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IMMUNE-BOOSTING FOODS
Kerri Sherk • November 23, 2020
Boosting your immune system with FOOD.
The body has 2 basic immune systems/responses when a pathogen is introduced: the innate immune system
and the adaptive immune system. The innate immune response is the body’s first line of defense, immediately working to prevent the spread of foreign pathogens throughout the body by using physical, chemical and cellular defenses. Meanwhile, the adaptive immune response is specific to the pathogen present in the system, creating antibodies harmful only to the foreign pathogen and sends these efficient cells to fight the illness.
Micronutrients found in our food help boost our immune system, priming our body’s defenses against illnesses, but how much can I jump start my immunity? Well that really depends on your age, overall health (diet, weight, smoking/drinking) and stress levels (chronic mental stress, lack of sleep). Even if you may be in poor health, focusing on your diet may make a difference this winter.
Your diet may help you immunity, but if you are not at a healthy baseline, your body must work harder to knock out pathogens. For a well working immune system, it’s still important to maintain a healthy weight, reduce your stress, get quality sleep and regular exercise.
With a poor diet, your body’s inflammatory response to bacteria and viruses would take a huge hit; packing your plate with different fruits and vegetables helps control that response. Some inflammation is needed to get rid of pathogens and to assist the immune system, but the production of too many inflammatory components can cause negative effects to the body:
- Can damage surrounding tissues
- Can cause autoimmune diseases
- Can cause chronic diseases
Our Western diet is full of overly processed, fat-filled foods, sugary drinks and red/processed meats – all of which can cause persistently high levels of inflammation. We must overcome these urges and better our diet, choosing foods that will support a healthy inflammatory response without sending it into overdrive (i.e. leafy greens, tomatoes, fruits, nuts, fatty fish and olive oil)
Put aside your immune system for just a second, and consider the long term effects. Eating a lot of this unhealthy and processed food has been shown in studies to shorten your life; a 10% increase in these foods would create a 14% higher risk of death from all causes. Not to mention that chronic inflammation has been linked in studies to:
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Depression
- Alzheimer’s
Wanting to change your diet now? Don’t worry, I did too after the research. So what do I need to eat for a healthier diet and to boost my immunity this winter? Well …
- Eat a large variety of fresh and colourful (red, yellow, orange, blue, green) fruits and vegetables each day
- Eat whole grains
- Eat some lean protein
- Include healthy oils
- Fill your plate with mostly fruits and vegetables, the more the better
How do I maximize the impact of food on my immune system?
Well you have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables each day, so you may want to learn how to incorporate more of them into your regular dishes. A study compared the immune response in 3 groups of animals given different serving sizes of fruits and veggies. The group with the best immune effects were eating 8 – 9 servings per day, so you have to work at it in order to reach that level.
What about supplements?
The human body is made to absorb nutrients from whole foods more efficiently than processed foods or supplements. I mean it’s just in our nature. People can still benefit from nutrient supplements - especially for active, healthy older people - and may need to add specific micronutrients to their diet based on medical conditions, age, or limited access to nutritional foods.
Zinc
is useful to the immune system in a variety of ways, like being able to bind to the influenza virus and activate it. There are even zinc lozenges encouraged to be consumed in the first 24 hours of a cold/flu may give your immune system a boost in fighting the illness. Check with your doctor before adding the supplement to your diet as it can interfere with antibiotic effectiveness, or negatively interact with some blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis medications.
Selenium
plays a very important role in immunity as it can reduce inflammatory response. Most people get plenty of selenium from their regular diet. Foods rich in selenium are seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, breads, cereals, and nuts.
Vitamin E
helps the immune system in 2 ways: it acts as an antioxidant in the body, helping protect cells from free radical damage, and can boost your cell-mediated immunity. The best sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, like sunflower or safflower, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, seeds, and wheat germ.
