Think Zinc: Why Your Body Needs It for Good Health

The body is a complex machine that needs lots of different nutrients to perform its daily functions. One of those nutrients is zinc. You may only think of it in relation to keeping you from getting sunburned, but it serves an even greater purpose than that.

Why should we be thinking about zinc? It is an important mineral in the body. Each day, the body performs thousands of reactions that can happen in the blink of an eye. From the foods we eat, the body filters out what it needs and directs it to the right places for use. What we don’t need is eliminated as waste. Each day the process begins again.

The Importance of Zinc

Zinc supplements. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the body, zinc is responsible for helping with hundreds of reactions in a variety of cells. For one, it plays a very important role in immune function. Zinc is instrumental in stimulating the formation of T-lymphocytes or helper T-cells. These are the white blood cells that rush to the sight of an invading infection to stop the onslaught on the body. It plays a role in wound healing as well.

Zinc stimulates enzyme activity. Enzymes are catalysts for hundreds of reactions, from secreting hormones from glands to stimulating the creation of reproductive cells.

It supports normal growth and development throughout your life. In the womb, it helps to ensure that the neurological systems develop as they should during each trimester of pregnancy. After birth it still functions to support brain development.

Basically the body couldn’t do without zinc and yet, many people are deficient in this mineral. It may not be noticed at first, but over time it can show up in decreased immunity or greater susceptibility to colds and other illnesses. You often see people taking Echinacea and zinc as natural remedies to fight these conditions.

Foods containing zinc. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Foods that Contain Zinc

The best way to get zinc into your system is through your food. This is always a preferable choice to supplements as it is the natural form of the mineral, and is more easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Check your diet. If you are not eating any of these foods, you could be zinc-deficient.

* Oysters
* Wheat germ
* Bran
* Cheese
* Beef
* Lamb
* Other dairy products
* Walnuts

The highest concentrations of zinc come from beef. Eating a few servings a week can boost your zinc levels. On a daily note, try adding nuts or cheese to your dishes. Wheat germ can be added to cereals and yogurt without changing the taste much. If that doesn’t do it, try fortified cereals that contain added zinc.

The average person over the age of fourteen needs eight to eleven milligrams a day. Children need between two and five milligrams depending on age, and pregnant women need eleven or more milligrams.

Zinc is an important mineral used in every cell in the body. Make sure you are getting enough to keep your body healthy and free of illness this winter.

How Stress Affects your Immune System

This time of year is when colds and flu start to run rampant. The decreasing daylight and Vitamin D levels, plus being stuck inside where germs can accumulate and circulate, make fall and winter the hardest seasons on your immune system. But there are things you can do to help keep your immune function high this winter. Eating right, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and taking supplements when needed can all help you stay healthy this winter. But one of the most detrimental things for your immune system is also one of the things we often ignore or don't think about when trying remedies to boost immunity.

Have you ever noticed that you tend to get sick more often when you’re stressed out?  Scientists have noticed this connection for a long time, but until recently they couldn’t explain it.  While a big project at work or the loss of a loved one isn’t going to give you the flu, it can decrease the functioning of your immune system and make you more susceptible to colds, the flu and other infections. 

It may surprise you, but very short term stress actually boosts the immune system.  Increased immune functioning is associated with the “fight or flight” response related to short term stress you know will end.  This is because our body is still trying to adapt to beat the stressor.  The problem with this is that a majority of our stress is continual over a long period of time - and this is where things get dicey and a number of health problems can result.

Regions of the brain affected by stress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Long term stress is what actually decreases our immune functioning.  The worst kind of stress is not only long-term, but stress we think we can’t control or see an end to.  For example, while meeting a deadline at work may cause a decrease in our immune functioning; it’s probably not as bad as stress caused by a debilitating accident.  When we think the stressor is beyond our control and may never stop, our body feels it can’t cope with the stress and it begins to take its toll.  This kind of stress causes a drop in almost all immune functioning. 

For regular, long term stressors, the decrease in immune functioning becomes greater with time.  This means even if you feel you are in a position of control, long-term stress such as a job with high levels of responsibility and not enough help, can build up and gradually decrease your disease-fighting abilities.

