What kind of foods does our immune system require to be healthy and strong? There is no avoiding the fact that most of these foods are of animal origin: meat, animal fat, organ meats, fish, eggs and high-fat dairy (particularly fermented). These foods will provide protein, fats and fat-soluble vitamins; so necessary for your immune system to be healthy.49 Vegetables combine with all of these foods very well and will provide some extra nutrients and cleansing substances.
When we have a cold, we need to focus on hot soups and stews, made with homemade meat stock, fatty meats and well-cooked vegetables. Homemade sour cream, butter and ghee should be on the menu every day (unless dairy is not tolerated). Organ meats are very important to eat regularly, liver in particular. Liver is a powerhouse of nutrition; it provides all the nutrients necessary to have a strong and robust immune system. Other organ meats (kidney, heart, tongue, tripe, glands and brain) will provide their own mix of essential nutrients, such as large amounts of cholesterol.
Cholesterol is one of the most vital molecules necessary for our immune system! Animal experiments and human studies have demonstrated that immune cells rely on cholesterol in fighting infections and repairing themselves after the fight.50 On top of that, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol directly binds and inactivates dangerous bacterial toxins, preventing them from doing any damage in the body. One of the most lethal toxins is produced by a widely spread bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, which is the cause of MRSA, a common hospital infection. This toxin can literally dissolve red blood cells. However, it does not work in the presence of LDL cholesterol.50 People who fall prey to this toxin have low blood cholesterol. Considering that today almost all adult patients (and even some children) in our hospitals are prescribed statins to reduce their blood cholesterol, it is no wonder that MRSA has become such a problem as a hospital infection. In order to deal with it effectively we need to take steps to increase the cholesterol level in our hospital patients, and feeding them organ meats, animal fat and eggs with bacon daily will be a great help for their immune systems. It has been recorded that people with high levels of cholesterol are protected from infections: they are four times less likely to contract AIDS, they rarely get common colds, and they recover from infections more quickly than people with ‘normal’ or low blood cholesterol.51 On the other side of the spectrum, people with low blood cholesterol are prone to various infections, suffer from them longer and are more likely to die from an infection.52 A diet rich in cholesterol has been demonstrated to improve these people’s ability to recover from infections. So, any person suffering from an acute or chronic infection needs to eat high-cholesterol foods to recover. Cod liver oil, rich in cholesterol, has long been prized as a remedy for the immune system. Those familiar with old medical literature will tell you that, until the discovery of antibiotics, a common cure for tuberculosis was a daily mixture of raw egg yolks and fresh cream, very high in cholesterol.53
Fermented foods are a great help for our immune system.54 They provide active probiotic microbes and pre-digested, easy-to-absorb nutrients. Homemade yogurt, kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese and whey are soothing and healing for the digestive system and for the immune system, located in its walls.
Herbs and spices are good for immunity. Curcuma, ginger, garlic, onion, cloves, cumin, caraway, dill, coriander (cilantro) and other herbs and spices in small amounts should be a regular part of our diet. When we don’t have an infection, freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices can also help to keep our immune system and the rest of the body healthy. But it is not a good idea to have them during an active infection!
There are foods, which alter the immune, balance in the body and make us vulnerable to viruses; they can activate our resident viruses (such as herpes family or papilloma) and they will make it easier for viruses from the outside to come in. These foods are chocolate, fruit and nuts.55 Many raw vegetables can do that as well, if eaten in excess. When we have a cold or another active infection, we need to avoid these foods. Vegetables need to be cooked in meat stock as a soup or stew, or roasted with a large amount of animal fat. Cooked vegetables have a different effect on the body; they are easier to digest and are more nourishing than raw vegetables. When you have an infection, eat your cooked vegetables hot, not cold, as part of soup, stew or a meal with fatty meat.
People who decide to avoid all animal foods are called vegans. A vegan regimen is not a diet; it is a form of fasting. Fasting is a powerful cleansing procedure, which can be beneficial for a body with a large toxic burden. But we cannot fast forever! Any fast has to be fairly short. When the body finished cleansing it will require feeding, and that is when animal foods must be introduced. Vegetarians who keep themselves healthy eat plenty of eggs and dairy products (animal foods, which sustain them) and, at least occasionally, they eat meat and fish. Misguided veganism has become an important cause of mental and physical illness in the Western world.56 In all the vegans, I have seen in my clinic, the immune system is in a state of collapse; it is unable to mount a response to the environment. Vegans often say that they never have colds. In reality they get all the viruses that we all get, but their immune system is in no fit state to respond to them, so there is no fever, coughing, sneezing or any other symptoms of a common cold. Please read more on this subject in my book Vegetarianism Explained. Making an Informed Decision.
Some nutritional supplements can be helpful for the immune system. Good quality cod liver oil is one of the traditional, time-proven remedies. It provides cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D and K2 if the oil is fermented). Taking it on a regular basis is known to prevent common colds and other infections. An amino acid L-lysine can be very helpful when our resident viruses activate (for example, a herpes virus causing a cold sore). Taking a supplement of L-lysine for a few days right at the beginning of a cold sore developing can arrest the infection. An adult should take 3–6 grams per day; a child can take from 500 mg to 3 grams. Mushroom supplements, such as cordyceps, reishi, coriolus, maitake, shiitake and others have been demonstrated to boost our immunity and assist it in the fight against cancer and chronic infections.57 Raw bee pollen, dried green juices, colostrum, some herbs, natural vitamin C with zinc and many other natural substances have been shown to be beneficial for our immune system. Apart from L-lysine, most of these supplements need to be taken on a long-term basis, so it is a good idea to consult a health practitioner to get quality supplements.
This Post is from Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s book, page 60. Gut and Physiology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Allergies, Autoimmune Illness, Arthritis, Gut Problems, Fatigue, Hormonal Problems, Neurological Disease and More Paperback – Nov. 3 2020 by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride M.D.
Natasha Campbell-McBride MD
MMedSci (neurology), MMedSci (nutrition)
Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride graduated with Honours as a Medical Doctor in 1984 from Bashkir Medical University in Russia. In the following years she gained a Postgraduate MMedSci Degree in Neurology.
After practising for five years as a Neurologist and three years as a Neurosurgeon she started a family and moved to the UK. Fairly shortly after that her son was diagnosed autistic, which prompted an intensive study into causes and treatments of autism. It was during this time that Dr Campbell-McBride developed her theories on the relationship between neurological disorders and nutrition, and completed a second Postgraduate Degree in Human Nutrition at Sheffield University, UK. She practiced in the UK as a nutritionist and not as a medical doctor.
Dr Campbell-McBride used to run the Cambridge Nutrition Clinic. Having trained thousands of Certified GAPS Practitioners around the world, Dr Natasha has closed her clinic in order to focus on writing and teaching. As a nutritionist she has specialised in using nutritional approach as a treatment, and has become recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in treating children and adults with learning disabilities and other mental disorders, as well as children and adults with digestive and immune disorders.
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