Nutrition Gut Health and Immunity Are Connected

First of all, let’s discuss how gut health and immunity, along with nutrition, are important for menopausal women. Have you ever wondered how gut health and the immune system are connected? You may also be wondering about some of the best ways to boost immunity. Almost 80% of our immune response comes from a healthy gut, so keeping it in good shape boosts our ability to fight infections and viruses.

Even more, this is the time of year to nurture this important system of our body to fight off those nasty germs and viruses, I wanted to talk with you a little bit more about the effects of nutrition for increased immunity.

Often, there’s a lot info about what to eat to maintain GI tract on the web and some of it does not have much science to back it up, so I want to share with some good resources based on recent research to keep your gut healthy and also a one of our family’s favorite recipes that I fix during cold and flu season to boost our immune system and promote gut health!

After we discuss how the digestive system helps support the immune system by protecting and preventing disease, I will be sharing resources and recipes.

Gut Microbiota and Immune Support

How does your gut microbiome affect health?

Gut microbiota and microbiome are often used interchangeably, but I just wanted to share with you the slight difference. But if you use one instead of the other, we will know what you mean.

The gut microbiome mix of bacteria, yeast, and other microbes that live in our gut. Each of us has our unique blend of beneficial gut bacteria as individual as our fingerprints!  Microbiota tends to be used when talking about the bacteria themselves. Just like neighborhoods can be nurtured and taken care of or run down, our healthy gut bacteria can become overrun by less healthy so it needs to be balanced to have plenty of healthy gut bacteria to help our body in a variety of ways.

Gut dysbiosis is the imbalance and lack of diversity of the types of gut microbes that live in the gut, along with having less healthy microbes that want to take overtake the good microbes. The balance of healthy bacteria has great importance on gut health and a healthy immune System

How to Improve Gut Health and Immunity?

Most importantly, if you want to boost immunity, look to your gut. There are several foods to improve gut health and the immune system.

Kate Scarlata and Patsy Castos are two registered dietitians who have researched the nutrition gut health immunity connection and the best diet for digestive health. Here is a little summary of their suggestions on some of the best foods for gut health

How Can Nutrition Support Gut Health and Immune System?

What is gut immunity?

Here is some information on the foods to improve gut health. Since gut health and the immune system are so interconnected, these are also some of the foods that boost your immune system too! Nutrition and our immune system go hand in hand, and it is the best way to protect yourself from illness in addition to reducing stress, getting adequate sleep, and engaging in physical activity.

1. 
   

   Eat more whole foods & less processed foods

   
   

   Some additives included in processed foods, which contain emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 & carboxy methycellulose can negatively affect gut health by reducing the healthy microbes in the gut. Watch out for these additives on food labels. And focusing more of fresh foods can help improve gut health.

   
   
2. 
   

   Get adequate fiber naturally from foods.

   
   

   Also, the types of high fiber foods can help improve digestive health and nutrition. Soluble fiber found in foods like oatmeal and beans is soluble in our digestive tract and forms a soothing gel, which can comfort our gut.
   Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, is not soluble in our digestive tract, but it is broken down by our gut bacteria and helps provide the fuel to make them flourish. It is also the food that helps keep our bowels regular.

   A diet rich in fiber will provide the prebiotics that are needed to feed healthy gut bacteria and help them flourish.
   
   
3. 
   

   What foods feed good gut health? Add prebiotics and resistant starch.

   
   

   Another great way to improve gut health is to add prebiotics, a type of fiber which are the preferred carbohydrate foods that are beneficial to feed healthy bacteria. These include rye, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, barley, onions, garlic,

   and legumes. The bacteria in our gut break down prebiotics into butyrate, which is a short-chain fatty acid that helps provide fuel for gut bacteria to help them grow and flourish.
   
   For people with IBS who do not tolerate prebiotic foods well, they may benefit from resistant starches like potatoes, corn tortillas, raw oats, and green bananas instead. If you have cooked beans, rice, and mashed potatoes and refrigerate the leftovers, you will see a thickness to them, and this is resistant starch, which is also good for the gut.
4. 
   

   Adding live fermented foods.

   
   

   With so many probiotics out there and the fact that they are not regulated may make it so they may not

   be the best option to add healthy bacteria to our gut. However, foods containing healthy bacteria like kimchi, yogurt, and lactose-free yogurt, and other foods can also help nurture healthy gut bacteria and are among some of the best foods for the immune system.
   
   Here is a little more on the Vine Nutrition Blog about fermented foods & their healthy, natural probiotic effects.
   
5. 
   

   What foods weaken the immune system?

   
   

   Not only can what we eat boost our immune system but also eating foods like excess sugar, fat,

   and processed foods may increase inflammation in our body. While eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains,

   and small amounts of healthy fats that reduce inflammation in the body, this has an important role in gut health and immunity.  I have written a post about inflammation here.

   
   
6. 
   

