COVID-19 "Lower The Load" Challenge : Your Immune System
Think of your immune system as an army. COVID-19 is the enemy. The first job of your immune system is to keep COVID out. More here
- Black Oaks Center x Byte Challenge Text Message
Day 2 of 14
Learning About Your Immune System
The immune system is your most important natural defense against viruses like COVID-19.
The goal of this “Lower The Load” Challenge is to teach you how you can use food and other self-care strategies to get your immune system as close as possible to working at its best.
Want daily support with plant-based eating tips and other wellness lessons texted to your phone? Become a Healing Member. Click here to learn more
Not All Immune Systems Are Created Equal
To be clear, not all immune systems are created equal. Not everyone’s immune system can get an A+, no matter how hard we try. Everyone has a different ceiling or upper limit for how well their immune system can function. You might be wondering what your upper limit is. It’s hard to know your immune system’s potential, but we do know what affects that potential:
Genes
Chronic conditions
Medications that Affect the Immune System (Immune Modulators)
Chronic Stress that can Modify Your Genes (Epigenetic Factors)
Can You Strengthen Your Immune System’s Potential?
Okay, your immune system has an upper limit for how well it does. Yours might be a B+. That means that your immune system can never work higher than a B+ level. Is there anything you can do to push your B+ upper limit up to an A?
The short answer is “NO”.
You can’t change your genes or your age, which are the main factors that set your immune system’s upper limit. Immune systems are weakest at the extremes of age (very young and very old). Immune systems can also get weaker when people have chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure even obesity (when a person has too much extra fat). In theory, controlling these conditions and maintaining a healthy weight, could increase your immune system’s upper limit, but this could take months to years to achieve.
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Watch this video from Wired to learn more about how the COVID-19 virus interacts with your immune system here:
How Can You Get Your Immune System to Work At Its Highest Potential?
When you were growing up, did a teacher ever tell your parents, “Little [your name here] is bright, but she/he’s not reaching her/his full potential in my class” ?
If our immune systems went to school, most of use would probably get a report like that: “Your immune system is performing well-below its potential”.
Your immune system’s total potential is set by factors that you don’t have much control over. But, your immune system’s actual functioning at any given moment is affected by things we do have control over, especially the things we eat!
Just because your immune system’s highest potential is B+ doesn’t mean it’s working at a B+. It might be working at a C right now! Why? Not getting enough sleep, carrying chronic stress and eating a standard American diet can deplete your immune system.
For example, the immune system uses specific parts of food for fuel. Some of these are vitamins (like Vitamin C and Vitamin A). Others are even smaller parts, called phytonutrients. If you don’t eat enough of these vitamins and phytonutrients, your immune system might not have all the right fuel it needs to function at its best.
That’s where our Lower The Load Challenge comes in. Byte Wellness and the Black Oaks Center believe you DESERVE to understand how eating can boost your immune system closer to its potential so your natural defenses are as prepared as possible to prevent COVID-19 and to fight it if you do contract it.
Let’s start learning! If you haven’t signed up yet, text COVID to 1(224)302-6224. You’ll get daily text messages walking you through the 14-day Challenge.
Otherwise, click here to see the Lower The Load Learning Plan and follow along online.
Also, read a message from Dr. Jifunza Wright, President of the Black Oaks Center, and holistic medicine physician and food systems pioneer. Get her take on how we can use food to make our immune systems as healthy as possible and give ourselves the best chance of preventing COVID-19 infection.
