The more I learn about the immune system, the more it fascinates me. For some time now I’ve been interested in the roll that gut health plays in the immune system. 70% of the immune system is located in the gut, where diverse bacteria is best. Most people know that what you eat can affect your weight and energy level throughout the day, but you might not realise the extent to which your diet affects the immune system.

If this interests you, read on for more information.

As so much of the immune system is housed in the gut it is vital we keep our guts in tip top shape. Health really is wealth. This also means that a decent amount of issues within the body can be rectified by addressing our gut health. Whilst there are a number of very good probiotic supplements out there, it is possible to have excellent gut health with diet alone – but how do we do this?

If you look at the research on the gut microbiome the simplest way to summarise the advice is to “eat the rainbow”. That is to say that the best way to have a healthy gut is to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The latest advice suggests that in order to have a healthy gut and therefore a healthy immune system you need to eat around 30 different ‘plants’ each week. For clarity, plants include: fruits; vegetables; legumes; herbs and spices.

Despite this wide inclusion criteria, it can still be hard to keep this up with any level of consistency. We often begin a new regime with tons of enthusiasm, do well for a couple of weeks and then we trail off. In order to make lasting change though, we need to make changes that are sustainable. Changes that become a way of life, not a fad, not a diet.

In the busy, fast-paced world we live in, we need to identify methods of improving our heath and wellness that are easy, doable and straight-forward, and, things we can apply to the whole family. Lots of children and young people are not great at ‘eating the rainbow’. They might have their favourite fruits and vegetables, and it’s not unusual for children to only eat half a dozen fruits or vegetables. Many parents I speak to really struggle to get any fruits or vegetables into their children at all.

This is where brands like Linwoods come in really handy in busy households. This brand has been around for over 50 years. They are in the business of making healthy eating convenient and accessible to everyone, with their Health Food blends. Linwoods now has over 20 products in their range. The seeds are cold milled to preserve the nutrients and aid digestion. 

These are plant based foods containing seeds, nuts and fruits. These rich, nutritious and natural products can be easily added into many types of foods and by simply adding a couple of spoonful’s every day you can enrich your daily diet. It’s that easy.

You can stir these into smoothies, sprinkle them on breakfast cereals and so on. However, I’ve been buying these for a few years now and I bake with them (adding them to flapjacks, cakes and granola bars). I also stir several spoonful’s into the overnight oat pots I make, I put it in curries, bolognese, anything that goes in the slow cooker, like pulled pork and stir it into pasta and rice dishes. It not only adds to the flavour, but gives everyone a massive hit of nutrients they might not otherwise get.

Adding these mixes to your meals on a regular basis can help with all of the following:

• Blood Cholesterol Levels
• Blood Sugar Levels
• Cognitive Function
• Digestion
• Healthy Heart
• Immune System
• Menopause

It really couldn’t be easier, so do give them a go!