Top Supplements to Prime Your Immune System

Supplements

Apr 8

Blogpost image credit: https://www.kratomiq.com/

In my last few blog posts we’ve talked a lot about different things you can do to have a healthy immune system at a baseline to prevent sickness. But let’s pause a moment and briefly talk about things I avoid taking (or do not take in abundance) unless I feel like I’m getting sick, in which activating the immune system is necessary!

I take Vitamin C daily but reserve higher doses unless I feel ill! Larger doses of Vitamin C, while great for activating your immune system, can create some uncomfortable bowel issues. So I would reserve those doses for when the benefit outweighs the (messy) risk!! Additionally, I take my regular doses of mushroom extracts and Vitamin D but tend to double up when beginning to feel a little under the weather. I also avoid Elderberry and Echinachea unless getting sick! I want to be sure to reserve the supplements that activate my immune system for when I really need them to work!

So let’s switch gears back to priming your immune system since this really needs to be the focus right now! We all want to be sure our bodies are in tip top shape to not only keep up healthy but mount a response quickly in case we do fall ill.

You may think of fiber as a supplement or you might just think it’s something you get in food! It’s actually both! Did you know that 97% of American’s do not get enough fiber in their diets? This trickles down to affecting their gut health! And, as you may or may not recall from the last post, 70% of our immune system is in our gut! Getting adequate fiber in daily is important in supporting the health of our gut, and consequently our immune system!

Which foods are high in fiber?

My Favorite High-Fiber Fruits:

Apples
Bananas (the greener they are, the higher the fiber and the lower the sugar)
Mangos
Berries (especially Raspberries and Strawberries)

My Favorite High-Fiber Veggies:

Artichokes
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Collard greens

Pro-tip: Please skip the processed foods that claim that they are high in fiber because they are usually high in other things that are not so great for your gut, like sugar!

Supplements

If you cannot get adequate fiber in your food (and many people can’t)! Then think of supplementing! This is what I do!

My Favorite Fiber Supplements

Chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Flaxseeds
GBX Seed Fiber (my go-to supplement)

Supporting a Healthy Gut & Immune System

If you want to support a healthy gut and immune system, please try to cut out processed food, which contains that pesky added sugar, as much as possible! What does this mean? Eliminate as much packaged foods as you can from your pantry. Even a little less can go a long way! Sugar (and salt) enhance the taste, texture and shelf life of most packaged, canned and jarred foods. My recommendation is to look at the label before you buy. Believe me, there are so many foods out there that will surprise you with the amount of sugar that they contain!

Alpha and Beta Glucans (from mushroom and yeast extracts) directly support the immune system, as well as gut health! These are key to priming the immune system in case there is an attack! I take both in a supplement form.

It’s super important to have a well balanced gut microbiome to maintain a healthy immune system! This means it’s important to have a healthy balance of good gut bacteria and not so good gut bacteria. Taking Probiotics is very important in colonizing the gut with the good guys.

You can take this in the form of a supplement (I take 2 different kinds) or you can take it in the form of food or both! I choose to do both!

My favorite Probiotic-Rich Foods

These are great food options (some rich in fiber too,) that I eat as well as taking my daily probiotic supplements.

Sauerkraut
Coconut Yogurt (I make my own so there is no added sugar)
Kombucha (just watch for added sugars)
Kefir
Kimchi
Miso
Asparagus
Bananas
Garlic

Phytobiotics

Phytobiotics not only nurture the good bacteria but also make the gut environment more favorable for the good guys and not so favorable for the bad guys! I get these in my food as well additional amounts in my gut healthy supplements!

My Favorite Food Sources of Phytobiotics

Apples
Berries
Grapes!

Other Supplements

Let's not forgot about the importance of Vitamin D and Vitamin C! Both are very important in supporting and priming your immune system. As I told you above, I take my usual dose daily in supplement form and increase the amount of both when I need to activate my immune system when starting to feel sick.

Honestly, I can go on and on about this topic of immune system priming! But I think this is a snapshot of some basic things that you can do today to make sure your immune system is primed and ready to go in case you need it to kick into high gear!

Stay safe and healthy, my friends!