You’ve probably noticed how your diet affects your energy levels, digestion, or even how your skin reacts. These are pretty obvious signs. However, what may not be as apparent is how your daily eating habits impact your immune system. This system is constantly working in the background, defending you against the numerous germs you encounter daily.
A diet rich in whole foods can support and boost your immune defenses, but here’s the catch: a diet that’s low in nutrients, high in calories, and full of processed foods can weaken your immune system and cause other problems.
Here are six foods that might harm your immune system:
1. **Commercial Baked Goods:**
Store-bought cakes, pies, cookies, and brownies are far from healthy or homemade, except if they’re from a local bakery. They’re packed with processed oils, omega-6 fatty acids, and refined sugar. Our bodies need a balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Many Western diets are loaded with omega-6 from processed seed oils, which can promote inflammation and weaken the immune response.
**Solution:** Make your own treats with wholesome ingredients, like Cosmic Brownies with fiber or a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake rich in healthy fats and protein.
2. **Fried Foods:**
While tasty, regularly eating French fries, chicken fingers, or potato chips isn’t great for overall health. Besides increasing cancer risks due to acrylamide in foods like fries, fried foods also contain harmful compounds called AGEs (advanced glycation end products), which form when foods are cooked at high temperatures. High AGE levels are linked to inflammation, various diseases, and premature aging.
**Solution:** If the saltiness draws you to fried foods, try adding healthy Celtic or Himalayan sea salt to your meals. For crunch, bake or lightly roast foods, such as Rosemary Sweet Potato Wedges or Chicken Fingers from *The Joyous Cookbook*.
3. **Food Additives:**
Processed and ultra-processed foods, like microwave dinners, frozen pizza, and ice cream, are packed with additives—flavorings, colorings, preservatives, and stabilizers. These foods are high in calories and additives but low in nutrients. A study suggests that food additives may increase the risk of chronic inflammation or metabolic conditions. Substances such as sucralose, aspartame, and carrageenan, found abundantly in our food supply, have been associated with immune dysfunction in animal studies.
**Solution:** Read labels and limit or avoid foods with additives. Purchase fewer packaged foods.
4. **Refined Carbohydrates:**
Commercial breads, cereals, and granola bars might seem healthy due to clever marketing. However, most are filled with additives, sugar, preservatives, and refined grains. When packaging claims “whole grain,” it may only refer to one ingredient, so it’s important to read the entire label. White pasta and bread should be occasional treats, especially if you have blood sugar issues. Refined grains are stripped of essential nutrients, leaving starch, which elevates blood glucose levels and can lead to insulin resistance and long-term health issues.
**Solution:** Opt for truly “whole grain” breads, minimize packaged cereal consumption, and scrutinize labels on granola bars. Watch out for “gluten-free” items, which can be just as refined.
5. **Alcohol:**
It’s no secret that long-term alcohol use harms the immune system. Daily drinkers have higher risks of respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and other complications. Even moderate drinkers can be affected since alcohol initially impacts the gastrointestinal tract, altering gut microbiome composition and potentially weakening immune health.
**Solution:** Consider significantly reducing alcohol intake. The amount considered acceptable varies among experts. If you’re looking for fun alcohol-free alternatives, try Easy Summer Mocktails.
6. **Sugar:**
Foods like juice, soda, candy, cookies, and chocolate often contain sugar or ingredients ending in “ose” among the top five on the label, which turns into glucose. High sugar intake can impair the immune system by promoting excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
**Solution:** Save sugary foods and drinks for special occasions like birthdays. Joyous Health offers lower-sugar options like Chocolate Almond Butter Cups for those seeking healthier treats. Use natural sugars in moderation.
To support your immune system, focus on eating immune-boosting foods, and explore the related podcasts for more information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
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“I’m a grandma and needed to hear this.”
Glad to be helpful!
