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Is it possible to boost your immune system and lose weight at the same time? Is there even a correlation between weight loss and enhancing your immune system’s response? I have all the answers below, but before we get started, let’s start from the very beginning. Namely, in the doctor’s office.
Within a healthcare setting, doctors tend to see more people who are feeling unwell rather than healthy individuals.
So how do you become a part of the group that’s so healthy that they seldom see their doctor instead?
In theory it’s quite easy accomplish. In practice though it requires determination in the form of developing healthier habits to avoid ailments.
Le’ts begin by taking a look at the body’s first line of defense: the immune system.
But what exactly is immunity and the purpose of the immune system?
Table of Contents
Immune System’s Role
Immunity is the body’s defense mechanism that helps fight and prevent illness.
The body works hard on a daily basis to maintain a healthy balance between inner processes and the outer environment. Having a strong immunity essentially determines how well one feels as it protects against unruly harmful disease(s) and associated problems.
So, what can we do to boost our immunity in order to continue having all these benefits?
How To Boost The Immune System
Well, there are actually a few healthy habits that we can adopt that will not only help maintain a healthy immune system but can also lead to weight loss!
Weight loss?
I know… it sounds obscure. However, the habits that are required to maintain optimal immunity (or boost your immune system) are actually the SAME habits needed to lose weight.
See, funny enough, immunity and weight are actually linked by inflammation.
Immunity and Weight Connection
Factors like bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins in the environment, food allergies and a poor-quality diet all decrease the immune system. They also lead to inflammation and then eventually cause weight gain!
What happens next?
A nasty cycle gets created.
Decreased immunity causes inflammation and this inflammation then leads to an increase in weight.
This then cycles back around and causes a decrease in immunity. And unfortunately, the cycle continues.
Unless we break the cycle.
Inflammation and its Effects
Now acute inflammation is actually a necessary defense mechanism. It protects against injurious stimuli (by removing it) and thereby promotes healing to take place.
The problem is when this acute inflammation becomes uncontrolled (from the accumulation of numerous factors affecting your immune system). This leads to the formation of chronic diseases, such as, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression, and even OBESITY.
In fact, more and more research claims that inflammation is truly related to the accumulation of excessive body fat.
Therefore, to break the inflammation cycle, we need to embrace healthy living practices which will improve both our immune system AND our weight problems. So essentially if you are extremely overweight and/or obese, you can boost your immune system through losing weight.
Let’s look at these healthy habits that we can start applying today. These are some of the best habits to help you lose weight and boost your immune system together!
How To Boost Your Immune System AND Lose Weight!
1. Diet
Diet and Immune System
Plant based derived foods are the best to consume as they protect immune function by decreasing inflammation within the body.
And what exactly is whole foods plant-based diet you ask?
Whole foods: is natural foods that are not heavily processed
Plant-based: are foods that are derived from plants and not animals including meat, milk, eggs or honey.
Great examples of plant based diets include the Mediterranean diet and the Anti-Inflammatory diet.
The Mediterranean diet It is primarily plant-based diet and focuses on whole food and very limited quantities of any type of packaged or processed goods:
- Items that are consumed regularly in high amounts include: veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and pulses.
- Food that can be consumed in abundance includes: olive oil, olives, avocados, and other things that are high in mono and polyunsaturated fats.
- Items that can only be eaten in a limited amount: meat and meat products (especially red meat, where beef, pork, and lamb were reserved for special occasions)
- Things that you should very rarely consume are: ice cream, butter, processed meats, whole fat dairy products (except if they were fermented).
The Anti-Inflammatory diet involves basically replacing sugary refined foods with whole, nutrient-rich foods which are healthy for all cells, tissues, and organs.
The following is a list of food categories that are excellent examples of non-inflammatory items.
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Dark red grapes
- Nutrition-dense vegetables
- Beans and lentils
- Green tea
- Red wine (in moderation)
- Avocado and coconut
- Olives
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and almonds
- Fish
- Turmeric
- Dark chocolate
- Ginger
Just like our immune system, an unhealthy diet is also a large proponent of weight gain.
Diet and Weight Loss
Many chronic diseases such as obesity are caused by excess inflammation (as discussed earlier). And one cause of excess inflammation is eating a diet poor in whole foods.
Eating excess calories of sugar, starches, and trans-fats is a major cause for obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Which is why a wholefoods plant-based diet low in animal protein, fat, sugar, and refined carbohydrates (with plenty of flavor) is recommended.
