Hi, I am Dollie Gary, from Rochelle Park. I am a housewife as well as a nutrition specialist by profession. I love to spend free time reading articles about health and fitness.
If you have diabetes, there’s no doubt you have encountered your share of conflicting information. From family members and friends to well-meaning healthcare professionals, it can seem like everyone has an opinion on what you should do to manage your blood sugar. All of these mixed messages can lead to confusion and it can be hard to weed out the facts from the myths, but doing so is essential.
The concern here is twofold: First, if you were to listen to every myth and misconception out there on diabetes, you might feel afraid to eat practically any food, leading to a needlessly restrictive diet that falls short on meeting your nutritional needs. In addition, you may be guilted into thinking your diagnosis was somehow your fault, a fallacy that can have a deeply negative impact on your emotional wellbeing.
To break through the noise and get to the facts, we reached out to the experts to debunk some of the most common diabetes myths.
Myth #1: Your Type 2 diabetes diagnosis is your fault
“Because lifestyle factors can play a role in type 2 diabetes, people tend to assume they got diabetes because they did something wrong,” explains Mary Ellen Phipps, RDN, author of The Easy Diabetes Cookbook. However, this is often far from the truth. “In some cases, a type 2 diabetes diagnosis can come from poor lifestyle choices; however, most of the time it is a combination of factors, some of which may be out of your control,” adds Phillips.
Family history, genetics, stress, and even underlying health conditions and certain medications can all increase the risk of developing diabetes. A diagnosis of the disease should never come with self-judgement.
Myth #2: People with diabetes can’t eat carbs
You’d be hard-pressed to find a person with diabetes who has not been asked at least once, “Are you really going to eat that?” The myth that individuals with diabetes need to avoid all foods containing carbohydrates is unfounded, and often leads to excessively restrictive diets that can be almost impossible to maintain.
“People often assume managing carb intake means eliminating them, but people with diabetes, just like people without diabetes, need carbs to survive,” explains Phillips. Instead of avoiding carbohydrates all together, Phillips advocates for going “smart carb” rather than “low carb”, by focusing on eating carbohydrates from choices that have less of an impact on blood glucose and may offer health benefits.
Myth #3: Only children develop type 1 diabetes and only adults develop type 2 diabetes
Understanding the type of diabetes you have is critical to receiving the best treatment, yet this common myth can often lead to an incorrect diagnosis. “Adults can develop type 1 diabetes, yet many adults are misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes simply based on their age, delaying proper treatment for type 1 diabetes,” explains Susan Weiner, RDN, CDCES, and author of Diabetes: 365 Tips for Living Well.
She points out that healthcare professionals need to be careful when diagnosing diabetes and should not prejudge an individual based on body weight and age. Just as older individuals can develop type 1 diabetes, children and young adults can also develop type 2 diabetes. Working with a healthcare professional specialized in diabetes can help to ensure a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment options.
When it comes to managing diabetes, breaking through the myths and getting to the facts is key. Always do your homework and check the source to determine if the information is credible. When in doubt, discuss any information or advice with your diabetes management team to determine the best steps to take for your individual treatment plan.
Every moment of the day and night, your body is working hard to maintain an ideal internal temperature. It’s a remarkable ability given the various environments and activities we put our bodies through. We are frequently in and out of hot and cold places with different layers of clothing. We can jump into a freezing lake or poach ourselves in a sauna and our ever-vigilant nervous system will adjust our internal thermostat.
Because heat regulation (aka thermal homeostasis) is so critical to your daily health, Fitbit has introduced a new sensor on Fitbit Sense to track your skin temperature as you sleep.* A dedicated tile on your Fitbit Today dashboard will help you track your skin temperature variation from the previous night’s sleep or see when your average skin temperature variation is higher or lower than your baseline. The tile will also allow you to manually log your core temperature. The temperature tracker is one of several new features Fitbit has launched to help users better understand their bodies and achieve well-being.
