Infections Otorhinolaryngology, digestive, pulmonary ... In spite of our natural defences, it sometimes happens that we resist badly to the aggressions and that we fall ill. This vulnerability, nurse therapist Jean-Paul Curtay explains it in three points: we are too tired, we lack certain key nutrients and finally we consume foods that benefit infectious agents. Through immuno-nutrition, he explains how to strengthen our immunity by first optimizing our diet.
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Magnesium to prevent our vulnerability
Magnesium plays a fundamental role as a "great balancer" in the face of all types of stress (thermal, chemical or psychological). In situations of stress, we mobilize a lot of attention and energy to find an answer, a solution. This explains why we are more tired and therefore more vulnerable to attacks, especially infectious. Moreover, with each stress situation (surprise effect, bad news, overwork ...), we still concommand a little more magnesium and end up missing. To improve our energy production and reduce our impact on stress, it is therefore essential to ensure good intake of magnesium.
Where to find it?
First in mineralized waters (around 100 mg per liter). They can be used for cold and hot drinks, for soups, but also for cooking food that absorbs a lot of water such as rice, other cereals and pulses. They are also found in semi-complete or complete cereals, in pulses and soybeans, in green vegetables, in oilseeds (nuts, hazelnuts, almonds ...) and in seafood.
Zinc to boost our antibodies
Zinc is the most important mineral for anti-infectious defenses. It is particularly necessary for the production of our antibodies and our white blood cells, our two main defenders. However, 80% of the population does not receive the recommended intakes of 15 mg zinc per day, and more often the elderly, who absorb it less well than the others.
Where to find it?
Zinc is mainly hidden in proteins of animal origin: white and red meat, fish, crustaceans and seafood, eggs. As for the zinc contained in vegetables, it is very badly absorbed by the human organism. Vegetarians and vegans must therefore be even more attentive so as not to miss them.
Vitamin D for its preventive assets
Vitamin D is best known for improving calcium fixation on bones. It is commonly used in the prevention of rickets in babies and osteoporosis in the elderly. But new research has recently made it possible to know that this vitamin also had qualities in the prevention of certain frequent cancers (breast, prostate and colon) and diabetes, and that it was essential to the functioning of the white blood cells (still them) .
Where to find it?
Vitamin D is found in very low quantities in most foods, except in oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna ...) and oils extracted from it (cod liver oil, halibut oil ...).
Who are our enemies, the foods that prevent us from being more resistant?
First there are the saturated acids of butter, cheeses, fries. They allow viruses and bacteria to forge stainless membranes that are unaffected by the corrosive substances secreted by the white blood cells to destroy them. In addition, we consume too much iron, mainly from meat. Iron is used by infectious agents as growth factors. But it must not be missing either, because it is also a cause of least resistance. It's all about balance. To these excesses of unfavorable nutrients are added pollutants present in foods and drinks which have negative effects on our anti-infectious defenses.
What do you recommend, in addition to a reflective diet, to optimize our defences?
It would be ideal to have a constant physical activity every day. Indeed, it is very important to maintain an optimal muscle mass, even more with age, because it is in it that is the glutamine, the main fuel of our white blood cells. It is also necessary to ensure a good sleep and a good management of his stress. Finally, to reduce pollutant loads, I recommend detoxification cures.