Scientific evidence agrees that moving to a wholefoods plant-based diet can prevent and even reverse chronic disease like obesity.
The benefits of eating primarily plant based items are not just reversal of obesity but also disease prevention, easy weight management and a lighter environmental footprint.
It would be wise to start eating plant-based foods as it not only will boost your immune system but can help you lose weight as well!
Check out the links below on obtaining a healthy diet:
#1 Best Diet For 2020: Mediterranean Diet
How To Fight Inflammation: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
The Best Probiotics For Your Gut! A Doctor’s Guide
How These 17 Gut Healthy Recipes Can Heal Your Microbiome For Good
2. Exercise
Exercise and Immune System
According to research, moderate amounts of regular aerobic exercise leads to a better immune system response.
During moderate exercises, there is a temporary boost in the production of immune cells. These cells in turn circulate more quickly throughout the body to kill off bacteria and viruses.
If exercise is continued on a daily basis, this can strengthen immunity and have long lasting effects. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be excessive!
On the contrary, it’s been found that sedentary or excessive exercise has deleterious effect on immunity.
Moderate exercises such as brisk walking, swimming, mowing the lawn etc for 20-30 mins, 5 days a week is ideal for a strong immune system.
For weight loss, exercise is also an important component.
Exercise and Weight Loss
The exercises found to work the best when wanting to shed pounds were again aerobic workouts or better known as “cardio”. However, the difference lies in the intensity of the workouts.
High intensity aerobic exercises have been found to be more effective than low intensity aerobic workouts when weight loss is the main concern.
Good examples include Zumba, spin class, kickboxing, high intensity interval training (HIIT) etc.
BUT, with that being said, ANY exercise regardless of what intensity it may be, will help with weight loss IF you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Moral of the story, improve your immune system and weight loss efforts by choosing to work out regularly!
Check out the links below on fitness:
Top 11 Resistance Band Exercises For A Total Body Workout At Home
Top 9 Fat Burning HIIT Workout Videos For Beginners and Advanced
4 min Flat Belly At Home Workout Plan
Top 11 Weight Loss Yoga Poses For Beginners
3. Stress
Stress and Immune System
Achieving optimal immune health also involves maintaining inner harmony when it comes to handling stress in our lives.
While acute stressors (ie. taking an exam) might actually boost the immune system because they tend to be present for only a short duration. Chronic stress on the other hand is the one that damages our immunity.
Chronic stress (ie. bereavement) generally occurs when stressors last for more than 1 month, are overwhelming and cannot be resolved.
The body undergoes what is called a “fight or flight” response releasing a surge of hormones called adrenaline and cortisol.
When the perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal and other body systems resume their regular activities.
But when the stressor is constantly apart of your life, your body remains under attack so the fight or flight response remains on.
Cortisol continues to be released resulting in inflammation and decreasing immune fighting cells needed to protect us against viruses and bacteria.
Additional studies support the evidence that people who are specifically, chronically stressed are much more likely to develop viral infections like the common cold.
And you know what? Cortisol not only suppresses the immune system but also causes weight gain.
Stress and Weight Loss
This is actually a well-known fact that cortisol causes central obesity by storing fat in the abdomen .
Furthermore, cortisol also contributes to weight gain by increasing appetite and affecting food preferences (ie. comfort food) along with other hormones.
This leads to overeating of unhealthy processed foods and eventually weight gain.
It’s best to boost immunity and weight loss by finding healthy ways to de-stress!
Check out the links below on how to relax when feeling stressed:
Healthy Habits of People Who Never Get Stressed
11 Absolute Best Yoga Poses For Beginners
Morning Yoga Stretches: Secrets To Waking Up Happier
Meditation 101: The Ultimate Guide To Meditation For Beginners
Top 5 Ways To Relieve Anxiety Naturally With Supplements
4. Sleep
Sleep and Immune System
Good quality sleep is important to your overall health which includes your immune system.
Lack of sleep has been linked to more people being susceptible to illness after coming in contact with a virus and slowing recovery time.
One study showed that after being exposed to a common cold, the group of people who slept for 6 hours or less for a month, were 4 times more likely to get the cold then those who slept for 8 hours!
Evidence shows that sleep deprivation alters immune function by affecting the body’s killer cells needed to ward off infection.