Another important factor to consider when looking at the immune system and stress is that the decrease in immune system functioning is greater for people who are elderly or already sick.  This is likely why older people who are severely injured or have recently lost a loved one are much more likely to die within a year than those who haven’t had these circumstances. 

You may think, “Well, I’ll drop my stress level and I’ll be fine”.  However, studies have show that traumatic events can stick with us and affect our immune system long after the stressor is gone.  If a person was in an accident, was attacked, or experienced a traumatic loss, they can show decreased immunity even years later.  The best way to increase immunity in this case is to undergo treatment for the trauma. 

In addition to causing a decrease in immune system functioning, stress can also make you more susceptible to other long term diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.  If you want to maintain a healthy body, you should include activities and a proper diet that promote a less stressful lifestyle.

Video - Immune-Boosting Foods

Keeping your immune system strong and healthy throughout the year is the best way to keep from getting sick, even when those around you are full of the sniffles and sneezes. We talk a lot here about ways to get healthy and how eating good, clean, fresh organic foods can really help keep your body healthy and toxin-free. But what should you eat, and what should you avoid?

Here are some suggestions from a holistic nutritionist for a few specific ways to get your body in balance and create a strong immune system this winter:

What to eat to fight a COLD and FLU
Holistic Nutritionist Wencke Von Mulhenberg talks with our host Peter Bedard about how to build your immune system and fight a cold or flu using food.

For more information on holistic wellness, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/holisticwellness.html.

How to Fight the Flu with Vitamin D

You may have heard of fighting colds with Vitamin C, but the importance of Vitamin D may be fairly new to you, as it has just recently come to the forefront of modern medicine. Exposure to sunshine helps the body manufacture Vitamin D, and Vitamin D boosts the body's own virus-fighting ability. This, along with other factors, is why colds and flu increase in the wintertime when there is less sunlight. If you want to use Vitamin D to help prevent the flu this year, here is how.

Image via Wikipedia1. Eat lots of wild-caught fish. (As an aside, it's interesting to note that the diet of the Eskimos, who live in a part of the world where there is no sunshine at all for long periods, includes lots of fish oil and is therefore rich in Vitamin D.) In descending order, some of the fish highest in Vitamin D are as follows:

* Herring
* Catfish
* Sockeye salmon
* Steelhead trout
* Halibut
* Sardines
* Mackerel
* Tuna packed in oil

It's also very beneficial to augment the diet with cod liver oil and fish oil supplements.

2. Choose a good Vitamin D supplement. Some recommend Vitamin D3, as this is said to be the effective and the least likely to cause problems if taken in large amounts. Most supplements are in increments of 1000 IU - take up to 5000 IU per day. Children under the age of ten should have less; no more than 2000 IU is suggested for children aged two to four, and no more than 3000 is recommended for children under ten.

Image by colindunn via Flickr3. Increase your Vitamin D intake if you have been exposed to the flu. You can take up to 10,000 IU if you think you've been exposed. Make the necessary adjustments for children.

4. Get outside in the sun when you can. It can be tough in the wintertime, but go outside as much as possible on sunny days. While your face may be the only skin exposed to the sun, it may still provide a bit of help.

5. Supplement your Vitamin D with common sense. You can also help your immune system ward off infection by getting regular exercise and enough sleep, and of course avoiding those who are contagious if at all possible. Be sure to wash your hands well and often during cold and flu season. It's amazing how much of a difference just these little common-sense things can help!

Note: Extremely high doses of Vitamin D can be toxic, so if you plan to take high doses of Vitamin D for extended periods of time, you will want to consult with a naturopathic physician and get your blood levels checked. Most people in North America are actually deficient in Vitamin D (some extremely so), so normally this will not be a problem, but you may still want to get tested to be sure.

Note: Due to the holidays, we won't be posting next week, but we hope you all have a wonderful, fun, and safe holiday! Be sure to check back in the New Year for some more great tips on living a clean & green healthy life in 2012 and beyond!

Related Articles on Fighting the Flu with Vitamin D :

• Even Low Dose Vitamin D Slashes Flu Risk by Nearly Half (talesfromthelou.wordpress.com)
• Tune Up Immune System to Fight Flu (abcnews.go.com)
• Vitamin D outshines vitamin C at preventing flu virus (drbradshook.com)
• Vitamin D studied as flu-fighter (healthzone.ca)