What Can Temperature Tell Us?
While the average human core temperature is 98.6 degrees, it is normal for the body to fluctuate a couple of degrees. A healthy body’s internal temperature will change by about 2 degrees in sync with your 24 circadian rhythms. It is normal to run a bit cooler when we go to bed and warm up when we become active. Changes in hormones over a monthly menstrual cycle, as well as exercise and eating habits, can also change your internal temperature.
The largest organ in your body—your skin—takes a central role in regulating heat. When your nervous system senses that our internal temperature is rising, the blood capillaries near the skin dilate to take advantage of the sweat evaporating off the skin surface. When body temperature drops, our nervous system restricts blood flow near the skin and moves it into the body’s more insulated core.
Because the skin is more exposed to the environment, skin temperature fluctuates more widely than core temperature. Skin will cool due to sweat and evaporation, for instance, as the body works to bring down your internal temperature. For this reason, skin temperature shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a thermometer that measures core temperature. It can, however, function as a warning sign that something has changed.
Once you’ve established your nightly baseline, it is easy to see when your data varies from your baseline. These changes can be an important signal of disequilibrium, including the onset of fever due to illness.
Both eating and exercise can increase the body’s temperature and make it more challenging to get to sleep. Unusual spikes or drops in your nighttime skin temperature may also prompt users to experiment with different room temperatures or types of sheets and blankets.
“I think temperature comfort during sleep is important and something that individuals might learn about through the skin temperature sensors,” said Lindsey Sunden, Director of Physiological Sensing at Fitbit. “If you see peaks in your skin temperature during the night, it could be a sign that overheating is disrupting your sleep.”
Future Discoveries
Currently, the skin temperature sensor is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Instead, it is part of a suite of new metrics that include oxygen saturation, breathing rate, and heart rate variability sensors designed, in concert, to give users new insights into their well-being.
“Through our millions of users we are collecting data on billions of nights of sleep,” said Sarah Solso Abruscato, a Product Marketing Manager at Fitbit. “Understanding what that data reveals will be critical to our mission, which has always been to make the world healthier.”
*Not available in all markets. Significant changes in ambient temperature may negatively impact skin temperature tracking.
When many Americans think of drinking tea, a tall glass of iced sweet tea might come to mind, or, you might think it’s a hot beverage often sipped by the senior set. But if you’re one of the 159 million Americans drinking tea on any given day, you already know how delicious this good-for-you beverage can be. About 75 to 80 percent of tea consumed in America is iced, and we’re going to guess that a lot of those beverages are sweetened.
But if there’s ever been a time to start a low-to-no-calorie healthy habit that can improve your health from head to toe—and yes, even help you feel less stressed—this is it.
Tea is chock-full of flavonoids, which are naturally-occurring compounds with antioxidant properties that can protect cells against free radicals. Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants might help reduce your chances of developing diseases, like heart disease and cancer, according to MayoClinic.
Here, discover some of the wonderful reasons to start drinking tea. Keep in mind that if you’re caffeine-sensitive or have trouble falling asleep at night, you’ll want to switch to decaf teas or herbal teas in the afternoon and evening. When starting a new healthy tea habit, try to enjoy tea without sugar or honey so you’re not taking in unwanted calories.
It may help you break unhealthy eating habits. If you want to end an evening (or afternoon) mindless snacking habit, consider pouring yourself a steaming mug of herbal tea in a special mug to create a new ritual.
“I think drinking tea can be a good substitute for snacking if you’re snacking when you’re not actually hungry,” says NYC-based dietitian, Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. “Snacking at night isn’t a bad thing if you actually feel your stomach rumbling, but if not, eating at night may cause sleep disturbances and weight gain from taking in too many calories. Oftentimes, your body is just looking for something to do to cope with boredom or stress, and drinking tea is a great distraction.”
It can help you unwind and feel less anxious. While tea has a host of good-for-you benefits, one of the top reasons you might want to start this healthy habit is that it might help you feel more relaxed—something we could all use more of this year.