During sleep, our body produces cells for our immune system. So, when sleep deprived there is a reduction in the making of these antibodies and cells required to fight off sickness.
The amount of sleep required to bolster the immune system for adults is 7-8 hours of good quality sound sleep.
Similarly, weight loss benefits a great deal from sleep.
Sleep and Weight Loss
Chronic lack of sleep affects the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates which may cause weight gain.
Also, research shows that those who do not sleep well, have an increase in hunger and appetite particularly for high calorie dense foods like carbohydrates.
Explanations for this could be that while sleeping, we secrete hormones that regulate appetite. When sleep is disturbed so are these appetite regulating hormones resulting in poor eating practices. Another reason could simply be that a lack of sleep causes fatigue and less physical activity.
Many studies, as a result, have found a link between sleep deprivation and obesity.
Therefore, it’s imperative to get the recommended amount of good quality sleep for both immune boosting and weight loss effects.
Check out the link below for proper sleep hygiene techniques:
6 Simple Lifestyle Changes That Can Reverse Chronic Illness
5. Alcohol
Alcohol and Immune System
Many studies highlight the affect that alcohol has on immune function. In fact, it has been proven that heavy binge drinking can be just as damaging for health when comparing to one who has been drinking excessively over a large period of time.
Studies indicate that alcohol impacts immunity both directly and indirectly by damaging immune pathways and therefore disrupting logical sequences from taking place naturally.
This disruption then leads to a whole host of problems. These problems arise from a weakened immune system resulting in a greater susceptibility to illness and disease, such as, pneumonia, ARDS, alcoholic liver disease, certain cancers, poor wound healing and postoperative complications.
As clear as it is that their is both a direct and indirect relationship between drinking alcohol and immune function, less clear is the affect of drinking alcohol and weight gain.
Alcohol and Weight
Research indicates that drinking moderate amount of alcohol (1 drink in females and 2 drinks in males) is safe on a regular basis when combined with a healthy lifestyle.
However, studies also show that the relationship between the two factors is simply more complicated than that. Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol over a period of time has been associated with weight gain.
And that other factors, such as, the type of beverage you drink, family history of alcoholism, inactivity, sleeping patterns, hormone imbalance all contribute and make one more susceptible to weight gain when drinking as well.
It’s better to drink in moderation for the sake of both your immune system and weight!
6. Positive Mindset
Mindset and Immune System
The mind is a powerful being.
And do you know what the majority of people choose to do with their time? Complain!
It has been found that Americans complain 70-84% of the time in any given conversation. Meaning, a lot of time is being monopolized with a negative feeling.
Studies show that having a positive mindset not only decreases stress but improves both innate and humoral types of immunity present within the body!
So the next time you feel as if you are about to complain or see the negative side of something, try and convert that thought to something a little more positive and joyous instead.
Mindset and Weight Loss
Your mindset is a big predictor of living a healthy lifestyle. If your mindset is negative and rooted in feelings of doubt, insecurity, stress, and unhappiness, it is that much harder to feel good about oneself.
However, a positive mindset is literally the opposite of that. You suddenly have the ability to look at the bright side of things, to head to the gym, to develop proper sleep habits, and to eat properly.
Several studies indicate how mindset is a big factor in achieving weight loss. The result being that weight gain is associated with a negative mindset, and weight loss/maintenance is associated with a positive mindset.
Without having a positive mindset, it’s impossible to motivate yourself to lose weight. The thoughts that run through your mind will cause you to feel unmotivated and defeated before you even start.
Which is why you should try and:
-step back and look at the big picture
-write out the complaint instead of speaking it
-practice being a non-complainer
-find the positives
-practice gratitude
Be positive and your immune system and weight loss efforts will flourish!
Check out the links below on how to keep a positive mindset:
17 Self-Relationship Goals: Quotes To Nourish Your Inner Soulmate
21 Fitness Motivational Quotes To Conquer Your Goals
30 Days of Gratitude Challenge
27 Ultimate Motivational Quotes For Success!
30 Day Social Media Detox Challenge: To Help You Live In The Moment!
To summarize, the 6 habits that can enhance your immune system are: A healthy plant based diet, regular exercise, decrease stress, improve sleep quality, moderate alcohol consumption and a positive mindset. These habits will help to “boost” your immune system and lose weight when done right.
Choose a healthy lifestyle for your immunity and your weight.
Stay happy, stay healthy.
