In a recent 30 Day Moving Challenge Zoom call, I admitted that while it was possibly the elephant in the room for many participants, nutrition’s link to the challenge was minimal. So given its importance, this final article of the Pilot Study is a bridge to the future of the Forever Young Club. Nutrition will feature front and centre, as we move forward, starting with the 100 Day LEAP Summer Challenge.

You Have The Power

Our modern diet is high in calories and low in nutrients. We eat too much sugar, refined carbohydrates, and other processed foods and many of us aren’t getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

There’s plenty of evidence available which shows that your diet and lifestyle choices influence how your body responds to illness and chronic disease. Given the world we live in today, there’s no better time to remind you that “You Have The Power” to make healthy food choices, today!

Your immune system is constantly working to keep you healthy. It helps you fight off harmful bacteria and viruses, though it can be compromised by dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors.

What You Eat Helps Or Hinders Your Immune System!

It’s difficult to overstate how important nutrition is if you want to have a healthy immune system. Because it typically declines as you age, it’s more important than ever to eat food which supports your immunity, as you get older.

The immune systems of people who eat healthy diets, does not decline nearly as rapidly with age. The corollary is also true and nutrient deficiencies can impair your immune function. So, what should you eat to get the nutrients you need and what should you reduce or even avoid?

What Should You Eat?

G-BOMBS are healthy foods which boost your immune system in an acronym developed by Joel Fuhrman, author of one of my favourite nutrition books “Eat To Live”. G-BOMBS stands for Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds and are full of critical nutrients to help your body fight off illness.

• Green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts are full of phytonutrients. You can blend them into smoothies, saute them, roast them in the oven and best of all use them as your base for colourful salads.

• Beans, peas, and lentils are full of fibre and support your gut microbiome and a healthy digestive system. You can add beans, peas, and lentils to just about any dish, including spaghetti, stews, soup and salad.

• Onions, scallions and garlic have known benefits for immunity which are released when they are crushed or chopped. Onions and garlic are great kitchen staples which can be used in so many ways.

• Mushrooms also have immune enhancing abilities and cooking them reduces a potentially carcinogenic compound called agaritine. Cooked mushrooms are great with so may dishes; I love them with onions and garlic!

• Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, are high in phyto chemicals and vitamins. They are delicious eaten raw, but you can blend them into smoothies, mix them into yogurt or toss them into salads.

• Seeds like chia, flax, pumpkin and hemp and nuts like walnuts, pistachios and almonds, are rich in nutrients which supports your immunity. You can blend them to make your own butters or toss them into salads, stir-fries, and smoothies.

A few other great things to include in your diet are ginger, turmeric and citrus fruits. Whatever you do, make sure you are not deficient in Vitamin D in our current world. When it comes to your immunity, Vitamin D is an essential nutrient.

What Should You Reduce Or Avoid?

You already know what these are, so I’ll keep this section short:

• Fast food including processed burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, milkshakes, etc.

• Ultra-processed foods such as potato crisps, biscuits, cakes, sweets, tomato sauce, cereals, etc.)

• Processed meats – if they have many ingredients and added chemicals, you know they are bad.

• Sugar-sweetened drinks – don’t be caught out by the marketing hype. There is nothing healthy about most of these drinks.