Vitamin C
is commonly seen as the immune system booster, but studies have only found mild benefits, reducing the length and severity but even that isn’t guaranteed. Vitamin D has also had studies showing some benefit, but the immune-boosting evidence is mixed. Be sure to keep up your healthy daily dose, but don’t overload expecting impenetrable defenses.
Want more information?
Click HERE
to learn all about Kerri and how she, as a Dietitian, can help you boost your immune system through food!
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Are you struggling to stay consistent with your fitness and nutritional goals? Being consistent is crucial to making long term lifestyle changes, but it is one of the biggest challenges we all face. Here are 5 strategies to help you find consistency: 1. BE REALISTIC Change takes time . There is no fast way to make lifestyle changes, so it’s imperative to make goals that make sense for you. The more attainable and realistic the goal, the more likely the goal can be accomplished. When goals and milestones are accomplished, it gives you a sense of reward and enhances your self-efficacy (i.e., the belief that you can accomplish your goals). On the other hand, if the goal we have set in place for ourselves is too difficult, it may lead to demotivation and lower self-esteem. If you want sustainable and lasting results, being realistic is the first step. 2. HAVE CLEAR GOALS Not having clear goals is like driving to a new destination without a map. Goals are important in leading us in the right direction. Goals provide you with the motivation to push yourself to work towards chane. Implementing S.M.A.R.T goals is a good place to start. S - Specific M - Measurable A - Attainable R - Relevant T - Time-Bound When setting goals, make sure to include both short term and long term goals . Short term goals help with commitment and determination by allowing you to celebrate small wins more frequently that contribute to the bigger goal in place. Long term goals give you something to focus on and strive for in the bigger picture and help focus on where you want to be in relation to where you are now. For example, you decide that you want to “Lose 5 lbs in 6 weeks.” This goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. However, this creates the need to make smaller goals to help you get there. Just doing what you are now, unchanged, will likely not get you to your goal. For instance, you might state that you will “Lose 5lb in 6 weeks” by incorporating 1-2 servings of vegetables into every meal, by limiting take-out meals to once per week, exercising for 45 minutes 3 times per week, and going for a 30-minute walk with your dog every day. If you achieve these smaller rules/goals, you’ll be well on your way to reaching the big one. 3. CREATE A ROUTINE AND HAVE A PLAN Fail to plan and plan to fail! Having a game plan for the week ahead will help adhere to your goals, as there is less opportunity for impulsive behaviours. This may mean planning out your workouts for the week, meal prepping, and making a grocery list of healthy and balanced foods. In regards to exercise, scheduling in your workouts, and knowing what you're doing when and where, will take the stress off not knowing what to do and "winging" a sub-par workout. In turn, you will be more likely to follow through until your goal is reached. Building on these habits will make it easier to stay consistent with your goals. Stay organized! In addition, it is always a good idea to have a plan ready in case you fall into relapse. The biggest fallback for people creating healthy habits is that once you miss a workout, you eat dessert when you know you shouldn’t have, or if life just gets in the way… You say “oh well” and keep venturing down the wrong path rather than steering yourself back onto the right one. Having a plan in place in case this happens is crucial for helping with motivation post-relapse. 4. ENJOY WHAT YOU'RE DOING It is much easier to be consistent with exercise and nutrition when you enjoy what you're doing and eating. Exercise will be less of an obligation and you will be more excited to get moving. If you’re feeling stuck doing something you don't enjoy, try something new! Whether it be a new exercise class (HIIT, Spin, Yoga, Pilates etc.), getting outside, or joining a club/team. Bottom line is, you cannot be consistent if you dislike what you're doing. In regards to nutrition, implementing foods you don't enjoy will be doing yourself a disservice. Incorporating a variety of foods and flavours you love that also align with your goals is important in having a healthy attitude about food and staying consistent with your nutritional habits. 5. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Seeing progress in yourself fuels motivation . There are several ways to track your progress: Monitor body measurements How your clothes fit Scale weight or body fat % Lifting heavier weight or doing more reps Check blood pressure Progress pictures How fast you catch your breath after you lose it Activities of daily living get easier to complete Energy levels improve Sleep gets better Tracking progress is essential to staying consistent. People get addicted to seeing results, which creates more and more motivation. When results aren’t achieved, it creates a sense of self-doubt, which reduces motivation because why would you continue if you aren’t getting any better? Even though you definitely should continue because exercise has so many benefits for you beyond the physical changes (bone, heart, emotional, cognitive health, etc.), it is still encouraging to see results and know you’re doing well. Need help with staying consistent? We have a team of friendly and well-educated personal trainers and health practitioners here at The Firm. Our mission is to educate and motivate you into living your healthiest and happiest life - even if it is just to get you started on your fitness journey. We are here to help you.
