Winter is often associated with an all out attack on our immune systems. When these challenges become overwhelming they manifest in some type of illness ranging from the common cold and flu to more serious conditions leading to cancer and heart disease.

If you develop and maintain a healthy immune system there is no reason why you can’t avoid the so-called flu and cold season. First up you need to recognize  that the "immune system" is not like any other of the body’s systems (cardiovascular, respiratory or digestive systems). You can’t see it or localize it. It is an integrated mechanism your body uses to protect and defend itself from the invasions by bacteria, viruses, etc. from the outside world.

Immune system strength is determined by a combination of lifestyle choices -  the foods we eat, our responses to the "stresses of life" and our activity levels.

Our diets provide the building blocks for healthy cells that are the most significant part of healthy immunity. To enjoy a healthful, illness-free, high-energy winter, think about forward planning your food choices so they become part of your lifestyle.

Here are some tips to bolster your immune system over the winter months:

1. Eat enough protein to support optimal health and chosen lifestyle activities. You require approximately 0.75 to 1.25 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Most people get more than enough from their normal daily food intake. You don’t need things like protein powders and the like. Ideally your diet should be made up of 50-60% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein and 25-30% of carefully chosen fat. Eat some protein at every meal. There is some recent research suggesting at least 30 grams of your daily protein intake should come from soy to provide adequate "isoflavanoids to help build and protect immune function
2. Choose "low" glycemic index" (GI) carbohydrates. The GI is a measure of how fast blood sugar rises after eating carbohydrate based foods. Sugar has GI of 100 whereas peanuts = GI of 15. That means peanuts raise blood sugar at rate of only 15% of that created by white sugar. In most instances, lower is better. Fast rising blood sugar means the pancreas produces or over produces insulin. Spikes in insulin production and chronically elevated insulin weakens the immune. If you eat low GI carbohydrates, combined with adequate protein you will control your insulin levels more effectively and benefit your immune system.
3. “Good fats”. Consume adequate "essential fatty acids" (EFA’s) from nuts, seeds, fish and cold pressed oils.
4. Ensure you’re getting ample anti-oxidant rich foods in your diet. Certain foods are rich in anti-oxidants and neutralise many of the effects of free radicals. Anti-oxidants include vitamins such as A, C and E, and the minerals copper, zinc and selenium. Other dietary food compounds, such as the phytochemicals in plants and zoochemicals from animal products, are believed to have even greater antioxidant effects than either vitamins or minerals and include phytochemicals, such as lycopenes in tomatoes, and anthocyanins found in certain berries. The protective effect of anti-oxidants is an area of intense research around the world. For example, in Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece where men consume large amounts of cooked tomatoes containing the anti-oxidant lycopene lower levels of prostate cancer have been reported.
5. Exercise! Moderate intensity aerobic exercise completed for 30-40 minutes per session 3-5 times per week has been shown to enhance immune function. But be warned, high intensity “training” actually suppresses immune function and can result in illness.

Given that we’re in the midst of winter you might consider developing a strategy to enhance your immune system via a combination of smart food choices, stress reduction and healthy exercise habits. Get this right and you should sail through the winter months.