Improving digestive health is essential to enhancing the immune system and lowering risks from bacteria, viruses and toxins, a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Taoyuan General Hospital said.
In addition to wearing a mask and washing hands frequently, enhancing gut health is also key to fending off diseases, as the gastrointestinal tract is where food enters the body and is home to 70 to 80 percent of the body’s immune cells, nutritionist Chang Hsiu-nien (張秀年) said.
Good dietary habits contribute to good gut health, and people should eat more high-fiber food, proteins and antioxidants, she said.
Some dietary fiber can be fermented by specific microbes in the large intestine with the production of short-chain fatty acids, which stimulate intestinal barrier development and inhibit the growth of “bad” bacteria, both of which strengthen the immune system, she said.
People should eat at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day to ensure sufficient fiber intake, she added.
Avoid deep-fried food and eating late at night, and try to maintain a regular meal and sleep schedule, she said.
People should eat good sources of protein — such as meat, eggs, dairy and soybeans — and only eat a portion of meat about the size of the palm of the hand, she said, adding that moderate amounts of seafood rich in zinc, such as clams and oysters, are beneficial, too.
Antioxidants in natural foods — such as vitamin C and E, anthocyanin, lycopene, allicin, lutein and quercetin — can help with intestinal repair, and phytochemicals can help reduce inflammation, prevent excessive amounts of free radicals and speed up cell metabolism, she said.
Beneficial phytochemicals are commonly found in grains, beans, vegetables and fruits, and the more colorful the food is, the higher its phytochemical content and the better restorative power it has for intestinal cells, she added.
As part of preventive medicine, people should eat no fewer than 30 foods per day, as a large variety of food is important for a healthy gut, she said.
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