Boosting Your Immune System by Restoring Gut Flora

What can you do to boost your immune system?

If you answered something like “eat oranges for vitamin C”, you’re on the right track – but you are still missing a big piece of the equation.

Yes, your diet is absolutely one of the best ways to boost your immunity, and eating foods rich in the right vitamins is a vital part of that.

But it’s important to take a look at the big picture, and there’s another vital factor at play here: your gut flora.

I know that gut talk can get kind of icky at times, but having a grasp of the basics can help you understand why restoring your gut flora can boost your immunity. Here’s what you need to know.

What is gut microbiota?

Although we can’t see them – thank goodness! – there are 100 trillion bacteria living inside our digestive system.  There are around 1,000 different species present and thousands of different strains.

Some are good and some are bad, and striking the right balance can have a big influence on your overall health.

Just how big?

Gut microbe activity can influence every single system in your body, from your digestion and immunity to brain health and inflammatory responses.

However, its influence on the immune system is particularly strong.

In fact, around 70 percent of the cells that contribute to your immune system are found in your gut.

This explains why a lot of diseases that don’t seem related to digestion can nevertheless be caused by gut problems. One good example of this is autism. Once thought to be largely mental, many parents are finding that improving their child’s diet alleviates symptoms.

Other conditions that can be caused by gut problems despite not having many digestive symptoms include cancer, dementia, autoimmune disorders like chronic fatigue, arthritis, allergies and even mood disorders.

That’s why experts say that if you’re looking to improve your health, the gut is a great place to start as improvements there can affect your whole body.

Of course, your immune health and overall health aren’t your gut’s only function. It also has to break down your food, absorb nutrients, and keep toxins away. And you thought you were busy!

That is precisely why you need to give your gut everything it needs to work properly.

The good and bad in your gut

Prebiotics and probiotics fall into the category of good gut flora. Prebiotics come from fiber and feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, while probiotics are health-enhancing live bacteria that are found in certain foods. Bad gut flora includes things like yeast and parasites.

Having excessive bad gut flora and/or not enough of the good types can be bad for your health and your weight.

In fact, studies have shown that people who have lower amounts of healthy bacteria have more body fat and tend to gain more weight in general.

Each person’s bacteria are unique, but healthy people tend to have certain combinations in common. Factors like your diet, age, genes, and environment all play a role in your own personal microbial mix. While you can’t change our age or genes, you do have a lot of control over your diet, so use that your advantage!

The gut health-immunity link is an area that scientists are growing more interested in as the power of gut bacteria to influence health becomes more apparent, but we already know several ways of restoring gut flora.

What can throw gut health off balance?

If you want to boost your immunity, you need to rebalance your gut bacteria. Thankfully, this is often just a matter of eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones.

Of course, some people may have serious imbalances that require more than dietary changes to address, but most people can note significant improvements in gut health – and overall health – simply by eating properly.

Here are 6 ways to improve gut health

1.      Eat a whole food, plant-based diet.

If you want to feed the good bacteria in your gut, give them the foods they love. Beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds are all excellent choices.

Some studies have even shown that eating a diet high in vegetables and fruits can stop certain disease-causing bacteria from growing!

Many types of produce are also prebiotics, which means they promote the growth of beneficial microbes within your gut.

2.      Get plenty of fiber

Although your body can’t really digest fiber, good gut bacteria can – and this helps them to grow.

In addition to beans, consider high-fiber whole foods like lentils, chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), broccoli, raspberries, and artichokes.

3.      Eat fermented foods

Many fermented foods are rich in a type of bacteria that’s good for your health known as lactobacilli. Foods like miso, sauerkraut, tempeh, kombucha and vegan kefir are all good choices.

4.      Seek variety

You might have your favorite go-to fruits and vegetables, but I can’t promise your gut will be in optimal health if you eat only apples and spinach every day, no matter how good for you they happen to be.

That’s because a diverse microbiome is considered healthiest. Microbiome diversity can decline as we age, so eat a wide range of plant foods to restore gut health. If it’s hard to get your hands on fresh produce, consider frozen varieties.

5.      Limit animal fats, animal proteins, sugar and processed food

If you don’t want bad bacteria to thrive, don’t feed them. Animal foods, sugar and anything processed are their meals of choice; stay away from these foods, and they’ll go hungry. Good riddance!

6.      Watch out for medications

Some medications can harm gut flora, especially antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and acid blockers. If you take any of these, find out if alternative treatments might help, especially natural ones.

If you must take antibiotics, consider taking probiotics at the same time to improve your digestive health.

If you want to keep your immune system in top shape, your diet is a powerful tool. Check out my free downloadable guide, Boosting Your Immune System Naturally, for more advice and some immune-boosting recipes that will please your good gut flora – not to mention your taste buds!

Remember, take good care of your gut, and your gut will help take care of you!