12 Steps to Boost Your Immunity

MEET GAYE

Gaye Jacobs has recently celebrated 50 years of marriage, has three married children and nine grandchildren. She is a registered nurse and a certified health coach. Following college she raised her children, worked part time in hospitals and clinics, and later became interested in a more natural approach to treat disease. She studied to become a functional medicine health coach and a Gerson Therapist. Over the last 20 years she has been a consultant for health and wellness.

Gaye became a Christian as a child and has led many women groups and enjoys both speaking at women gatherings and participating as a mentor to young women.

12 STEPS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY IN THE NEW YEAR

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. – 3 John 1:2

My passion since graduating from nursing school has been to study what the body needs to optimize health. That passion has led me to become a better nurse, a certified health coach with an interest to help people who have health issues. My passion includes helping others become aware of how God made the body and its capabilities to perhaps heal if it is given the correct treatment and right nutrients. I spend hours reading, researching and listening to podcasts from smart doctors who have successfully helped people improve their health situations. I am honored to be able to share what I have learned in this blog.

STEP 1: PROBIOTICS

It is important to realize how important the bacteria in your gut are to your health. Your body contains about 100 trillion bacteria – more than 10 times the number of cells you have in your body. The ideal ratio between the bacteria in your gut is 85% “good” and 15% “bad”. To maintain this ratio is essential for good health.

Ways to optimize gut flora include:

Probiotic — Take one capsule in a.m. w/ large glass of water on an empty stomach.
Eat and drink fermented foods daily. Examples include sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha.

STEP 2: WATER

Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water. Start with one glass of water when you first wake up.

STEP 3: MINERALS

Our soil is depleted of valuable minerals, therefore, it is necessary to add them to your diet daily. I recommend Sun Warrior Liquid Mineral — 1 capful in the morning with water. Adding a little Himalayan Sea Salt to your water also supplies wonderful minerals.

STEP 4: ELIMINATE WHEAT, GLUTEN AND HIGHLY ALLERGENIC FOODS FROM YOUR DIET.

These foods can create inflammation in your body and although you may not have any obvious symptoms, your body can easily be intolerant to these foods. The grains that are easiest to digest include quinoa, rice, buckwheat and millet.

STEP 5: AVOID PROCESSED SUGAR AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES.

These include soft drinks containing aspartame, splenda or saccharin. Total sugar consumption should not exceed 25 grams daily for women and 36 grams daily for men. Today the average person eats between 70-150 grams of sugar/day. Read your labels and check the sugar grams.

Eat no more than a couple fruits daily. Berries and grapefruit sections are considered to be a lower glycemic form of fruits to consume. Avoid high fructose corn syrup at all costs.

STEP 6: RAW FOODS

Raw foods should make up at least 1/3 of your food intake. They supply more micronutrients which are generally lost in processed or heated foods. Eat 8-10 raw vegetables and fruits daily (with most being vegetables). Organic vegetables and fruits are recommended.

STEP 7: FATS

Add good fats and eliminate bad fats. Omega 6 (inflammatory) and omega 3 (noninflammatory) are two essential fats that are categorized as polyunsaturated fatty acids. We lack the ability to make them in our bodies so we must get them from our foods. A good rule of them is a 3:1 ratio.

Avoid safflower, canola, corn and sunflower oils. The good oils to consume are avocado, coconut and olive oil.

STEP 8: CARBOHYDRATES

Eating good carbohydrates is critically important. They give your body energy. It is wise to hold the carbohydrate count to 40-60 Grams daily.

STEP 9: PROTEIN

Vegan sources of protein include grains, beans, nuts, seeds, protein bars and protein powder. Animal sources of protein include meat using the palm of your hand for portion size.

STEP 10: FASTING

Try fasting as there are over 100 health benefits of fasting. A few benefits include weight loss, slows down aging, supports brain function and may help with disease prevention.

STEP 11: FOODS TO AVOID