linked to various conditions, most especially childhood diseases like ADD.  Processed foods are loaded with preservatives and refined sugars.  Merely removing processed food from the diet will bring a positive change in health.

The best way to build natural immunity is eat more fruits and vegetables than anything else.  These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Some vegetables have more fiber per serving than any grain and soy has nearly as much protein as meat, without the fat.

The RDA for vegetables is 6 servings per day, and for fruits, 3 servings per day for most people.  Sadly, most Americans only get 1-2 servings per day of both combined.

Bar none, vegetables are what the body needs to be healthy.  Without a consistent intake of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables, out bodies cannot heal itself, build muscle, keep our hearts healthy or keep us looking young.  Strive for organic fruits and vegetable because they will have less pesticide residue. 

The quality of meats is also an issue to natural immunity.  Process meats have all of the negative of processed foods.  Whole cuts of meat like chicken breasts, steaks, and fish are often contaminated with growth hormones, antibiotics or environmental contaminants.  We still need quality protein, however.  It's best to get free-range or organic cuts of whole meats.  These have consistently been shown to be higher in vitamins and mineral and lower in saturated fats. 

A side note to good nutrition is healthy exercise.  Even with the healthiest diet, if the body is inactive, it will put on weight and become ill.  At a minimum, the body needs 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 times per week, more if possible.  This combination will help people to reach the true state of health.

Christina Major is the owner and holistic nutritionist of Crystal Holistic Health Consulting. Crystal HHC offers nutritional consulting for most health problems including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, weight loss and childhood obesity. Clients receive a full lifestyle interview and personalized nutritional education. Crystal HHC also offers educational seminars on a variety of nutritional topics including eating habits, portion control and most health problems and how eating right can make them better. Check us out at http://www.CrystalHolisticHealth.com!