The 5 Most Important Supplements for a Healthy Immune System
There is a lot of concern around the world right now regarding illnesses and how we can best protect ourselves and our loved ones. Aside from basic safe hand hygiene practices, there is an arsenal of potent supplements that can help build your immune system to ward of these unwelcome guests! The following list is not any order of importance, however, they are essential in maintaining wellbeing and giving your body what it needs to fight!
Let me preface this next part by saying that I am by no means providing medical advice pertaining to dosages, effectiveness, or if this is right for your specific situation. These are the supplements I use and that it is important to do your homework and ask your medical provider first if it is okay to take any new supplement or medication. Now that we got that out of the way- let’s jump into the facts about the supplements your body needs!
First, vitamin D with potassium. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and is essential for a thriving immune system, helping calcium get absorbed for healthy bones and teeth and can support mental health. Keep in mind, fat-soluble vitamins can get stored in our liver and fat cells, so you may not need to take it every day. In fact, I take my vitamin D every other day. Talk to your health care provider first because you will most likely need a blood test to see if you are low (highly likely you are). Interesting fact, most people get little to no vitamin D because we avoid the sunlight and use sunscreen which blocks the absorption from our skin! It is important to take a vitamin D supplement paired with vitamin K for better absorption in the gut. It is highly acidic in there, after all! If you’re not keen on taking this supplement or getting a blood test first, you can always get out and enjoy the sun every day! It’s important to get exposure, but not get burned. I try to get 1 hour of sun a day on my face, back, and hamstrings as these have the highest concentration of vitamin D receptors our body uses to metabolize this amazing vitamin!
The second supplement to take is Zinc. Zinc has a plethora of health benefits and has largely been known to help reduce or minimize the length of the common cold. Besides that, it is a natural aromatase inhibitor (estrogen blocker) that can be used to help improve your body’s natural testosterone level. Because zinc is an essential mineral that is found it food, it is safe to say that given the Standard American Diet (SAD for sort- yes that is the real acronym) we are all highly deficient in this mineral. I personally take 20mg every day- again, you should speak with your health care provider first. It is very important to take this supplement either at night or with food because it can make you nauseous!
The third, and essential supplement, is vitamin C. This is a water-soluble vitamin (meaning you generally excrete out the excess in your urine) that helps with reducing oxidative stress (trust me- a bad thing!), eliminates toxic free radicals, improves immune system homeostasis (normalcy), and increases collagen formation in the skin, gut, blood vessels, and bones! If there is a supplement that I would bet money on to help with overall improvement for the body, this would be the one! There are many more benefits of these supplements that we are learning every day so please don’t underestimate the importance of taking this vitamin!
A good B complex vitamin is the fourth supplement that should be in your routine. There are many different subsets of B vitamins and its not important for you to know all the nitty-gritty regarding those. What is important is that you take a B complex with Folate. Folate is important because it helps the methylation (absorption) of the B vitamins in the liver since some people are genetically predisposed to not be able to convert some of the B vitamins. Typically, B vitamins are better absorbed in an injection in the muscle tissue, but for the vast majority of the public, taking a pill will be sufficient. This amazing little supplement can surely help with liver detoxification (which is highly important in staying healthy since it filters all our blood), mental health, heart health, and gut health.
Lastly, protein isn’t a vitamin or herb, rather it is an essential building block of all the cells in our body. Perhaps you have heard of amino acids? Well, amino acids are broken down and building blocks of protein. Literally, not a single molecular function in our body works without protein. Do you know what makes the SAD diet so sad? It is a diet full of carbohydrates, refined sugars, and lacking in nutrients. Know how to combat illness, chronic diseases, and inflammation in the body? Eat. Protein. Reduce carbohydrates, keep your gut happy and healthy, and get active!
I hope you are starting to see a pattern…the vitamins that I am recommending, and take religiously, target your major organs to help maximize health and wellbeing. An extremely high portion of our immune system lies within our gut. Taking these supplements and allowing our gut to heal and protect itself from viruses and bacteria help us stay healthy and thrive!
P.S.- Don’t forget to wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and wipe down hard surfaces with a good disinfectant!
