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Diet to boost the immune system??

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  • #95134
    humour
    Participant

    Has anyone tried a diet to strengthen the immune system which can have a direct positive effect in dealing with allergies and conditions like these where the immune system is involved?

    • This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by humour.
    • This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by humour.
    #95145
    viraj
    Participant

    The best and the easiest way is to take aloe vera juice and amla juice (Indian gooseberry) everyday. Take 20 ml of both twice a day before meal mixed with equal amount of water. Not only your immune system become strong, you will also get rid of all skin ailments, diabetes, bad cholesterol, asthma etc. It delays ageing and will give a glowing skin!

    #95147
    Inky
    Participant

    Hi humour,

    I’m of the belief that your health improves by what you don’t put in your body rather than what you do. I would eliminate sugars, grains, meat and dairy. Eat a vast quantity of fruits and vegetables. (Have an egg once in a while if you feel crazy). But see if that doesn’t do the trick! Pick up a Raw Vegan cookbook and play around with it. When I do that all my ailments go away or quiet down.

    Good Luck!

    Inky

    #95166
    TriangleSun
    Participant

    I’m not by any means a dietitian, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time around fitness trainers and have trained a couple of friends myself. I can tell you that having healthy metabolism should be the first step to healthy immune system. Metabolism plays vital role in cell activation which allows your immune system to react quickly and fight off pathogens. Metabolism can be boosted by good diet AND regular exercise.

    I would say absolutely eat meat. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this. Meat has been the staple of our diet since we were running around buck naked with a spear. The reason people shun away from meat these days (outside of ethical reasons) is because the growth hormones that are given to animals are often linked to cancer. However, if you a) don’t eat processed meat b) try to buy from local farmers c) cook it right (overcooked meat becomes carcinogenic) you’ll have yourself a healthy source of proteins and nutrients. Do some research on this. It’s quite easy.

    Here is the diet that i’d suggest. Note, you don’t have to eat the same thing every day. Substitute with whatever you’d like that falls into the same foods category:

    Breakfast – Egg whites omelette. I also add a dozen nuts afterwards. A cup of non-concentrated juice. Sometimes I make oatmeal instead of an omelette.
    Brunch – I either do a protein shake or eat a protein bar. If it’s a protein shake i’d typically grab some low-cal rice cakes (not zero cal – those are terrible!) Eat some fruits too!
    Lunch – Grilled chicken breast with broccoli, cilantro, cucumbers, tomatoes (pile on your veggies here). I also add brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes every once in a while.
    Post-lunch (2 hours after lunch) – peanut butter sandwich with some low-cal bread or some nuts. I also make another shake here or grab another protein bar. And fruits! Some kind of fruit with greek yogurt mix works great here too!
    Dinner – I make a turkey breast or cut up lean beef. Add asparagus and other veggies here.
    Supper (?) – I make some tilapia with asparagus and veggies.

    I usually grill meat in the summer (electric grill). Again, make sure you understand how to grill each type of meat. In the winter time or when it’s super cold out, I usually use one of those fastcooker things. It doesn’t matter what you use. As long as you do it right.

    That’s a lot of eating, i know. But that’s really what you want to do. You want to consume something every 2 – 2.5 hours so that you’re never hungry and don’t end up having 1 or 2 huge meals. You’ll quickly notice that your tummy never feels bloated. This acclimates your metabolism and allows it to burn calories more efficiently. Veggies and fruits will also help your metabolism and blood circulation (especially broccoli and asparagus). Finally try to exercise as much as you can. Even a 15-minute walk is enough. This will help you maintain healthy metabolic processes.

    Almost forgot. Don’t forget your vitamins as was already mentioned by another poster. Make sure you take general supplements in addition to those suggested for your gender.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by TriangleSun.
    #95169
    humour
    Participant

    Thank you Viraj! I will definitely consider the intake of Aloe Vera/amla juice at least a few days a week. Inky, your words hit the spot and I will try my best to control my cravings for sugar and other things. It drives me nuts sometimes:) I will keep trying though. Dear TriangleSun, I’ve been accustomed to a vegetarian diet all my life, hence it will be tough to change it but egg is something I can give a try. I definitely agree about not ending up eating huge meals. Thank you for such a comprehensive reply:) It really helps.

    #97173
    Ankur
    Participant

    Hi Humour. Ran into your question and found it really interesting (just made an account on here so I could reply to it!). I’m a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist so I figured I’d add my 2 cents for you in the hope that it helps you out.

    My approach to nutrition and overall health is a bit different than most in the sense that I’ve found from professional experience that different things work for different people. Our bodies are pretty complex in the way they work and come with their own unique quirks and preferences. Sounds obvious, but most people ignore the fact that what works for one person might not work for another. Think nut allergies, gluten/lactose intolerance, legume allergies, IBS, etc.

    In that light, I just wanted to suggest that instead of experimenting with random foods/regimes that have worked well for other people, you can save a lot of time, experimentation, and feel better sooner by taking a second to figure out what specific “allergies and conditions” you want to address, then working through a systematic approach to find the best solution for your body to address it. For this, think Candida Diet, increased probiotics/prebiotics, fermented products, cutting out offending foods, or even just increasing fiber or yogurt. All depends on what your goal are based on where you’re at right now, your body’s reactions/preferences, and identifying foods that either help or hurt it.

