Food is directly linked with all aspects of our health. Whatever we put into our body has an effect on how our body functions. One of our best tools to encourage good health and combat bad health is our diet. With the current state of the world, your immune system is your best friend against viruses, disease, and sickness. Seeing how a virus has shut the entire world down over the past year, it’s obvious how impactful a strong immune system is. Luckily for us, one of the best ways to boost your immune system is by doing something most people enjoy: eating good food! 

Inversely, bad food promotes poor health. In the United States, heart disease is responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths. There are foods that naturally combat heart disease, but, unfortunately, there are even more foods, that are much more common and accessible, that advance heart disease. Along these same lines, nearly half of all adults in the United States have hypertension or high blood pressure. 

In order to fight against hypertension and heart disease, while promoting immunity health, here’s a food to avoid at all costs and a drink to indulge in! More than 70% of the sodium in American diets comes from packaged and processed foods. In fact, most American adults consume almost double the amount of recommended salt intake. It’s sad to hear, but the silent contributor to this problem is bread. Most bread is overly processed and unhealthy, however, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have bread. Bread is as essential a food staple as they come. There are many healthy bread options. When you’re shopping for bread make sure to confirm it’s made from whole grains, low in fat, and has fiber. Bread doesn’t have to be an enemy!

On the flip side, there’s a drink that everyone should be scrambling to include in their diet and that’s fruit smoothies. Not only do they taste delicious, but they’re also a surefire way to boost your immune system quickly. Since 70% of our immune system is located in our gut, what we eat and drink greatly influences the strength of our immune response. To bump your smoothie game up another level, try including green vegetables like kale or spinach to increase your antibody production to an even higher level. 

On top of a healthy diet, it’s a good idea to take dietary supplements to ensure you reach your body’s nutritional needs. Make sure to keep your immune system at the highest possible level. Another smoothie option is high-quality protein powder. It can be added to many other different foods like pancakes and oatmeal. Some other helpful supplements are BodyK’s Vitamin D3 capsules to support your immune system and BodyK’s Multi-Vitamin Complex dietary supplement to support a variety of functions in your body.