Holiday Eating To Boost Immunity

Don't worry, you can still enjoy yourself!

- Beth Weinhouse

PEOPLE DON'T GENERALLY use the words 'healthy' and 'holiday eating' in the same sentence, and when they do, it's usually to express a worry about impending weight gain. Holidays are often a time of indulgence, even for people who are usually careful about their diets for the rest of the year.

But there's more to holiday eating than avoiding excess calories. What we eat affects the health of the entire body, including the immune system. Since most of the body's immune system is concentrated in the gut-and the trillions of healthy bacteria living there called the microbiome-what we eat has a direct impact on how the immune system functions. "A lot of people don't think about the effects of what they eat on immunity. But the science says it's crucial," says Heather Moday, MD, founder of the Moday Center for Functional and Integrative Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia, and Philadelphia. And it's especially important at this time of year, since the winter holidays occur around the time when illnesses like colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses peak.

While an occasional indulgence probably won't cause lasting damage, throwing caution to the wind till New Year's Day is certainly unhealthy and might make you more susceptible to getting sick. "Even just a month of really just blowing it and not caring about nutrition can impact the microbiome," says Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic's department of wellness and preventive medicine.

To keep your immune system functioning optimally, you don't have to stop celebrating. Just celebrate a little smarter.

HAVE A LITTLE ...