Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman Page B

your immunity-enhancing ideas from your mother, who learned them from her mother. Unfortunately, chicken soup, steam vaporizers, hot tea with honey, and smelly salves on the chest have no scientific data to document effectiveness; most, in fact, have mostly been debunked in scientific investigations. When scrutinized via high-quality placebo trials, almost all remedies have shown no significant treatment effects (except in people who were somewhat nutritionally deficient). For example, pomegranate is a super food that builds stronger immune function, and the long-term use of it and other highly nutritious super foods may decrease incidence of infections—in other words, these foods help with prevention. However, pomegranate and the other super foods should not be seen as cold remedies. Rather, these highly nutritious foods support a normally functioning immune system.
    Even vitamin D, elderberry, and zinc, with proven efficacy, are likely of value only in people whose levels are suboptimal. The goal, then, is still to achieve nutritional adequacy and forget the idea of nutritional remedies when ill. Take 15 milligrams of zinc per day all year, increasing that to 30 milligrams with the onset of cold symptoms. Probiotics and elderberry syrup are likely worth a try when you’re ill. (Let me know if you think they worked for you.)
    Let’s review our findings:
    A L IKELY W ASTE OF Y OUR T IME
L IKELY H ELPFUL
Vitamin C
Zinc
Chicken soup
Vitamin D
Humidified air
Elderberry and berry flavonoids
Nasal saline irrigation
Caloric restriction
Echinacea
    Finally, remember these important points when ill:
    1. The greenish or yellow color of respiratory mucous does not mean you have a bacterial infection.
    2. Expectorants and cough suppressants do not work and will not facilitate your recovery.
    3. Neither taking vitamin C nor pushing fluids is useful.
    4. Humidifiers and steam showers are not effective either.
    5. Cool baths for lowering the fever should be avoided; they do not keep the fever down for long, and the fever itself heightens the effectiveness of the immune attack.
    6. Avoid acetaminophen and other fever reducers; if you are too uncomfortable to sleep at night, take ibuprofen with some food.
    7. If significantly ill, watch for the signs that a medical consultation is indicated (see chapter 2).
    8. Reduce food intake and consume primarily vegetable juice, vegetable soup, water, and raw salad vegetables.
    So now that we know what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to colds and flu, let’s return to our diet and check out the best healthy fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. You might just be surprised by what you will discover.

CHAPTER FIVE
Healthy Carbs, Fats, and Proteins
    T he most consistent and proven concept in the history of nutritional science is that the combination of high-nutrient intake and low-caloric intake promotes disease resistance and longevity. It is the basis for my health equation:
    Health = Nutrients/Calories
    What this equation means is that your health will improve as you eat more foods with a high nutrient-per-calorie density and fewer foods with a low nutrient-per-calorie density. First and foremost, avoid low-nutrient foods such as white breads and processed foods. White flour, other refined grains (such as those found in sweetened breakfast cereals), soft drinks, sweets, and even fruit juices are weight-promoting, lead to diabetes, and raise triglyceride and cholesterol levels, increasing heart attack risk. Furthermore, these low-nutrient processed foods also suppress immune function, increasing one’s risk of infection and cancer. Incredibly, by 2010 these processed foods had become 62 percent of the calories in the standard American diet.
    Consuming calories without the beneficial presence of antioxidants, vitamins, and phytochemicals leads to a buildup of waste products in the cells. When you eat white bread or other processed foods without enough accompanying