One randomized controlled trial found that subjects drinking black tea for six weeks showed lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels after completing challenging behavioral tasks. “Scientists believe that consuming l-theanine (an amino acid) in tea in conjunction with caffeine is the cause of the reduction in cortisol,” says Rizzo. A recent rodent study found that drinking Japanese Matcha tea helped reduce anxiety, likely due to the tea activating feel-good brain receptors, dopamine, and serotonin.
“I drink herbal tea at night during the winter,” says Rizzo. “Something about the warm drink at night is really relaxing. Research shows that just holding a hot drink may make you feel relaxed.”
It might give your workout a boost. Whether you decide to sip a mug of black or green tea before your morning run, or chug a cup of iced tea at lunch to help you power through your afternoon workout, tea and exercise pair well together. “Caffeine has been shown to boost athletic performance, so I tell athletes to include it in their pre-workout meal plans.”
It could help with blood sugar control. One small study of normal and prediabetic subjects found that drinking black tea can decrease post-meal blood glucose levels. “Blood sugar spikes occur when you eat a food that is rich in refined carbs, like sweets or chips,” says Rizzo. “Those spikes are usually followed by an energy crash. It seems that drinking black tea with a meal may prevent a blood sugar spike.”
It can benefit your heart. Drinking tea has long been linked to heart health benefits, and a new study Advances in Nutrition spans 30 years of evidence from 37 epidemiological studies. The researchers found that with each cup of unsweetened green or black tea consumed daily, there may be an average of 4 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and 2 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, Rizzo says. People who drink two to three cups (8 oz each) of unsweetened tea per day may lower their risk of death from heart disease by about 8 to 12 percent, compared to nondrinkers.
It has brain health benefits. Want to feel calm, alert, and improve your mood? Pour yourself a mug of tea! Some studies suggest that drinking tea has a positive effect on cognitive function and mood. One study of a healthy Korean population found that those who drank three or more cups of green tea a week had a 21 percent lower prevalence of depression than those who didn’t drink green tea.
Fall brings the most amazing cold-weather produce, perfect for nutritious and bountiful salads bursting with fresh fall flavors. Pair dark leafy greens with hearty and festive additions like butternut squash, brussels sprouts, figs, apples, or cranberries and voilà! You have a seasonal salad that warms the soul and delights the taste buds better than any soup or casserole. Fall is the new salad season—here’s why.
Salad is a wholesome powerhouse. These salads are packed full of nutrient-rich ingredients including healthy fats, protein, leafy greens, and colorful fruits and veggies that will help keep you satisfied, energized, and power you through your day.
Salad is exciting. Yes, you heard that right—salad can be exciting! If you’re tired of the same ol’ lunch-time sandwich or leftovers from the night before, these salads are sure to shock and amaze your taste buds. The contrasting textures and temperatures of warm roasted squash or yams, crunchy apples, seeds or nuts, sweet figs or dried cranberries, and cool crunchy greens are anything BUT boring.
It’s simple to toss together. The ingredients are fresh and easy to throw into a bowl—perfect for any busy schedule. Prep your ingredients ahead of time and whip up lunch or dinner in a jiff.
Now that we know why fall is the new salad season, here’s how you can build the perfect seasonal salad in six simple steps:
Select a base. You can try arugula, spinach, kale, collards, or romaine.
Give it some crunch. Sprinkle some seeds, nuts, sliced apples, croutons, or roasted chickpeas.
Mix in something soft. Add in sweet potatoes, roasted squash, avocado slices, cheese (we love feta!), or quinoa.
Add something unexpected. We love throwing in some dried fruit, pancetta, pickled veggies, or Brussels sprouts for a delicious surprise.
Power up with protein. Go for chicken, steak, fish, beans, cheese, or eggs.
You have the why and the how. So, what is in season now?
