Every year come fall, the weather gets cooler, we spend more time inside, our kids bring home new germs from school, and we inevitably find our immune systems needing a bit more attention.
You may be wondering what are some ways that you can boost your immunity to combat cold and flu season this year. In this article, we'll cover what foods to eat to support your immune system, what foods to skip that are detrimental, and what high quality supplements you might want to include in your real food plan.
This is why, at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we encourage our clients, especially this time of year, to make sure to strengthen their immune system with real food nutrition and consider adding crucial supplements like the dynamic support system of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and Wellness Formula. Here's our take on why these are so important to have in your medicine chest:
Foods to Boost Your Immune System Naturally
At Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we always focus on food first. This means we believe that the best way to support your immune system is by eating a variety of real, whole foods full of natural immune-supportive nutrients. Think of colorful fruits and vegetables full of protective phytonutrients. Good quality animal proteins are made up of immune-boosting amino acids. And many healthy fat foods contain a variety of antioxidants. All of these help to support our immune system by fighting off harmful invaders.
The beauty about eating the Weight & Wellness Way is that it focuses on all three of those components to make up meals and snacks: colorful fruits and veggies, quality proteins, and healthy fats. With this template in mind, you are creating immune-building foods at every meal, throughout your day!
Especially during cold and flu season (which happens to be fall and winter season), we are lovers of soups and stews. One pot meals are easy dishes that have your veggie carbs, protein, and fat all combined into one!
Here are a few of our favorite immune-building recipes:
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Spicy Coconut Stew– this also includes garlic, which is a great nutrient for immune health. Its sulfuric compounds boost immunity.
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Bone-Building Chicken Wild Rice Soup – the bone broth in this recipe helps nourish the gut lining, which strengthens your immune system. Plus good ol' chicken soup is just good for the heart and the comfort.
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Pumpkin and Root Vegetable Soup - this recipe is packed with immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin C from the bell peppers and vitamin A from orange and yellow root vegetables. Just pair with your favorite protein and you have a balanced meal.
Foods that Weaken Your Immune System
On the flip side, the most harmful food group for your immunity is sugar! This not only includes the obvious culprits like candy and baked goods, but any refined, processed carbohydrate like crackers, chips, and pasta. In fact, eating a serving of sugar or a meal full of highly refined carbohydrates can suppress your white blood cells (your invader-fighting cells most important for immunity) for several hours!
One way to help yourself cut out some of those processed foods is to find substitutions that you can enjoy instead. Does the family love pasta night for dinner? Try making zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash "pasta". Find a healthier pumpkin muffin recipe made with almond flour and protein powder that won't spike your blood sugar as high and weaken your immune system. Really craving a pumpkin spice latte? We got you covered with this pumpkin spice coffee recipe that is just as delicious but doesn't compromise your health!
For a deeper look at how sugar affects your immune system specifically, see our article Sugar When You Are Sick & Tips For Cutting It Out.
A Healthy Immune System Needs Sleep & Hydration
"Get your rest" may sound simple, but our team emphasizes it constantly because it works. Sleep allows the immune system to reset and recharge, while hydration (including mineral-rich options like bone broth) supports mucus production — your body's natural way of trapping and flushing out cold viruses before they cause more severe symptoms.
As one of our nutritionists put it: "Plenty of hydration and chicken bone broth. Sleep 8 hours a day." – Melanie Beasley
Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements for a Strong Immune System
Now, don't worry. There are ways to support a healthy immune system if your diet falls short! In fact, even the best, real-food, nutrient-dense diets need some extra support now and then — especially during cold and flu season when we're bombarded with new germs to fight off. So, what do our nutrition experts recommend?
We're going to dive into the essential immune-boosting nutrients and supplements our nutritionists recommend, and how to get them through favorite foods and quality products.
Vitamin D
Many know that vitamin D is essential for avoiding the winter blues, but did you know it's also important for a healthy immune system? Every cell in your body has vitamin D receptors. Clinically, we've noticed that most people stay healthy when their vitamin D level is between 50 and 80ng/mL. (A simple blood test at the doctor's office will determine your vitamin D level.) We recommend getting your level checked once or twice a year.
Here are some signs of a vitamin D deficiency:
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Frequent colds and viruses
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Low mood
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Low energy
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Bone pain or weak bones
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Always tired and needing more sleep
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Osteoporosis
If you live in the northern latitudes, you need to be vigilant about your vitamin D level because sunshine in the winter is weaker and doesn't absorb well into your skin when you're covered from head to toe with jackets, scarves and mittens.
How much vitamin D to take: To maintain a healthy vitamin D level between 50 and 80ng/mL, many people need to take a daily dose of 4,000 IU during the winter and 2,000 IU during the summer. Fall is the perfect time to start ramping up on this important supplement.
We offer our NutriKey Vitamin D3 in doses of 1,000 IU or 5,000 IU. If you'd like additional bone support, you may want to choose our option with added Vitamin K2. Vitamin D and Vitamin K work synergistically to help your bones absorb calcium to keep them strong and healthy!