    Quickly, in terms of your immune system also, everything is connected. Your activity levels, stress levels, sleep, nutrition, etc. To share a personal story that really nails this point home, I went through a period where I was getting a B.S. in Computer Engineering, exercised regularly, ate extremely healthy, but slept too little and stressed too much. Right after graduation, I ended up with a compromised immune system which led me to being extremely lethargic for about a year after a virus overwhelmed my system. I also knew a lot of other Engineers who had plenty of other issues come up also. None of us are immune unless we really understand our bodies. Since then, I’ve had to relearn the true importance of a healthy AND balanced lifestyle. Live and learn, right? Hopefully you see how powerful this is. If you want to read more about boosting your immune system, this article from the Harvard Medical School will get you thinking: http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system

    TLDR; Sorry for the essay (after about 15 years of learning about health & fitness, there’s a lot to share haha), but long story short, it’s all unique and balance is crucial. I can eat all sorts of food and feel amazing, but I know tons of people who are more sensitive and require properly cuztomized and fine-tuned nutrition for their specific goals. I know, you hear this all the time and it sucks that there isn’t a one size fits all solution, but once you find what works best for you, you’re set. It’s amazing when everything clicks into place and the people I’ve worked with all say that they feel way happier and healthier once they get there. It becomes effortless once you’ve built your own unique system and lifestyle to feel great. You also get to keep following it for life knowing exactly what makes you feel the best.

    So, think about what specific allergies/conditions you currently have that you want to work on, the current state of your lifestyle (sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress, etc.), then start forming a plan! If you have questions on this process, just let me know. I work fulltime coaching people with this stuff, so I can definitely point you in the right direction if you’d like. It’s not as complicated or difficult as my horribly long reply here might make it sound. Sorry for that haha!

    This is literally my first post on the forum, so hopefully it wasn’t too long, off topic, or overwhelming! Hope something in there gets you thinking. If something doesn’t make sense or you’re curious to hear more also, let me know and I’m happy to share if it can help you out! Good luck!

    #97381
    Francis Young
    Participant

    Thanks for sharing this informative information here.

    #100248
    humour
    Participant

    Hi Ankur,
    Thank you so much for taking the time out to reply and for pointing out that we need to make an effort to really understand our own bodies in order to figure out what works for us. It has been a while since I visited this site so I apologize for a delayed response. I really appreciate your reply and it wasn’t in anyway long or overwhelming. Is there any way you can help me out or point to something or someone I can visit? Is there a way I can correspond with you? Thank you once again!

    • This reply was modified 8 years ago by humour.
    #100684
    Ankur
    Participant

    Hey Francis Young, no problem! I hope it was helpful to you!

    Hey Humour, I’m really glad you found it helpful!

    Sure, I’d love to get in touch to learn more about your situation and how I can help you out. I couldn’t find a way to message you in private here, so the fastest way to connect would be to send me a direct email at ankur@ambasthaathletics.com or use the contact form on my website to send an email or call me, whichever’s most convenient for you. Here’s the contact page link: http://ambasthaathletics.com/contact-us/

    Or if you feel comfortable, you can leave your contact info here and I can follow up with you. Whatever works best for you! Hope to talk soon Humour!

    #105115
    enchantra
    Participant

    hi…last year, I was diagnosed positive for pleurisy. After 4 months of medication, I was totally recovered. But, doctor had advised me to stick to the heavy protein diet, which improves the immunity. A better immune system requires balanced diet and proteins as our immune system is made of protein.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/467971-protein-the-immune-system/

    #105131
    Maria_L
    Participant

    Hello,

    I don’t have problems with allergies, but horrible immune system, and not just that, I always felt like I have very little energy… I am not nutritionist or a doctor, just sharing my experience. Something that I found really helpful was taking spirulina. I felt more energetic and managed to avoid some of the seasonal viruses. I still take it every day, and know many people who swear by it. Also when i’d get sick in order to avoid antibiotics I used turmeric, ginger, garlic, and sage tea on daily basis (I usually had problems with my respiratory system). I often use this ingredients when I cook, too. Vitamine C is also a must. But, you have to consider outside factors too (I lived in a very polluted city, so there was only so much i could do to help myself).

    Of course, everyone is a different story, so maybe you should make more detailed analysis. And there is no supplement that be substitute for a well balanced diet and outdoor activity, preferably in nature.

    Hope you’d get better.

    #105838
    humour
    Participant

    Hi Enchantra, I am glad you are doing fine now 🙂 The doctor prescribed a rich protein diet for me as well. Thank you for the link to the article! I will go thorugh it.
    Thank you for sharing your experience marliv 🙂 I will look up Spirulina. I live in a polluted city as well 🙁 My allergies most often lead to wheezing. Right now, I am much better than i was in the last year. Thank you for writing out all the ingredients you use and especially sage tea(haven’t heard of this one). I’ll look it up.

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