Arugula
Apples
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chicory
Cranberries
Eggplant
Figs
Garlic
Grapes
Kale
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Pears
Persimmons
Potatoes
Shallots
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Keep reading for five seasonal salad combos we are loving right now.
Autumn Cobb with Pumpkin Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
4 cups butternut squash cubes
1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
14 oz (400g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 slices bacon
2 large eggs
4 cups mixed greens
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1⁄3 cup dried cherries
1⁄3 cup white cheddar cheese, cubed
For the dressing:
1⁄4 cup pumpkin puree
1⁄4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the squash in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper then place onto a greased baking sheet. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes.
Place dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well mixed. Set aside.
While the squash is baking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked and no longer pink at the center. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until crispy, chop, and set aside.
Place eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover the eggs by an inch (2.5 cm) or so. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let rest for 10 minutes. Drain the water and peel under cool water. Slice and set aside.
Divide the greens between bowls and assemble remaining ingredients over top. Drizzle the pumpkin vinaigrette over top each salad and enjoy! Store remaining dressing in the fridge.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 530
Protein 32 g
Total fat 26 g
Saturated fat 7 g
Cholesterol 185 mg
Carbs 42 g
Fiber 6 g
Total sugars 22 g
Added sugars 7 g
Sodium 310 mg
Gorgonzola Crusted Steak Salad with Fig Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 dried figs
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Water, to your liking, to thin out the dressing
For the salad:
1⁄4 cup pancetta, diced
1 lb (500 g) sirloin steaks, fat removed or trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1⁄4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
8 cups arugula
8 figs, halved or chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and julienne
1⁄4 cup walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse until well combined. Add water to thin out the dressing to your liking.
Cook diced pancetta until crunchy in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper then cook, turning once, until medium rare or done to your liking. Once steaks are cool enough to touch, add the gorgonzola crumbles on top of the steaks and then place them under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest and then slice thinly.
Divide remaining salad ingredients between bowls, add the gorgonzola crusted steak, and drizzle with fig balsamic dressing. Store remaining dressing in the fridge.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 430
Protein 32 g
Total fat 23 g
Saturated fat 5 g
Cholesterol 90 mg
Carbs 29 g
Fiber 5 g
Total sugars 22 g
Added sugars 0 g
Sodium 230 mg
Warm Brussels Sprout & Yam Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
2 yams
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb (500 g) Brussels sprouts
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 bacon slices
1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
1⁄2 cup pecans
For the dressing:
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease two separate baking sheets. Peel and chop the yams into even cubes, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them onto one of the baking sheets.
Stem and chop the Brussels sprouts while also removing any loose leaves. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them on the other baking sheet. Place both baking sheets into the oven to roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
Blanch kale in boiling water until tender, about 1 minute. Drain and shock in an ice bath, and then massage leaves for 1 minute. Remove from ice and pat dry.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, chop, and set aside.
Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined.
Place all cooked ingredients along with cranberries and pecans into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with maple balsamic dressing, tossing to coat all ingredients evenly. Divide between bowls and enjoy!
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 510
Protein 9 g
Total fat 36 g
Saturated fat 6 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Carbs 44 g
Fiber 9 g
Total sugars 21 g
Added sugars 11 g
Sodium 200 mg
Kale, Chicken, & Apple Salad with Cinnamon Apple Cider Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon For the salad:
1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1⁄4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1⁄4 cup pepitas
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined, set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the chicken breast with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked and no longer pink at the center. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Divide the remaining salad ingredients between bowls, top with sliced chicken breast, and drizzle with dressing.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 520
Protein 32 g
Total fat 31 g
Saturated fat 6 g
Cholesterol 90 mg
Carbs 32 g
Fiber 6 g
Total sugars 24 g
Added sugars 9 g
Sodium 130 mg
Beet & Citrus Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 large orange (about ⅓ cup)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey For the salad:
8 medium cooked beets, diced
2 oranges or mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
8 cups arugula, rinsed
1⁄4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1⁄4 cup shelled pistachios
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined. Set aside. Divide all the salad ingredients between bowls and drizzle with dressing.
