Bad nutritional expressions that damage immunity

As fall and winter approaches, it's important to focus on strengthening your immune system. Our immune system can be affected by things like stress, the amount of sleep we get, and especially the food we eat.

When it comes to immunity, it's important to have the best expert advice on how to approach the upcoming season.

Below we bring you the worst eating habits that can weaken our immunity:

Excessive consumption of alcohol

According to Mary Albus, a nutritionist, excessive alcohol consumption can have a negative effect on our immunity: "Alcohol can suppress the body's immune response to infection," because with alcohol consumption, the body can take longer to recognize and respond to an emerging infection.

Alcohol inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients, such as vitamin C and zinc, which are important for the functioning of the immune system. At the same time, they can change the way our body copes with the symptoms of the disease.

Excessive consumption of sugar

Too much sugar in our diet can weaken immunity over time. "Studies have linked regular intake of sugary foods to weakened immune function," says Albus.

White blood cells, which are involved in fighting infection, are negatively affected by excessive sugar consumption which can prevent them from effectively fighting infection.

Excessive consumption of salt

Excessive sodium intake can have long-term effects on the body. "Following a high-sodium diet that's high in processed foods can cause inflammation in the body and increase the risk of chronic disease," states Albus.

Also, salt is believed to inhibit some of our body's natural responses if consumed in excessive amounts. It can suppress anti-inflammatory reactions and even change the gut microbiota that plays an important role in our body's immune function.

Also, high sodium consumption is associated with worsening of existing autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease and lupus.

You don't eat enough fruits and vegetables

According to Matt Mazzino, a nutritionist, we need more fruits and vegetables in our diet to support the immune system. "Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants," he says, while these compounds are necessary to support immune system responses and fight infections.

Fruits and vegetables also have a lot of soluble fiber, which is actually beneficial for our immunity.

Vitamin D deficiency

"Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for supporting a healthy immune system," says Mazzino, because of its anti-inflammatory properties known to improve immune cell function.

If you work from home all day and don't get much exposure to sunlight, you may want to consider taking a vitamin D supplement to boost your immunity. /Telegraph/