While it’s certainly exciting to welcome the seasonal joys of fall and winter, it also means cold and flu season is quickly approaching, too. So, how do we best prepare our immune system to help ward off those snotty noses and other sickly tendencies?
The quick answer: good gut health.
Our gut is like a big dormitory, housing 70-80% of our immune cells. The immune cells in our gut are our first line of defense against illness and disease.
See, we all have “good” and “bad” bacteria in our gut. It’s called our microbiome. And it’s very important to our overall health that our microbiome is well balanced. The good bacteria, called probiotics, helps prevent diseases from reaching the gut and other organs in our body. It’s essential that you feed your good bacteria to help it thrive. When good bacteria thrives, it doesn’t leave any room for the harmful bacteria to grow, therefore helping prevent inflammation from happening.
When we say feed your good bacteria (aka probiotics), we mean that quite literally. Probiotics love prebiotics. Or, in more common terms: fiber. Fiber provides the nutrients probiotics need to grow and thrive. Which is why every bottle of vibi+® has 8g of prebiotic fiber in a convenient, grab-n-go beverage, helping fuel your overall health throughout the day…and the rest of the upcoming season.
The interesting thing about our immunity is that it’s not hardwired into our DNA, which means we can continuously improve it simply by taking care of our gut. Think of it as being just as important as taking care of your heart. Give it the same dietary consideration.
The key to it all is keeping good gut health simple by understanding what makes a sad gut versus what makes a happy gut. For the latter, we encourage you to consume plenty of fiber, get good sleep, exercise, stay hydrated and reduce your stress. And of course, vibi+® is here to help you lockdown those fiber and hydration needs.
Wu HJ, Wu E. The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut Microbes. 2012;3(1):4-14. doi:10.4161/gmic.19320