Whether you’re one of those people who seems to catch everything, or you just want to fend off a cold or the flu, your diet can make a big difference. Every day, your body relies on key nutrients to fortify its immune soldiers so they can quickly pounce on illness-causing intruders.
But in the real world, it can sometimes be tricky to get all the powerhouse nutrients we need to stay strong. If you’d like to (fingers crossed) stay off the couch and out of the doctor’s office, try whipping up these immune-enhancing drinks. They’re loaded with protective nutrition to bolster your defenses. And they take just minutes to make!
Maple Sweet Potato Smoothie
Your gut is a huge immune organ, charged with filtering out viruses, bacteria, fungi, and more. Keep yours in top shape with this smoothie. Each glass delivers a cocktail of gut-fortifying nutrients. In addition to plenty of probiotics from kefir, you’ll also get a double dose of prebiotics from sweet potato and maple syrup. As a bonus, you’ll net more than a day’s worth of vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin and cells lining your airways and gut, which are the body’s first line of defense against infection.
Make it. In a blender, blend ½ cup unsweetened kefir, ¼ cup low fat milk, ½ cup mashed sweet potato, ½ diced, cored apple, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2 ice cubes, and a dash of cinnamon until smooth.
Per serving: 280 calories, 2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 34 g total sugars, 4 g added sugars, 9 g protein
Lemony Ginger Turmeric Tea
Each year, upper respiratory tract infections (or URTIs) like the cold, flu, and viruses send 10 million Americans to the doctor. Now, a growing body of research finds that simple ingredients in this tea, like turmeric and ginger, might keep you from getting infected in the first place. And while honey won’t prevent a URTI, a new British Medical Journalstudy finds it’s more effective for cough relief than cough medicine, antihistamines, or painkillers.
Make it. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, ¼-inch sliced ginger root, ¼-inch sliced turmeric root, and ¼ diced lemon. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour liquid through a strainer, discarding ginger, turmeric, and lemon. Stir in 2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Per serving: 45 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 13 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 12 g total sugars, 11 g added sugars, 0 g protein
Orange Kiwi Green Juice
You could love this elixir for its cold-busting vitamin C (nearly twice your daily dose). But that’s not the only reason to drink up. Each serving packs a full cup of spinach, which is chock full of antioxidants that keep immune cells strong and healthy. Leafy green spinach is so powerful that its extract has been shown to protect against harmful bacteria like E. coli and S. aureus.
Make it. In a blender, puree 1 peeled kiwi, ¼ English cucumber (it’s less bitter than traditional cukes), 1 cup baby spinach, ¼ cup parsley sprigs, ½ cup 100 percent orange juice, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper until liquified. Serve as is (you’ll rack up 4 grams of filling fiber). Or, if you prefer pulp-free juice, pour through a strainer or cheesecloth.
Per serving (including pulp): 120 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 26 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 18 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 3 g protein
When you meditate, you’re taking the time to stop, breathe, and ground yourself in the present moment—which can have serious health benefits, including for your immune system.
“Meditation is a mindful practice that allows us to be in the present. When we focus too much on the past, we are more susceptible to depressive experiences—and when we focus too much on the future, anxious feelings are likely to arise,” says Dr. Catherine Jackson, licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified neurotherapist at Optimal Neuroholistic Services. “Meditation allows us to train our brains to focus more and more on the present—and, by doing so, reduce stressors that negatively impact the immune system.”
But how, exactly, does meditation help support healthy immune function?
Meditation helps reduce levels of cortisol—also known as the “stress hormone”
One of the biggest ways meditation can help boost your immune system is by lowering cortisol—also known as the stress hormone.
“Too much stress leads to the body producing too much cortisol—and when the body experiences stress for too long it becomes chronic, leading to an overactive production of cortisol which results in inflammation,” says Jackson.
