Heart diseases and cancer are the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite the existence of modern medicine, why do people still prematurely perish every day from these illnesses instead of dying of old age? With state-of-the-art medical procedures, expensive supplements, and drugs, we still contract diseases. Even those as simple as the flu. 

When we get a cold, we get prescribed decongestants to help relieve clogged nose. But that does not kill the virus that caused the infection inside our body. It is our immune system that fights the virus. So, while the medicine helps relieve the symptoms for us to feel better, we wait for our immune system to fully get rid of the invaders. 

“Medicine is not the cure. We might think we know everything, but in reality, we do not. Society has taught us to turn to doctors should we get sick or injured. It has ingrained in us from young a deep reliance on treatment and medicine. We are under the impression that doctors know everything, and if they cannot fix us, then we are out of luck and off to the morgue,” shares Dr. EE Zhang, a graduate of the University Glasgow School of Medicine with degrees on Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. She obtained her medical license at the young age of 23. 

Dr. EE, as she prefers to be called, previously worked at the prestigious Queen’s Hospital in London and the top-notch National University Hospital in Singapore. As a devoted researcher on Nutritional Immunology, she encourages everyone to boost their immune system through nutrition. 

“Doctors cannot cure these diseases. They cannot cure allergies, autoimmune diseases, and most viral infections. Modern medicine and the human body are still mysteries. There is very little doctors can fix, but that does not mean we are left hanging and helpless. There is so much we can do ourselves to maintain good health. The best method to stay healthy is to take care of our body and our built-in defense system – our immune system.”

Nutritional immunology is the study of how food can benefit the immune system and overall health. It explores the link between what we eat and how our bodies can naturally defend themselves from invaders like bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, and even chronic inflammation that are very much present in diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune, and heart diseases. 

If you’re currently on prescribed medications, do not discontinue without a doctor’s advice. Prevention, however, is always better than a cure. “Keep our immune system healthy, avoid the what-ifs, and do not put ourselves in a bad situation to begin with. The strength of our immune system is why, attacked by the same infection, some people succumb, and others survive,” says Dr. EE.

Nutritional immunology is nourishing one’s immune system by eating more plant food sources and consuming less of pro-inflammatory food like animal products.

Since childhood, we have been told to eat our fruits and vegetables because they are healthy. No other explanations were given. We reluctantly ate them under the watchful eyes of our parents or guardians. As grownups, we either eat for pleasure or health reasons. Even if we don’t like the taste of plant foods, we must make them a staple in our diet and consume predominant portions over meat, dairy, and other animal products. 

Aside from vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are abundant in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, Dr. EE gives us more reasons why we should consume them if we want to strengthen our natural defenses. 

Just like humans, plants have their own way of defending themselves against a hostile environment. For instance, a cactus that thrives under the desert’s scorching sun produces phytochemicals that protects it from being damaged. The phytochemicals protect the plants. When humans consume plant food, these phytochemicals also protect us from diseases. 

Scientists estimate approximately 50,000 varieties of phytochemicals and not all of them have been discovered. Each phytochemical has a specific function that benefits our health. They are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer.

Phytochemicals also act like natural hormones. These phytohormones or plant hormones have a chemical structure that is similar to human hormones but differ in terms of how they work in the body. “All plants, fruits, and vegetables contain phytohormones,” explains Dr. EE.

Contrary to what we fear about plant hormones, Dr. EE notes that phytohormones are not capable of stimulating the body unlike human hormones do. They only have beneficial effects on the body and none of the harmful side effects. Simply put, excess human and animal hormones may wreak havoc causing hormone-related cancers. However, consuming soy that contains the plant hormone isoflavones will not cause cancer. In fact, isoflavones compete with cancer-causing animal estrogens to prevent them from attaching to estrogen receptors in the body. Thus, helping prevent cancer. “Phytoestrogens do not disrupt normal hormonal pathways, affect hormone levels, or aggravate hormone-related cancers, such as breast cancer.”

It is very important to make sure that you are consuming wholesome sources of plant foods and not isolated nutrients or chemically derived supplements. An example of a wholesome source would be edamame, minimally processed pure soy milk, tofu, and freeze-dried soy powder. Taking isoflavone supplements isn’t wholesome. Isolated and concentrated chemicals tend to cause more harm than good. After all, nutrients have been created to synergistically work together inside the body. Isolating them just isn’t natural. Therefore, if you want to get your isoflavones or other phytochemicals, eat fruits and vegetables. Not the isolated compounds.

Plant food also contains antioxidants that inhibit the activity of cells damaging free radicals that we get from pollutants and toxic chemicals (Just how much are we exposed to every day from the food that we eat, the cosmetics we apply, the pollution around us, and so on?), and as a result of our body’s cellular metabolism. We naturally produce waste. 

Lastly, plant foods specifically, mushrooms, contain polysaccharides. They help our immune system activate immune cells that inhibit the growth of tumors or cancer cells. Polysaccharides also have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. 

Don’t just depend on medications. Take charge of your nutrition and build your natural defenses even before you get sick. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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