Vitamin C
The highest levels of vitamin C in the body are found in our white blood cells, which are the cells of our immune system that help fight disease and infection. These cells use vitamin C to fight infection when our immune function is compromised, depleting the levels in our body. This is why it's important to provide ourselves with a continuous supply. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it is not stored in the body and any excess is excreted. Spreading your vitamin C intake throughout the day, rather than taking it all at once, gives your immune system continuous support.
We can get a good dose of Vitamin C from eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables – and we're not just talking oranges. A cup of bell peppers has over 100 mg of vitamin C!
How much vitamin C to take: Supplementing with a modest amount (100-200mg) of vitamin C can help prevent infection, but a higher dose is needed to lessen the severity and duration of an infection or fight off a virus. During normal times, 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily is a good starting point; if you're actively fighting off a cold or flu, 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams spread throughout the day may be helpful.
NutriKey Complete C-1000 is an easily-absorbed, comprehensive vitamin C complex that supports antioxidant status and immune function. It includes additional vitamins and minerals that help combat stomach irritation common in vitamin C supplements, and the nutrients are more readily available for cell uptake.
If you're someone who prefers a liquid form, NutriKey Liposomal C might be just right for you. Liposomal technology is a quick way to deliver nutrients to your cells — liposomes are tiny spherical lipids (fat soluble compounds) which can easily cross through cell walls, making Liposomal C an advanced liquid nutritional supplement that delivers pure, easily-absorbed vitamin C into your cells.
Zinc
Research tells us zinc affects our immune system in multiple ways. First, it increases our T-cells, which are needed to fight off illnesses. Second, zinc boosts our immunity to help fight viral and bacterial infections. If you are deficient in zinc, you may be more susceptible to colds, the flu or any number of infections.
Some potential signs of a zinc deficiency are feeling like you always need a sweet after a meal, having acne, white spots on your nails, and of course, if you're constantly getting sick.
How much zinc to take: Our nutritionists recommend one zinc capsule (54 mg) a day, on a full stomach, during cold and flu season. Since zinc competes with copper, we recommend taking a break from supplementing every few days. You can experience stomach upset if you take it on an empty stomach, so it is really important to take with food.
Our NutriKey Zinc is chelated, helping with absorption through the intestinal lining and making it highly effective. Keep in mind that we can get zinc through food sources such as oysters, grass-fed red meats, and pumpkin seeds, too!
Wellness Formula
To protect us all from common viruses, a NWW staff favorite is Wellness Formula, taken during the fall and winter for that extra immune system support.
Not only does it include ingredients that support the immune system like vitamins A, C and D along with zinc, but also herbal extracts such as garlic, olive leaf, ginger root, goldenseal, echinacea root, elderberry extract and astragalus root. The combination of these herbs, vitamins and minerals is what makes this product effective in fighting a cold or the flu.
How much Wellness Formula to take: When you first start to feel a cold or flu come on, our nutritionists recommend taking six capsules once or twice a day for about a week. You can also use Wellness Formula as a preventive measure by taking two to four capsules every day through flu season.
Advantage Liquid Concentrate
Advantage Liquid Concentrate is a combination of citrus seed (grapefruit seed) and green tea extracts.
Why we like it: This combination of ingredients has been effective at stopping a cold in its tracks.
How much to take: Once you feel a cold or the flu coming on, take 5-10 drops of Advantage Liquid in a small amount of water 3-4 times a day. If your throat is scratchy, use a small amount in water and gargle twice a day. When traveling, take 5-10 drops in water daily to protect yourself from viruses and bacteria.
Cod Liver Oil
Cod Liver Oil contains generous amounts of vitamins A and D and essential fatty acids.
Why we like it: Think of cod liver oil as food for the immune system. Vitamin A is important for keeping your immune system working properly, which is why many cold and flu formulas include vitamin A.
How much to take: One teaspoon of the Omega-3 Care Natural Cod Liver Oil that we carry contains 1750 IU of vitamin A, along with 400 IU of vitamin D. One teaspoon a day will give you the edge against colds and flu.
Bonus Immune Support Supplement: Passion Fruit Key Greens!
Remember those colorful fruits and vegetables full of protective phytonutrients mentioned earlier? Well, here's a bonus way to get more of those goodies to compliment the real food ones you are getting: Key Greens & Fruits! Easily add a scoop of this powder to a glass of water or as part of your protein shake and you'll get an additional 20+ servings of antioxidants. If you select the Key Greens & Fruits Passion Fruit flavor (which is delicious!), you'll also get extra immune enhancing support with the added elderberry, quercetin, and zinc that the other powders don't have.
Getting Started
Right now is the perfect time to start ramping up on these important supplements. Stay on top of your immune system this coming season so you can enjoy it to the fullest.
To recap, you can support your immune system during this cold and flu season (and every season!) by eating whole, real foods with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, high quality protein, and healthy fats. Skip the sugary, processed foods that weaken your white blood cells and focus on the immune boosting nutrients of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and supportive formulas like Wellness Formula, Advantage Liquid, and Cod Liver Oil.
If you need help figuring out if you should supplement, what dosage your body needs, and a meal plan that works for your schedule and your unique health history, schedule an appointment with one of our licensed and registered dietitians and nutritionists who will help you strive to be your healthiest during these colder, darker months.
Schedule a Nutrition Appointment
For more resources on the immune system, check out:
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