“When people are chronically stressed, their cortisol levels are high and this can put their immune functioning at risk,” says Nicole Avena, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Visiting Professor of Health Psychology at Princeton University. “Meditation can help people to relax and reduce anxiety, which can reduce cortisol levels…[and] can help to improve our immune response.”
Meditation can help your body move from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”
Meditation can also help shift the body from the sympathetic nervous system—also known as “fight or flight” mode—to the parasympathetic nervous system. “Meditation induces the parasympathetic system, which is the ‘rest and digest’ system,” says physician and lifestyle medicine coach Kathy Tsapos Parmele, MD. “It induces a wide variety of biochemical changes by decreasing the gene expression of proteins related to inflammation and improving the expression of genes related to immune response.”
When your body is in rest or digest mode, you’ll also feel more calm—which, in turn, can help reduce stress and provide additional benefits to your immune system.
“Physiologic changes include decreases in oxygen consumption, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate,” says Tsapos Parmele. “These salutary effects impact the entire organism in that they reduce the inflammatory stress cascade that leads to immune dysfunction.”
Meditation has been shown to positively affect gut health—which supports healthy immune function
The digestive system plays a large role in immunity. The ways meditation impacts the body (for example, by lowering stress hormones) can help support a healthy gut—which, in turn, can support a healthy immune system.
“Decreased stress responses improve gut function through the GI-neuronal axis. A large part of our immune system lives in the gut as part of GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue),” says Tsapos Parmele. “Meditation decreases sympathetic nervous system activation, which in turn reduces cortisol and norepinephrine release, decreases intestinal permeability—[also known as] leaky gut—and reduces inappropriate activation of the immune system that otherwise leads to autoimmune disorders.”
How often do you have to meditate to experience the immune-strengthening effects?
Clearly, carving out time to meditate can have a huge impact on your body’s immune response. But how often do you have to meditate in order to enjoy those immune-boosting effects? “The key is to reduce stress, and just one meditation session can have a ripple effect of calming you, which can help reduce your current state of stress,” says Avena.
While one session can be all it takes to start driving immunity-boosting effects from your meditation practice, “the more you meditate, the better the response,” says Tsapos Parmele. “In our central nervous system, practicing any new activity results in neuroplasticity—growth of new neural connections that tie together and become more robust the more often you practice. In the same way, the more you meditate, the more those neural connections tie together and are able to more quickly achieve a parasympathetic state, leading to improved immune function and decreased inflammation.”
Just make sure not to get carried away; the important thing is that you actually start meditating—not that you meditate every day or create a “perfect” practice. “Many of us get really excited to start and take on too much too fast. Or we get overwhelmed or intimidated at the thought of meditating, especially if it’s new,” says Jackson. “Start with what’s comfortable for you and ditch the need to feel like you have to do it perfectly. Should your mind wander, gently bring your attention back to the focus of your meditation when you notice you’ve drifted off. The more you practice this, the better you will become with it and the more benefits you will reap.”
With cold and flu season looming, and with COVID-19 still a threat, you may be placing more of an emphasis than usual on staying healthy this fall and winter. Fortunately, there are a number of things which you can do to help boost your immune system naturally, which may help your body fight off harmful pathogens.
Try adding any, or all, of these lifestyle changes to your daily routine:
Eating a more plant-based diet. A diet that’s rich in whole foods—including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes—will provide you with more vitamins and nutrients than one filled with processed foods.
“A plant-based diet can help with reducing inflammatory state in the body and, thus, can help strengthen the immune system,” says Natasha Fuksina, MD, a board-certified internal medicine specialist based in Newark, New Jersey. “Green, leafy vegetables provide antioxidants, which help fight inflammation. Eating a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables will provide the body with carotenoids, which protect against oxidative damage and help T cells—part of the immune system—as well as flavonoids, which have antiviral properties and stimulate T-cells.” This doesn’t mean you have to go entirely plant-based, but adding more fruits and veggies into your diet certainly won’t go amiss.
