As an athlete, you rely on the strength of your immune system more than you know. And, it’s more vulnerable. Studies have found that prolonged periods of intense exercise can result in immune suppression. It’s not just about fending off colds and flus that can keep you too sick to perform – your immune system helps you recover from the wear and tear of training (strong immunity helps you reduce inflammation, and heal muscle, so you can stay strong and fend off injuries all year long). And the foundation of your immune system is—you guessed it—your diet.
You’ve probably loaded up on orange juice when you felt a cold coming on, or popped a few zinc lozenges. And yes, they’re both critical for keeping your immune system in fighting form, but there’s a lot more to it. There are actually many nutrients that play key roles in keeping you well:
VITAMIN A/BETA-CAROTENE – makes white blood cells that help destroy bacteria and keep the mucous membranes of your eyes, respiratory tract, and digestive system strong, so they can form a protective barrier, keeping germs out of your body. The best food sources are carrots, spinach, dried apricots, mango, and papaya.
SELENIUM – is a powerful antioxidant, meaning it kind of acts like a bodyguard, preventing substances from attacking and damaging your cells’ DNA. It also helps your immune system’s neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) kill microorganisms. It’s found in Brazil nuts, tuna, turkey and crimini mushrooms.
ZINC – is required for a number of immune functions, including the activity of T-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. It’s also important for bodily healing and repair, and it’s needed for the formation of DNA and cell structure. The best sources are zinc fortified cereals, lean meat, yogurt, beans, and nuts.
MAGNESIUM – helps control cellular activity including interactions that affect immune function. Magnesium-rich foods include fish, nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts), oats, potatoes, black eyed peas, brown rice, lentils, avocado, kidney and pinto beans and bananas.
VITAMIN E – another strong antioxidant that’s also involved in DNA repair and immune function. Great sources include almonds, sunflower seeds and oil, hazelnuts and to a lesser degree spinach and broccoli.
VITAMIN D – plays a role in the proper functioning of the thymus gland, which pumps out infection-fighting immune cells. You can find it in salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, vitamin D fortified skim or soy milk and eggs.
VITAMIN B 6 - helps maintain the health of your lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes), which make white blood cells. The best sources are baked potatoes, bananas, chick peas, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, spinach, and lean chicken, pork and beef.
And that’s not all. Omega-3 fatty acids (from wild salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, walnuts and flaxseed oil), as well as probiotic bacteria (from yogurt or other fermented foods (kefir, miso, sauerkraut) and foods with prebiotic bacteria, which help boost probiotics (whole grains, bananas, honey) as well as adequate amounts of protein are also important for immune health.
And this list doesn’t even cover foods like cranberries and blueberries, which contain natural substances that prevent bacteria from latching onto the walls of the urinary tract and bladder (preventing UTIs).
When you really think about it, the power of food is pretty darn phenomenal! So, power up your grocery cart, especially if you’re feeling a little run down. Some terrific (and tasty) immune boosting meals might look something like this:
Breakfast – cooked oats (the quick cooking kind is OK) with sliced bananas and almonds, with skim milk, low-fat yogurt or soy milk
Lunch – spinach/mushroom quesadillas with guacamole and sliced kiwis for dessert
Snack – Brazil nuts and a few dried apricots
Dinner – grilled salmon with a baked potato and cooked carrots with papaya/mango fruit salad topped with chopped walnuts for dessert
Along with plenty of water with vitamin C-rich fresh lemon of course. How do your menus match up?