Urijah Faber said, “Good health is true wealth,” and nothing could be more true. Health is the greatest wealth—especially during the sick or flu season. This includes, above all, nutrition—we can actively support our healthy defense with the right vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
Our body is home to a small ecosystem of bacteria and other microorganisms called the microbiome. This ecosystem is closely linked to our immune system. If it gets out of balance due to stress, illness or an unbalanced diet, it can affect our healthy digestion and also our immune system. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria in the microbiome that support healthy balance and our body's defences. They can be found in foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi.
Prebiotics are the food for the probiotic bacteria, provide energy and make them stronger. Prebiotics are found in foods like bananas, greens, onions, and artichokes.
For a microbiome in balance, your daily diet should contain sufficient prebiotics and probiotics.
Prebiotics can be found in LiFiber, Bios 7, ProBionic Plus and Hawaiian Noni. Probiotics are found in ProBionic Plus.
Green Tea Catechins
Did someone say “tea time”? Not only can green tea create a natural energy boost—it can also boost immune health!
Green tea catechins contain natural antioxidants that protect the body from oxidative stress—an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants.
And if you’re wanting an extra health boost, the epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC) content—a powerful antioxidant—is three times higher in dry matcha leaves than regular tea leaves. So let’s drink up some Unicity Matcha!
Green tea catechins are found in Unicity Matcha Energy, Unicity Matcha Focus, Matcha X AM and Matcha X PM.
Zinc
After iron, zinc is the most present mineral found in the body, and it operates as one of the body’s key building blocks. Zinc is critical to the healthy development and function of immune cells, and it has been proven to decrease the duration of the common cold. The mineral can also aid in protein synthesis, healing wounds as well as normal growth and development.
The body has no specialized system for storing zinc, so it must be consumed regularly. Below are some of the products that contain the vital mineral.
Zinc is found in many Unicity products such as Vision Essentials, Complete, Complete Vegan Vanilla, Bios 7, Renew for Men and Renew for Women.
Vitamin C
Whenever the common cold strikes, the most frequently suggested antidote is vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential tool in the immune health arsenal, and it supports immune defense by aiding cellular function.
But before we begin gulping down orange juice, it’s important to note that different sources of vitamin C are broken down and absorbed by the body at different rates: Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Ascorbate, and Magnesium Ascorbate are each used at different rates. So to have a steady supply of vitamin C circulating throughout our bodies, it’s important to use a variety of sources.
Vitamin C can be found in Bio C, Complete, Vision Essentials, Oasis and more.
Echinacea
Echinacea, better known as the purple cornflower, is a flowering plant in the daisy family. It was long used, and is still used, as a remedy by the Plains Indians to aid sore throats, colds, coughs, and snake bite.
It is one of the plant types most well-known for supporting a healthy immune response, and it has been clinically proven to reduce the length and frequency of sickness as well as the severity of symptoms.
References
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"Green Tea Catechins - Today's Dietitian Magazine." https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0819p18.shtml. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
"Iron and Zinc Nutrition in the Economically-Developed ... - NCBI." 13 Aug. 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3775249/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
"Zinc in Human Health: Effect of Zinc on Immune ... - NCBI - NIH." 3 Apr. 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277319/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
"Zinc — Health Professional Fact Sheet." 6 Mar. 2020, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/. Accessed 13 Mar. 2020.
"Zinc - Mayo Clinic." 24 Oct. 2017, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-zinc/art-20366112. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
"Zinc — Health Professional Fact Sheet." 6 Mar. 2020, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/. Accessed 13 Mar. 2020.
"Vitamin C and Immune Function. - NCBI." 3 Nov. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29099763. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
"eastern purple coneflower - USDA Plants." https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_ecpu.pdf. Accessed 13 Mar. 2020.