Is Your Lifestyle Weakening Your Immune System?

In today’s world, we live in an undisputedly fast-paced society. For the majority of us, we work longer hours, sleep fewer hours, have far more stress placed upon our bodies, and are expected to jampack more into our day-to-day responsibilities. Not to mention, we are exposed to damaging chemicals that put a different kind of stress on our bodies through the toxins in our food, pollutants in the air, chlorine in our drinking water, and pesticides in our vegetables.

Seems kind of scary, right? To be completely frank, it is. The average modern day diet and lifestyle don’t contain adequate nutrients and are ravaged by far greater stress levels than what our bodies can naturally handle, which in turn, weakens our immune system and puts us at a higher risk of illness. So, what’s the specific problem with our diet and lifestyle and what can we do to fix it? Find out below! 

Nutrition

How does what I eat impact my health?

It should come as no surprise that food is the most effective medicine for maintaining health and preventing illness. However, on the other hand, it also has the ability to hinder and decline our health just as quickly, if we’re not consuming the nutrients our bodies actually need. Simply put, the food we consume provides our body with the nutrients needed to facilitate our day-to-day functions, internally and externally. Without the correct nutrients, our metabolic processes are jeopardised, and as a result, our health declines. 

What does food actually do in our bodies? Well, to simplify a relatively complex subject - the nutrients found in the foods we consume play an important role in enabling the cells in our bodies to perform their required functions, which are vital for our growth, development and maintenance. There are six essential nutrients our body requires to function properly, which include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. Nutrients are compounds sourced from food that provide us with energy, regulate chemical processes, and act as the building blocks for growth and repair. 

How does the modern day diet impact health?

In today’s society, we’re slaves to convenience. With more focus on our work responsibilities, our family life and everything in between, less attention is given to other important areas of our lives, like nutrition. The reality is, on average, a large portion of our diet contains processed foods, which means: 

1. Fewer nutrients 

Our supermarkets are packed with conveniently packaged processed foods purely to appease our busy lifestyles. While these foods may satisfy our cravings, they certainly won’t improve our nutrient intake as most of the natural nutrients have been eliminated during the refining process. 

2. More additives 

Processed foods generally contain artificial colours, additives, flavourings and chemically-altered fats and sweeteners. These additives are not good for our bodies. 

3. Fewer nutrients in natural foods 

Even natural foods, such as vegetables and fruits, aren’t the same as they were 15 years ago. Wondering why? The nutrients in the soil have been largely depleted, meaning that the produce grown from that soil is also lacking in the same nutrients. Additionally, chemicals are used more frequently than before in raising both the plants and animals we consume 

4. A lack of food variety 

Did you know that more than half of the calories we consume come from just four foods: corn, soy, wheat and rice. As cavemen (and women), we were taught to eat varying foods based on the seasons. However, today, we have more variety than ever before, yet we’re consuming only the foods that we enjoy or that are convenient. This means that our bodies aren’t getting a variety of nutrients. 

So, how can ATP Science Multifood help? 

When it comes to maintaining optimal health, there’s no denying how important nutrients are for allowing our bodies to function at their best. ATP Science’s MultiFood is designed to provide your body with a natural balance of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, polyphenols and other plant-based nutrients lacking in the modern-day diet. Multifood’s clinically dosed formula is jam-packed with antioxidants, mineral combinations and key extracts to help enhance gut health, immune health, metabolic properties, and general wellbeing. 

Following the belief that vitamins and minerals from organic and natural sources are more balanced and can be more efficiently utilised by the body,  ATP Science Multifood has been created using whole foods, the way nature intended, to provide a balanced form of quality micronutrients. Simply put, Multifood is a combination of foods grown by a team of clever farmers, processed in a specific way to preserve nutrients, tested to ensure it contains the exact nutrients, and then placed into a tub in the form of an easy-to-use powder for utmost convenience. If you’re struggling to get your daily dose of nutrients, Multifood may be just what your body needs to function and perform at its best. 

Immune Health

What is your Immune System?

It’s no secret that our immune system is one of the most underrated functions and defence mechanisms. I mean, we essentially have an army of cells, tissues, proteins and organs working together by looking for potential threats to destroy in order to keep us happy, healthy and functioning optimally...surely that deserves more credit than what we tend to give our immune systems!?  

Your immune system is your body’s primary defence against illness and infection. It plays an important role in destroying harmful bacteria, microbes, toxins, viruses and parasites, which essentially means it’s responsible for helping to get rid of anything unfamiliar and potentially threatening to your body. However, There are many genetic and lifestyle factors that may impact your immune system’s ability to function at its best, including the following:

1. Stress

Stress is one of the biggest factors contributing to a weakened immune system, especially in today’s society. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, stress is the health epidemic of the 21st century. While a stress response is a normal bodily function required in certain situations (such as life-threatening encounters), being constantly stressed is not healthy. When the body is in high-alert over a prolonged period of time, it uses up excessive energy and makes it difficult for the body to return to a normal state. Additionally, stress hormones are suggested to shut down the immune system, making us more susceptible to disease and infection. 

2. Sedentary Lifestyle

According to a study published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, leading a predominantly sedentary lifestyle with minimal exercise can affect the body’s ability to fight infection. The study suggests that inactivity may result in an impaired immune system, inflammation, and various chronic diseases. Incorporating as little as 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine may be just what your immune system needs to keep fighting strong! 

3. Overactive/underactive immune system

while your immune system’s intentions may be well and good, unfortunately, this defence system doesn’t always function as intended, meaning you can have an underactive immune system, whereby it’s weakened and ineffective, or an overactive immune system, which means it’s working too hard, and in doing so, ends up working against you. 

• Underactive - When you have an underactive immune system, it becomes overwhelmed and cannot effectively react to invaders. From colds and the flu to viral disorders, pneumonia, fungal infections and hepatitis, an underactive immune system leaves your body highly vulnerable to a number of illnesses.

• Overactive - With an overactive immune system, your body can’t tell the difference between healthy normal cells and those that are harmful invaders, which results in your immune system turning against you. 

4. Diet

Diets loaded with saturated fat, salt and sugar are associated with impaired immune health. Additionally, those with low energy intake (i.e those on a low-calorie diet) are at a higher risk of infection as it reduces immune function, while those with excessive energy intake may also impact the immune system’s ability to efficiently fight infection. 

How can you protect your immune system?

One word: Resilience! 

Calling on the age-old benefits associated with frankincense, myrrh, gold turmeric, reishi, and amla fruit, ATP Science Resilience is an adaptogenic formulation that works to boost and normalise your immune system and improve your resilience in response to threats. Resilience is designed to:

• Normalise your immune system - If your immune system is underactive, it can help pick it back up and if it is overactive, it can help to calm it down. 

• Helps protect you from oxidative stress - Resilience is loaded with powerful antioxidants that help to protect you from your own defence mechanisms and various other toxins and free radicals. 

• It helps to get us out of survival mode and into repair and recovery mode.