Millions of Americans suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which can take its toll on overall quality of life and the immune system.  In fact, many with conditions such as IBD will often experience only worsening in their symptoms as time goes on. 

This is extremely unfortunate because those with IBD could find almost immediate relief by simply following a gut healing diet.  In fact, we have written about the best diet to follow for those with IBD.  To access this information, please visit our Diet Protocol Page.

However, the purpose of this post is not to talk about diet, but to talk about how IBD can negatively affect the immune system of the individual suffering. 

With that said, those suffering from IBD, or any other digestive condition are more prone to developing an immune deficiency or a weakened immune system.  When this occurs, the body becomes more susceptible to developing infection and sickness.

How IBD Causes a Weakened Immune System

It’s important to understand that IBD is a direct result of poor gut health.  In fact, it’s been shown that IBD is most often caused by severe intestinal inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (1).  This is mainly due to poor diet, but other factors such as overuse of antibiotics can also play a role.

As a result, when the gut is under immense amounts of inflammation, all other parts of the body will become affected.  For example, research has shown that the majority of our immune system is dependent on the health and integrity of our gut (2).  Those with IBD will almost always have a dysbiosis in the gut, coupled with chronic inflammation.  Consequently, the chances of developing immune system dysregulation and dysfunction goes up as the health of gut becomes more and more degraded.

Furthermore, mast cells, which can be found primarily in lining of the stomach and the intestines are responsible for the release of histamine.  Histamine is used by the immune system in order to properly launch an attack against pathogens.  However, those with IBD almost always have an over-stimulation of mast cells due to both intestinal inflammation and fungal overgrowth’s such as candida.

In fact, research has shown that fungal pathogens such as candida can stimulate the body’s mast cells and cause a release in histamine (3).  This becomes problematic overtime because this constant stimulation leaves the body full of excess histamine.  This excess histamine and over-stimulation of the immune system  can then lead to extreme sensitives to various food items; especially those high in histamine.

Foods That Cause IBD and a Weakened Immune System

The only way to properly restore the health of the gut and re-balance the body’s immune system is stop consuming inflammatory foods.  Once intestinal inflammation is reduced, disorders such as IBD and immune system problems general correct themselves.  However, this can only be done by following a correct gut healing and IBD friendly diet.

In order to improve the health of the gut, you need to focus all your attention on what you can remove from the diet, rather than what you can add.  The source of inflammation must be stopped before real intestinal healing can take place.  For this reason, we’ve put together a list of foods that should be avoided by anyone suffering from IBD

• Sugar
• Starchy Carbohydrates
• Sugary Fruit
• Vegetable Oils
• Processed Foods
• All Forms of Alcohol
• Sweets and Desserts

Simply avoiding these foods alone can usher in dramatic changes within the body.  Many of these foods listed above are highly inflammatory and can feed pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi which can contribute to intestinal inflammation. 

In particular, alcohol is extremely problematic for those with IBD due to the fermented sugars.   However, all the foods listed above have their Achilles heel when it come to IBD.  For example, research has shown that dietary emulsifiers that are present in almost all processed foods can cause inflammatory conditions in the body and can contribute to metabolic disorders such as diabetes (4).

The Best Foods for the Immune System

Despite popular belief, fruits and vegetables are not necessarily the best for boosting the immune system.  In fact, many of these foods contain anti-nutrients in the form of lectins, oxalates, saponins, gluten, tannins, and phytic acid.  These anti-nutrients have been shown to contribute to intestinal inflammation and can aggravate symptoms in those with digestive disorders.

This isn’t to say fruits and vegetables are bad, but in our experience they aren’t as beneficial for boosting the immune system as high quality animal foods are.  It’s important to understand that animal foods contain import nutrients such vitamin D, K2, F, omega 3’s DHA and EPA, cholesterol, and B12.  Both vitamin D and vitamin K2 play an extremely important role in the health and maintenance of the body’s immune system (5)(6).

Furthermore, it should be mentioned that animal foods do not contain any anti-nutrients.  This means they will not contribute to intestinal inflammation which can make IBD much worse. 

Below is a small list of foods that can be great for the health of the immune system.

• Quality Animal Organs (liver, kidney, heart)
• Grass-Fed Beef
• Gelatinous Cuts of Meat
• Fermented Foods
• Bone Broth
• Milk Kefir (if dairy is tolerated)
• Ghee
• Gelatin
• Wild Caught Fish
• Pasture Raised Animals
• Quality Animal Fats

It’s important to always find the highest quality of animal foods available to you.  This means always choosing organic, grass-fed, pasture raised, wild caught, etc.  This can have a dramatic impact on your health and ensures that your body is receiving the quality foods it needs in order to function at an optimal level.

Cook Immune Boosting Meals

For those with a weakened immune system due to IBD, our Intestinal Health Cookbook can be a great option for cooking healthy and immune system boosting meals.  Our cookbook contains over 20 different gut friendly and tasteful recipes that were designed specifically for those suffering with digestive disorders.

In our experience, our Intestinal Health Cookbook can be great for those having difficulty sticking to a IBD friendly diet.  You will be amazed at just how good our recipes taste!  You will definitely want to try out our cookbook if you want delicious recipes that will leave you feeling satisfied and unrestricted.

Best Herbs for Boosting Immune System

As well as following a proper IBD diet, there are various herbs that can be included into the mix which can help significantly balance and regulate the immune system.  These herbs have been used for centuries and have a long track record of successfully treating various disorders in the body.

1. Reishi Mushroom

Reishi mushroom is one of our favorite herbs when it comes to immune system regulation.  In fact, this medicinal mushroom was primarily used in ancient China due to its immune modulating properties.  Reishi has the unique ability to correct both an over-reactive and under-reactive immune system bringing equilibrium to the body.

Also, despite being a fungus, reishi mushroom has powerful anti-fungal properties.  In fact, research has shown that reishi mushroom can help inhibit the formation of candida biofilms in the body (7).  As mentioned before, those suffering from IBD and immune system dysfunction often also suffer from candida overgrowth in the gut.

2. Chaga Mushroom

Chaga mushroom was used extensively by ancient Serbians of Russia in order to promote health and longevity in the body.  Many of these ancient Serbians credited chaga mushroom for extending their life and allowing them to be healthy into an old age.  Also, just like reishi, chaga is a powerful immune modulating medicinal mushroom.

Chaga contains high amounts of the beneficial long chain sugars called polysaccharides.  Research has shown that intake of polysaccharides can have a beneficial effect on the health and functionality of the immune system (8).  Chaga also contains a powerful triterpenoid called betulinic acid which has been shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties.

3. Slippery Elm

Slippery Elm is not known for its immune boosting properties but it can bring significant relief to those suffering with IBD.  This is because slippery elm can help soften stools and can help combat constipation which is common in those with digestive disorders such as IBD.

It also contains natural anti-inflammatory properties which can help sooth inflammation that may be occurring in the intestinal tract.  Using slippery elm in combination with a correct gut healing and IBD friendly diet can help significantly reduce inflammation in the gut.