How incorporating more greens into your day will help support your immune system.

This post was created in collaboration with Melrose Health.

Winter is well and truly here! This means that it’s time to pump up your immune system to fight those obnoxious winter illnesses. But the question is, how can you support your immune system to combat these ailments?

Sustaining your overall body health ensures that all of your systems are functioning at their best. So, the key to a healthy body is a simple step – a healthy diet. Yes, a healthy diet packed with macro and micronutrients and antioxidants that can support your entire body, especially your immune system.

What is a healthy diet?

A healthy balanced diet can mean many things, but at the heart it encompasses:

• Proteins which can be from plants or animals
• Complex carbohydrates like sweet potato, quinoa and brown rice
• Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds and plant based nutritional oils
• And plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

All these foods should be incorporated in your daily diet, but mainly, green vegetables in particular contain many micronutrients that support the immune system. Eating a big bowl of green veggies can be a bit challenging for some people every single day. That’s why I love to recommend my clients incorporate a teaspoon of Organic Essential Green Powder into their health routine.

While no food can prevent a cold, there are certain nutrients that you get through your diet that help the immune system operate optimally. This greens powder contains superfoods including wheatgrass, barley grass, chlorella, and spirulina powder that modulate the immune system. And in these plants you’ll find phytonutrients such as chlorophyll, carotenes, folate, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre.

With these power-packed ingredients, there are 3 ways green powders can support your immune system.

3 ways greens can support your immune system

Abundant in Micronutrients

Firstly, greens contain various vitamins [B6, B12, folate, C, D, and E], beta carotene, and minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron, and potassium.

Micronutrients interact with the immune system via the following functions:

• Micronutrients maintain the structural and functional integrity of skin and mucous membranes
• It supports the activity of antimicrobial protein and chemotaxis of innate cells
• Functions in the phagocytosis and killing activities of neutrophils and macrophages

Antioxidant Effect

Antioxidants work as a defence mechanism against the free radicals that are highly detrimental molecules that damage your body. Green powders are abundant in antioxidants like vitamin C, polyphenols, phytochemicals, chlorophyll, and beta carotenes.

Among these, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects the immune system. It also keeps your skin healthy by boosting collagen production and supports the adrenal system. It thrives the production of white blood cells that are responsible for fighting against infections and body invaders. Research has proved that antioxidant supplementation (Vitamin A, C, or E) can highly increase immune responses.

Micronutrients as the line of defence

Among these micronutrients, some like zinc and vitamin A, C, and D are very crucial for immunity.

Particularly, zinc plays copious roles in cell-mediated immunity and the development of neutrophils and natural killer cells. It also supports the nervous system’s health and aids in wound healing.

Moving on to Vitamin A, it works as a barrier for mucous membranes such as those of your mouth, lungs, gut, and genitals. It also aids in the production of white blood cells that are responsible for capturing the invading pathogens.

Vitamin D improves the function of T-cells and macrophages that guards you against the attack of pathogens. Those individuals with low Vitamin D levels are more prone to infections and diseases.

Get your hands now on Organic Essential Greens to amplify your immunity this winter!

Reference List

1 Erickson, K. L., Medina, E. A., & Hubbard, N. E. (2000). Micronutrients and innate immunity. The Journal of infectious diseases, 182(Supplement_1), S5-S10.

2 El-Beltagi, H. S., Dhawi, F., Ashoush, I. S., & Ramadan, K. (2020). Antioxidant, anti-cancer and ameliorative activities of Spirulina platensis and pomegranate juice against hepatic damage induced by CCl4. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 48(4), 1941-1956.

3 Jafari, D., Esmaeilzadeh, A., Mohammadi-Kordkhayli, M., & Rezaei, N. (2019). Vitamin C and the immune system. In Nutrition and Immunity (pp. 81-102). Springer, Cham.

4 Iqbal, K., Khan, A., & Khattak, M. M. A. K. (2004). Biological significance of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in human health-a review. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 3(1), 5-13.

5 Bendich, A. (1993). Physiological role of antioxidants in the immune system. Journal of Dairy Science, 76(9), 2789-2794.

6 Prasad, A. S. (2008). Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells. Molecular medicine, 14(5), 353-357.