Our guts, the immunity superhero

By Bio Island Nutrition Team

You can think of our immune systems like a kind of superhero we each have inside of us to help us fight off viruses and infections. This superhero of ours is constantly watching what’s going into our body and helping to protect us from getting sick with things like colds and stomach bugs, and it does this mostly from (you guessed it) our guts! Our gastrointestinal tract (or guts for short) are located right under our stomach and help us to digest the nutrients from our food. They are also the home of our superhero immune system.

Feeding your guts

 In order for any superhero to function at his or her best they need to make sure they are eating healthy nutritious foods; this is what helps give them the energy to fight all the bad guys. Our super immune system is exactly the same, except the type of food that helps our immune system is called bacteria. Now this may sound strange, after all isn’t bacteria the same as germs? Well yes, and no.

Germs can be good too

There are all kinds of germs outside and inside our bodies and believe it or not our bodies need BOTH good and bad germs to stay healthy. Different types of bacteria play different roles within the body including producing vitamins, absorbing nutrients and yes - helping the immune system to work. What’s most important is that we have a good BALANCE of good and bad bacteria. When good bacteria are destroyed, the bad bacteria can start to multiply and cause problems.

What are antibiotics?

Have you ever taken antibiotics when you were sick? Antibiotics are super important to help our bodies fight infections and get us back to feeling healthy again. The problem is antibiotics kill both the good and bad bacteria in our guts, so if we take them for a long time it can leave our immune system superhero feeling a bit weak. The best way to get our superhero’s feeling healthy and strong again is to make sure we are eating lots of good bacteria to help balance out our gut again.

So what can we do to help keep our immune system healthy and strong?

• Eat your yoghurt! Yoghurt is full of good bacteria and can help your immune system to get back into balance, especially after taking antibiotics.
• Say no to sugar! Another important thing to remember is that sugar isn’t the best food to be eating when trying to help our immune system. This is because sugar feeds bad bacteria.
• Protein Power! Ensure you are eating lots of protein like chicken and eggs as this helps to build antibodies, which act like your superheros weapons and help to fight infections.
• Get outdoors! Spend lots of time playing outdoors and don’t be afraid to get a little dirty as this helps introduce you to different types of bacteria.

This information does not take into account your personal situation and is general in nature. You should consider whether the information is appropriate for your needs and seek professional medical advice.

Always consult your healthcare professional before taking any supplements or if any concerns arise.