Views from the Shore
By Brian Cahill
As COVID 19 continues to hold its grip on the world, nearly every person struggles with what they can do to stay healthy. Aside from what is required with the wearing of masks, hand washing and social distancing, we all have the opportunity to help ourselves by building our immune system.
Do We Have the Power to Boost Our Own Immune System?
Our immune system is not just something we are born with and have no power to change. Every part of our body, from our lungs to our heart, to our blood and lymphatic system, to our gut are part of our immune system and it is impacted by what we do and what we do not do.
Infection Prevention Supervisor at Shore Medical Center, Rita Moore said emphatically that we do have power to build our immune system. “In light of COVID 19, there are additional risk factors like Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, asthma and cancer. But we are not helpless, we can do certain things that will contribute to a stronger immune system to fight disease,” said Moore.
Pre-existing Health Issues Matter
“We are seeing it over and over,” said Moore. “Looking at the COVID 19 numbers and it is rare that a hospitalized patient does not have a pre-existing condition.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates as well that underlying medical conditions put adults of any age at increased risk for severe illness from the virus. Those conditions that are included on the CDC the list as the strongest and most consistent evidence of demonstrating an association with severe outcomes include cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery, cardiomyopathies, obesity (BMI > 30), pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking, solid organ transplant, and T2 diabetes.
Food is the Recipe for Disaster
Rita Moore said processed food with all its additives along with too much meat, too much protein and dairy are problematic to our gut and likewise to our immune system. She added, the increase in obesity in Americans from things like a cheeseburger, fries and a milk shake are causing so many larger issues than just one quick fast meal, they are impacting our immune system.
For Rita Moore, the moderation attempts to move to a cleaner way of eating did not work. “It is moderation that got you to where you are so while it may initially be hard to make the change in your diet, the long-term outcome is what counts. Eliminate the oils and the processed foods, eliminate the meat and the dairy.”
Fill up with Fiber
“Fiber is what keeps us filled,” said Moore. “We should really know what is in the calories we are consuming, not just how many of them. Fiber is very important to keeping our gut healthy and happy and that is essential to a stronger immune system.”
She suggested a simple way to begin is to follow U.S. Dept. of Agriculture dietary guidelines for Americans on myplate.gov that provides healthy options and information for everyone to eat a better and more sustainable diet. MyPlate emphasizes the need for more leafy vegetables, legumes, and fruits and include less dairy and protein than its predecessor, the food pyramid.
Don’t Live to Eat, Rather Eat to Live
After much personal research, Moore said she found the book “Eat to Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman extremely helpful. “It provided me with guidance and a sustainable program to a cleaner and better way to eat.” She credits Fuhrman’s plan with dropping her cholesterol level by nearly 20 points in six weeks without any medication, but by strictly adhering to the new eating plan, cutting out meat and dairy.
Load up on Leafy and Go a Little Nuts
Leafy vegetables are loaded with goodness and loaded with fiber and that keeps things moving through the gut and makes for a happy bowel. Including fruits into the mix is an important part of each day’s meals as well. She said adding several ounces of nuts such as raw walnuts or peanuts is a plus along with being a tasty treat.
While it is not a quick answer or a quick fix Moore said building our immune system from the inside out through the foods that we eat as well as the foods we remove from our diet is a great way to better health.
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center. He is also on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University, and is a founding member of Somers Point-Community First, a local volunteer organization.
