5 Foods That Break Down Your Immune System

1. Sugar

Sugar has been vilified by the health community for good reason — it is a zero-nutrient substance that has been linked to corroding your teeth and your brain. High blood sugar level also greatly reduces the ability of germ-fighting white blood cells to kill bacteria and viruses. Do not eat refined and processed foods during flu season because of their high sugar content,candy, cookies, soda, and most packaged foods are all off-limits. The American Heart Association says Americans consume 20 teaspoons of sugar on average per day. High-fiber foods such as brown rice, lentils, and chickpeas will stabilize blood sugar levels and keep the immune system in check.

2. Cereal and white bread

Simple carbs contribute to the "tsunami of sugar" found in our daily diets, according to author and integrative clinical nutritionist Kathie Swift. "The average person is drowning in sugar,. Refined grains in cereal and bread quickly convert to glucose when digested. Can't give up your morning cereal or toast? Superfoods such as millet, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth are now available in cereal and bread form. Another breakfast option that boosts immunity: rolled oats with bananas, cinnamon, and a splash of organic almond milk.

3. Fatty foods

There are many reasons to eliminate fried food from your diet — here's another: High-fat diets can negatively affect your body's response to infection. obesity and high-fat diets "depress host resistance to infectious disease and apparently influence susceptibility to some forms of cancer." Swift suggests replacing some of the animal meat you eat, which is high in saturated fat, with lentils, beans, and plants for protein. "Food is critical to immunity.

4. Alcohol

Relax — you do not have to give up your weekly glass of red wine, but Levin urges casual drinkers to reduce their imbibing during flu season. Alcohol impairs the immune system and interferes with the body's ability to ward off infections. Studies have proven that excess alcohol consumption may lead to immune deficiency and increased susceptibility to certain diseases. Experts say one drink (defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 ounce of hard liquor) will not disrupt the immune system but three or more drinks will.

5. Dairy

Many dairy products — such as store-bought yogurt — contain high levels of sugar, Cheese, milk, ice cream, and other dairy products "can exacerbate clogging of the lungs and should be avoided," health expert Gary Null writes in The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing. According to the Mayo Clinic's James Steckelberg, milk does not necessarily produce more phlegm but drinking it "can make phlegm thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be.



IMMUNITY-BOOSTING -

Though high in natural sugar, fruits such as bananas, mangoes, oranges, and pineapples are "protective of the immune system," .That are loaded with immunity-boosting vitamins A, C, and E (nuts, seeds, beets, tomatoes, peppers, and carrots). One last tip: Your overall digestive health affects your immune system, so Swift encourages people to take probiotics and add fermented foods such as pickled veggies, kefir, miso, and kombucha to their diets.