   Role of Polyphenols in Gut Health and Immunity

   
   

   Polyphenols are a healthy food chemical called phytochemicals that help boost immunity and improve gut health. The two main types of polyphenols are flavonoids

   and phenolic acids. Some of the foods rich in these include grapes, green tea, apples, and berries. You can find out more about how these foods boost gut health, Nutrition, and the immune system, along with lots of other health benefits, in one of the blog posts

   at the Vine Ripe Nutrition website: Health Benefits of Polyphenols

   
   
7. 
   

   Vitamin D, Gut Health,

   and the Immune System
   Lots of people are looking for more information on the role of vitamins for the immune system, and vitamin D has great research on its role in reducing inflammation in the gut, and also helping boost the immune system. This article shares some great information on the Benefits of vitamin D on gut health and immunity.
   
   It is difficult to get vitamin D in foods, so we mostly get it from sunshine, but during the winter months and working indoors, many of us do not get the amount of vitamin D needed for good health. Also, with certain health conditions and as we get older, we may not process vitamin D adequately. There may also be a group of us who have a genetic variation that contributes to lower vitamin D levels in our blood.
   
   There are many people with lower levels of vitamin D, so it is a good idea to get levels tested for good health. For people who are overweight and obese, the vitamin D produced in the skin or ingested, the vitamin D is distributed in fat tissue.

   So this may contribute to blood levels being lower.

   
   

Nutrition Gut Health Immunity Recipe

Are you looking for foods to improve your gut health and immunity?

I want to share one of my recipes to get you started on digestive health and nutrition to help you boost your immune system and nourish your soul! My family loves it too! This flavorful, colorful low fodmap soup recipe below is very satisfying and delicious! The tofu is rich in polyphenols, and the soup is rich in fiber to help boost gut immunity.

Tomato Pumpkin Curry Soup With Tofu

This soup contains a lot of healthy ingredients that will improve your gut health and immunity. High fiber, prebiotic/resistant starches, whole foods that are not processed, anti-inflammatory spices, and topped with some yogurt with some live cultures! It may turn out to be one of the best low-FODMAP soup recipes that you have made! The seasonings used to make this soup are not only delicious but also gut-soothing and anti-inflammatory.

Makes 4-6 servings

1 cup celery, chopped

1 small pumpkin skinned & diced

2 cups red potatoes, diced

1 cup celery, small diced (you can reduce the portion or leave out if you have IBS, and celery is one of your trigger foods

(1/3 cup onion if desired)

(1-2 cloves garlic, minced if desired)

16-ounce can of tomatoes, diced

1 box, extra firm tofu, drained and cubed into 1/2 by 1/2 inch cubes, baked (see baking directions below)

3 cups low fodmap vegetable stock (made without onion or garlic if you have IBS triggers some of your symptoms)

2 cups baby spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Curry Spice Blend (1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin,1/2 teaspoon ground or grated ginger ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne & 1/2 teaspoon coriander)

Garnish for Soup

Cilantro for garnish

Plain yogurt with live cultures

Peanuts for garnish if desired

To bake tofu, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place tofu in a glass pan and toss it with oil and let it bake, stirring every 5 minutes, until it becomes a little crispy after 15-20 minutes. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, saute celery, onion, pumpkin, and potatoes in 1 tablespoon of oil. We veggies start to get brown, add garlic, salt, pepper, and spices. Mix well and add tomatoes and broth.

Allow to simmer on low for at least 30-45 minutes until vegetables start to get soft. Just before serving, add spinach and allow it to barely cook. When ready to serve, add to the bowls. Top each bowl with the baked tofu, a large cilantro sprig, and a dollop of yogurt. You can also add a few roasted peanuts as a garnish.

Take Home for Menopause Gut Health and Immune System

 In summary, I hope that you find some of these tips helpful for your gut immunity diet. Having a healthy immune system helps us stay well during cold and flu season and may protect us from other viruses or lessen the severity of some of these.

It is exciting to learn about the foods to increase gut health immunity! In addition to a healthy gut having a role in building a powerful immune system, it is also a very important component of brain health!

If you have been diagnosed by your physician to have certain GI conditions like IBS, Celiac, IBD, or motility issues, find a registered dietitian who specializes in GI conditions can help you individualize your meal plan so you can improve both your gut health and immunity.

I would love to hear how you like the Tomato Pumpkin Curry Soup with Tofu! I would also love to hear the healthy things that you are doing to improve your gut health and immunity. Feel free to share in the comments below!

Good Gut Health- We all want it, but many of us are mystified about how to get it! Now you know what to do to help get you started on gut health nutrition, and the immune system. Use your diet for digestive health advantage and get an additional immune system and gut health boost!

If you want to know more about nutrition immunity and gut health as we get older, you may benefit from this article about menopausal women and gut health.

I will be opening up a new course on menopausal women and gut health. Details will be coming soon. Sign up for my free 5-day course on fighting gut health, and you will be one of the first to find out more!