It’s the time of year for nourishing home-cooked food to fuel you through the cooler months. Our team of Naturopath Melbourne stress the importance of adequate nutrition and a great gut ecosystem for a healthy immune system. Here are gut health naturopathy Melbourne top dietary and lifestyle tricks for ensuring you have a strong and resilient immune system to get you through the winter:
Optimise your zinc levels
Zinc has many important roles in the body including the health of the skin, digestive tract and proper immune function. Zinc is a mineral that is deficient in Australian soils. Given you are eating local Australian produce (which we encourage), you are likely lacking in this important mineral. The best dietary sources of zinc are oysters, beef, lamb, nuts and seeds (particularly pepita seeds). Your zinc level can be tested through blood test with a request from Melbourne Naturopathy clinic, Narayani Wellness. If deficient, supplementation up to 75mg of zinc may be recommended. When supplementing high doses of zinc, it is important that your levels are monitored, as a build up in zinc can be toxic.
Ensure you get enough sun
The best Naturopathic doctor Melbourne recommend 20-30 minutes of morning or late afternoon sun each day throughout the winter to ensure you keep your vitamin D levels up. Why not go for an outdoor walk on your break at work if the sun is shining? Some people have difficulty synthesizing vitamin D from the sun, so they have an increased need to acquire vitamin D through the diet. The best dietary sources of vitamin D include egg yolk, fatty fish, liver and butter.
Take probiotics
Getting your gut microbiome (all of the bacteria, yeasts and other microbes that live in your digestive tract) in balance is vital for strengthening the immune system. A huge portion of your total immune tissue resides directly below the gut lining as the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Recent scientific discoveries have proven that the bugs within your gut can communicate with this tissue and affect overall immunity. Probiotics have the ability to influence your gut ecosystem by assisting in the growth and development of healthy populations of beneficial bugs such as your Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia species. Gut health naturopathy Melbourne clinic Narayani Wellness suggest speaking with a practitioner to determine what the right probiotic is for you, as it differs between individuals depending on your unique gut.
Make time for rest
Have you ever noticed that during times of stress your body can suppress illness? This is because during ‘fight or flight mode’ your body suppresses the immune system. It’s a protective mechanism so the body is better able to get through the situation or hurdle. Chronic business and stress over time leave the immune system very depleted, so if you do get sick you have difficulty fighting it off and remain sick for a very long time. The immune system rejuvenates while you rest, therefore Naturopath Melbourne encourage you to take adequate time for rest and stress relief. Schedule it in to your busy calendar if you have to! Your immune system will thank you for it.
Naturopath Melbourne 