Helping Your Body’s Immune System: Protect Against Mycotoxins!

Our body’s immune system gets put through the paces on a daily basis fighting off germs of all kinds. Particularly at this time of year, when everyone spends a large amount of time in doors in close quarters, breathing recirculated air, it is virtually impossible to avoid germs and bugs that cause infection. Couple that with kids in school who come in contact with other sick kids, spreading of sickness becomes an inevitability.

For this and many other reasons, it is important to maintain the healthiest immune system possible. Generally, simple wisdom is excellent to heed––wash your hands frequently; do not eat or drink after one another; be careful touching things like handrails or keyboards in public places; etc. Getting regular exercise, proper rest and staying sufficiently hydrated are also simple ways to maintain excellent health. And of course, diet is key. But what diet is best for maintaining immune health?

We know foods high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals would be encouraged. Phytonutrients and anti-oxidants would also be a plus. Concomitantly, foods containing healthy fats would also be encouraged––foods like avocado, olive oil, fish, walnuts and other nuts, etc. But what foods would we want to avoid?

We all know that sugar is a scourge when it comes to maintaining health. Subsequently, foods that turn to sugar––such as foods high in carbohydrates––would also be a good idea to eliminate. We know foods containing trans-fats and other unhealthy fats are also a good idea to avoid. Foods containing additives, preservatives or other, unnatural ingredients might be good to eliminate, as well. But what if there was something else in our food supply––something, perhaps commonly overlooked––that could have detrimental effects not just on immune health, but our health overall?

According to medical research, there is a class of toxins common in parts of our food supply. These toxins are known as mycotoxins, and they are byproducts of certain fungal species that can contaminate our food supply. Some of these are among the most poisonous, naturally occurring substances on earth. In addition, many are known to be immune suppressants. If you are adhering to the Kaufmann 1 or Two Diet, you are likely already avoiding foods known to be contaminated with these poisons, including corn, grains, sugar, potatoes, peanuts, pistachios and alcohol. (For more information on what foods may be contaminated with mycotoxins, and what you can do to protect yourself from fungi and their poisons, visit our bookstore!)

Common sense is key to protecting against illness and promoting immune health; protecting against mycotoxins may be a great extra step to take to ensure wellness!