EAT TO BEAT ILLNESS
WE’RE used to hearing how certain supplements will ‘boost’ our immunity — and are encouraged to think that taking tablets can easily transform us into common-cold-kicking super humans.
But the reality is that our vast, interconnected immune system is too sophisticated to simply respond to one element such as Echinacea or zinc.
Instead, we need to examine a number of different ways in which food and lifestyle choices can ensure our immune systems function in peak condition — and keep us in good health.
We need resilient immunity to defend us against infective organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, and also to identify and clear away mutated or malfunctioning cells that could, for instance, lead to inflammation and even tumours.
We’ve already seen how food can be as powerful as pills in protecting us against a variety of diseases from diabetes to mental health problems and from osteoporosis to heart disease.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
TODAY, as we conclude our series based on my new book Eat To Beat Illness, we’ll examine how crucial nutrition and healthy living habits are to our precious immune systems.
There are certain sites in the body where immune cells interact with each other and are developed — such as your bone marrow, the spleen in your abdomen and lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin.
However, one particularly important area is our digestive system and, overleaf, we’ll see why the food we eat plays a vital role in helping us to fight infection.
I’m a doctor trained in conventional medicine, but I’m also living proof of the importance of diet as well as drugs, having made a series of lifestyle changes to cure my own irregular, fast heartbeat eight years ago instead of opting straight away for the surgery recommended by cardiologists.
In the process, I learned to love cooking, too — so my second passion is sharing delicious dishes from around the world so you can see for yourself how exciting healthy food can be.
In today’s recipes, I’ll show you some of my mouthwatering favourites aimed at providing key nutrients for our immune systems. Your taste buds will thank you for trying them, too!