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!