Ways to boost your Immune System when you have Celiac Disease
When you have celiac disease, you have an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system isn’t operating appropriately. In the case of celiac disease, your immune system is being overactive and attacking things that don’t really pose a threat, thus causing damage. This overactivity, in turn, can stress your body and leave you feeling sick or even leave you more susceptible to other illnesses. Here are some ways to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease!
What does it mean to boost your Immune System?
First, let me clarify what I mean by boosting your immune system. When you have Celiac Disease, your immune system is already overactive. It’s already “boosted” in a sense. “Boosting” your immune system essentially implies you want it to work harder, which is not actually what you want.
Instead, you want to support your immune system so it works smarter not harder. For the sake of simplicity, whenever I refer to ways to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease, I really mean ways to support your immune system when you have celiac disease.
There are a few ways to support your immune system when you have celiac disease. Please remember, however, that this is only to serve as complementary or supplementary information to your own individualized care provided by your healthcare provider. This is not to take the place of individualized health care provided by the appropriate health professional. Please consult your health care team before making drastic changes to your lifestyle to make sure those changes are safe for you.
Ways to Boost your Immune with Celiac Disease
1
Live a Strict Gluten-Free Life
Living gluten-free is one of the best ways to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease. It helps keep your immune system’s overactivity at bay.
I say living not eating gluten-free because when you have celiac disease, it’s important to see living gluten-free as your lifestyle. As something permanent, because the life-long treatment for celiac disease is to live gluten-free.
You not only have to worry about what you put in your mouth but also an array of other things. Things like what you feed your dog, what you clean your counters with, what you put on your body, and more. You not only have to worry about if what you’re eating is gluten-free, but if there are points in your life that leave room for significant cross-contact.
Thus, again, a gluten-free lifestyle is arguably the best way to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease.
3
Enjoyable Physical Activity
(a part of a general healthy lifestyle)
Studies show that physical activity is a great way to reduce the risk of chronic illness (think hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease). Not only that but it has been linked to a positive change in your microbiome. Meaning it can help keep you happy and healthy through your first line of defense, the good bacteria in your gut!
American guidelines recommend that healthy adults strive for 2.5 hours of physical activity a week. This amounts to 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week.
4
A Balanced (not perfect) plate
(a part of a general healthy lifestyle)
First, I want to emphasize that you should aim for a balanced, not perfect, plate (or eating pattern). This means you should focus on fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods while also enjoying processed foods on occasion. It’s about moderation, not deprivation.
Additionally a balanced healthy eating pattern will look different for everyone. You should eat in ways that help make you feel energized and good. What works for me, might not work for you.
For example, I love salads. I could eat a salad at every meal and still want more salad. I just love cold crunchy vegetables. However, I get that salads don’t elicit that kind of love and excitement out of a lot of people and that’s okay. Just because I love salads and they are a frequent flyer at my table, doesn’t mean in order for you to live healthily, they also need to be a frequent flyer at your table.
A great way to do this is to eat for your microbiome. Nourishing your microbiome can be a great way to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease.
Ultimately though, find the foods that you like and makes you feel best, and focus on them!
5
Self-Care
(a part of a general healthy lifestyle)
Self-care is a great way to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease. Self-care can be anything from brushing your teeth (using gluten-free toothpaste) to taking a few minutes out of your hectic morning to simply enjoy your coffee.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup so make sure you’re routinely filling yours. (check out this post on how to create a self-care routine).
Basically, living a generally healthy and balanced lifestyle is a great way to boost your immune system when you have celiac disease. This entails enjoyable physical activity, a balanced diet that leaves you feeling energized, and self-care!
6
Find and Access Support
Cheesy I know but support can be everything, especially when you feel like you have no fight left! Support is especially important when you have celiac disease.
Support can help you stick to your gluten-free lifestyle and a healthy lifestyle, and thus can help boost your immune system. Support can be found online or in person. Whatever is doable, achievable, and accessible to you!
7
Stay Nourished!
When you have celiac disease, especially if you are in the gut recovery stage, you are at risk for some nutrient deficiencies. Taking supplements might be a way to make sure you’re getting enough of the necessary nutrients.
However, I can not emphasize enough that you should always try to get your nutrients from foods first. Supplements should be your last resort and only take supplements after consulting your doctor!
Some nutrients of concern are iron, calcium, magnesium, Zinc, Vitamins A, D, E, K, and the B-Vitamins. (Click here to learn more about supplements people with celiac disease should consider).
You might want to also have your diet focus on herbs and spices. Especially since not only will they give your food incredible flavor but they can be powerful antioxidant powerhouses!
Ultimately
There is no easy way to “boost” your immune system overnight. When you have celiac disease, simply going gluten-free and living a balanced and healthy lifestyle can do wonders. That magical tea or celery juice? It’s not doing what you think ;).
Remember small changes daily can lead to monumental long-term change over time.
What are some ways you like to utilize boost your immune system?
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