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Your Knight in Shining
Armour
Your body is like a castle that houses everything
essential to your life. Your immune system is your primary home defense
force. Like the Knights of the Round Table, these defenders are a
collection of different types of cells and molecules, plus a number of
organs that band together to defend the body against foreign invaders –
bacteria, viruses, and fungi – all causes of various diseases. Your
survival depends on your immune system’s rapid ability to recognize and
fight off or destroy these invaders. It must also be able to identify
friendly cells that offer the right password.
Your body has two types of immunity: innate and
adaptive. Innate immunity is your body’s first line of defense
against all invaders and includes your skin, tears, mucus, and saliva.
When your tissues rapidly become inflamed after being injured or
infected, that’s your innate immunity at work.
When invaders get past this first line of defense,
your adaptive immunity has to start working. It is called upon to
identify both enemies and friends, and to destroy enemy cells.
Your adaptive immunity does four things:
- responds only after the invader has crossed your
outer perimeter
- is specific – to act only on a precise type of
invader
- remembers previous invasions
- targets only those substances it recognizes as
foreign and generally won’t attack normal body components
But what happens when this is not the case?
Our cells are coated with sugary-like substances
that are derived from the foods we eat. Our bodies require eight
different carbohydrates, which are converted by the body into these
sugars that coat our cells and allow them to maintain their boundaries
and communicate with their neighbouring cells – confirming that they are
friendly cells.
Like any other guarding force, your immune system
must have the food and supplies it needs to get the job done.
This is not easy with today’s fast food. The
processing that makes prepared foods free from contaminants and gives
them a reasonable shelf life depletes them of the nutrients your body
needs. Add to that the current popularity of “low carbohydrate diets”
and your immune system may not be getting what it needs. The “Knights in
Shining Armour” cannot do their jobs adequately. Invaders arrive –
causing you to intervene with over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
So, how do we supply our protectors with what they
need to do their job? Eating fresh, organically grown ripe raw foods,
good quality protein, and essential fats from raw nuts and seeds provide
the nutrients to feed your body and support your “Knights in Shining
Armour.” But that’s not all that’s needed. Drinking good quality
filtered water throughout the day, making sure you get enough exercise,
and a good night’s sleep are also important.
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