Fit Is The New Black

The Healing Power of Food

Whenever I eat too much sugar or drink too much my immune system breaks down. For example, on Thursday I went out with my friend to Spring Street Natural, one of my favorite restaurants in SoHo. While dining on organic rice and vegetables, I also took the liberty of enjoying two glasses of vodka and cranberry juice. Oh, and I also had the frosting from a Milkshake cupcake from Crumbs.

Now, two days later, I feel like shit. The sore throat started yesterday. My lymph nodes aren’t swollen, but my tonsils are red. My nose is stuffed up. I know it’s the cupcake frosting and booze. Did I fail to mention I also ate the frosting from a Red Velvet on my train ride home? If you don’t understand why I think the drinks and sugar made me sick I’ll explain.

First off, I should make it clear that it wasn’t these items that made me sick, but their ability to harm the immune system-the thing that fights all the nasty little viruses flying around. Gyms, trains, stores-basically any place that people hang out-are breeding grounds for germs. Studies have shown that sugar makes white blood cells less efficient on attacking bacteria. There have also been studies showing that excessive alcohol not only messes up the liver but the immune system. All this, mixed with not enough sleep (it’s been a busy week) has made me susceptible to all the germs I encounter thanks to sneezing people on the train, folks who don’t wash their hands but proceed to touch every surface in sight, and all the little uncleanly habits that people have that promote bacteria to fester.

If foods have the power to harm it would also make sense that they have the power to heal. If you feel like you’re always getting sick, I highly suggest you eat these foods to boost your immune system!

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