By Kerri Sherk
•
September 15, 2021
Dear valued members, The COVID-19 situation is continuing to develop in light of the Delta-variant. As such, the Government of Ontario has implemented COVID Vaccination Passports , which will affect the usage of facilities used for sports and fitness activities and personal training, including gyms. The Government of Ontario's website news release states that "Requiring proof of vaccination in these settings reduces risk and is an important step to encourage every last eligible Ontarian to get their shot, which is critical to protecting the province’s hospital capacity, while also supporting businesses with the tools they need to keep customers safe, stay open and minimize disruptions." We are striving to protect our members and our staff in these uncertain times, which means that starting on September 22nd, 2021, be prepared to show proof of full vaccination to be able to enter the gym. Starting at 12:01 am on the 22nd, those individuals who have not provided proof of vaccination will not be given access. Given the controversial nature of this mandate to some people, we want to remind everyone that this mandate is the same as the mask mandate - it was created by the government . Our staff, management included, can't and won't make exceptions to this policy, and we ask that members show the same patience, kindness, and respect that we have received thus far. In order to prevent a bottleneck on September 22, we will be allowing members to bring in their vaccination records during desk hours starting on Monday, September 13th. We will be requiring members to provide us with a photocopy or electronic copy of their vaccination receipts, which we will keep on file. When dropping the proof of full vaccination off at the front desk, we will also be taking your profile picture for our system. Non-Vaccinated Members If you are unable to show proof of full vaccination (2 doses + 14 days) by September 22, 2021, your fob will be rendered inactive. For those that have short-term memberships with an expiration date, your membership will expire. If required, we will give members a maximum of one-month extension on their expiration date if you need extra time to get fully vaccinated. For those that have a perpetual membership , you have the option to hold your membership at $5/month until you're able to provide full proof of vaccination. * Please email us if you require these accommodations with your request because these will not be done automatically. For members with a medical exemption to the vaccine mandate, we will require a copy of a written exemption letter from a Medical Doctor stating that you are exempt from receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine. We do not allow religious exemptions; letters from spiritual healers, chiropractors, nutritionists/dietitians; or self-claiming exemptions, etc. Reminders Let's keep the Aldershot community safe by following COVID-19 Protocols when not at home. Wear a mask when indoors in public Don't leave the house if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms Social distance when possible Sanitize your hands consistently, with soap and warm water Get vaccinated as soon as you can! When at The Fitness Firm... Keep your mask on at all times when on the main floor (yes, even when staff aren't here!) Maintain distance when possible Put all your equipment, weights, and plates back on the racks when you are finished with them Sanitize everything you touch after you use it Under no circumstances are you allowed to let individuals/friends into the facility who do not have a gym membership In the event of any falsified documents being discovered, the individual falsifying documents will be banned from The Fitness Firm until the COVID-19 pandemic is declared over (or longer). This is a criminal act under the Government of Canada's Criminal Code . Thank you Please note that these policies from the government are constantly evolving. This is all the information we have available currently, and these may change between now and the 22nd. Fitness is an essential component of peoples' lives, and it's moments like these where our purpose and values regarding the health of our members and staff matter a lot to our community and the individuals we serve. Thank you for your patience and respect for our decisions as we navigate this new government-required policy. Best, Fitness Firm Staff
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