Keeping your gut healthy. In recent years, researchers have realized that intestinal health influences immune function. You may change the composition of your gut bacteria by consuming probiotics. “Taking probiotics with high amounts of various species of good bacteria can help boost immune function by populating healthy bacteria in the gut,” Fuksina says. “Good bacteria help promote the strengthening of the intestinal barrier, which protects the body against harmful microbes.”
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles may be rich in probiotics, as well as cultured or fermented dairy products like yogurt, buttermilk, and kefir. Look for “Lactobacillus acidophilus” or “Bifidobacterium bifidum” on food labels.
Lowering your stress levels.Research shows that experiencing too much stress may make you susceptible to illness. Reducing the amount of stress in your life may have a positive impact on your immune system. “Try finding a few ways to focus your mind, or do an activity that helps to relieve stress when you notice the stress level is increasing,” says Caryn Campanelli, a certified personal trainer based in Berlin, New Jersey. “Reducing stress can be through a variety of self-care activities, from physical exercise, yoga, massage, mindfulness exercises—such as breathing exercises and meditation—and identifying sources of stress and ways to reduce the sources [or] ways to change one’s personal reaction to the source.”
Spending time in nature. Spending time in green spaces has been shown to strengthen immunity. “Letting our kids play in nature strengthens their immune system,” says Karina Krepp, a New York City-based certified personal trainer.
Some people go one step further when they’re in nature, going barefoot to feel the earth beneath their feet. This practice, called grounding, has been shown to help reduce inflammation, which may keep the immune system functioning optimally. The practice may also help you reduce your stress levels. “Walking on the earth with your shoes off is an easy way to reduce our experience of pain and anxiety, improving our mood,” Krepp says.
Staying hydrated. Some research shows that dehydration may cause oxidative stress, which triggers inflammation, causing the immune system to respond. Drinking enough water throughout the day may counteract this process. Staying well-hydrated also helps your body rid itself of bacteria, toxins, and other waste while transporting nutrients through the bloodstream.
“If you are dehydrated, your bloodstream slows… so it is harder to transport nutrients where they need to go,” says Kristin Foust, a nutrition coach and certified personal trainer based in Denver. “The more toxins and bacteria in your body that can’t be flushed out, the weaker your immune system is, because it’s fighting so many things at once.”
To stay well-hydrated, drink “half your body weight, in pounds, in ounces of water a day,” Foust says. “Drinks like tea and sparkling water count towards this.”
Exercising outside. Getting regular physical activity has been shown to strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of illness and chronic disease. “Those that perform regular exercise have a lower risk for many pathologies—that is, heart disease, diabetes, some cancers,” says Rick Richey, a New York City-based certified personal trainer. “It can also bolster your immune system, making exercisers more resilient against the symptoms of seasonal sicknesses.”
Taking your workout outdoors may strengthen your immune system further, because exposing yourself to sunlight helps your skin make vitamin D. “Adequate amounts of vitamin D is extremely important in the proper function of the immune system,” Fuksina says. “Several recent studies demonstrated a link between low vitamin D levels and poor responses to SARS-CoV-2 [the virus that causes COVID-19].”
Getting enough rest. Sleep helps your body recharge. Research shows that when you don’t get enough rest, your immune system isn’t as effective at fighting illness. “[Get] adequate sleep—at least 7 ½ hours per night,” Fuksina says.
If you get into bed at a reasonable hour and still have trouble falling asleep, blue light exposure may be the culprit. The blue light that smartphones, tablets, and laptops emit prevents you from producing melatonin, a hormone which makes you sleepy as bedtime nears. If you typically look at your devices all evening, stop an hour or two before bedtime; you may notice a difference.
Washing your hands regularly. Viruses and bacteria often enter your system when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with dirty hands. Give your immune system fewer bugs to fight off by cleaning your hands often. Wash with soap and water before and after eating or preparing food, before and after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, when you’ve touched shared surfaces and whenever your hands appear soiled.
