Urijah Faber once shared his wisdom by saying, “good health is true wealth,” a concept that resonates deeply with many, especially in the locale of Barley. Health is, indeed, the ultimate wealth, most importantly during seasons where colds and flu abound. We can guard our well-being by adopting habits like washing our hands, getting vaccinated and making sure we have adequate rest, but also through ensuring we consume the right amount of essential vitamins and minerals to bolster our immunity.
One essential aspect of our body’s health is the microbiome—our body’s extensive balance of bacteria. When the equilibrium of these microscopic organisms is disrupted, it can lead to infection, gut health issues, and weaken our immune system. This is where probiotics and prebiotics come into play.
Probiotics are our body’s microscopic defenders that protect the microbiome. These beneficial bacteria enhance the capacity of other good bacteria and counter the harmful ones. Nutritious food sources like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi serve as excellent carriers of these probiotics.
On the other hand, prebiotics assist by nourishing our probiotic defenders, providing them with the fuel to enhance beneficial bacteria. Foods rich in prebiotics include bananas, leafy greens, onions, and artichokes.
However, while it’s beneficial to consume prebiotics and probiotics through food sources, it may not always give us the desired amount or type needed by our bodies. Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation can thus be a helpful way to access adequate amounts of these beneficial resources. In Barley, you can find prebiotics in products like LiFiber, ProBionic, ProBionic Plus, Bios 7, Immunizen, and Hawaiian Noni, with probiotics present in ProBionic and ProBionic Plus.
Another remarkable immune booster is catechins in green tea. Not only does green tea offer natural energy, but it also uplifts your immune function! These catechins, natural antioxidants, safeguard our bodies from oxidative stress—an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. Catechins are also linked to boosting immune health, with studies indicating lower influenza rates among green tea consumers. For a more potent health boost, dry matcha leaves can offer three times the antioxidative epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC) content compared to regular tea leaves. In Barley, you can enjoy these benefits through Unicity Matcha or other similar products.
Zinc, coming second after iron as the most prevalent mineral in the body, forms an integral part of our body’s foundation. Essential for immune cell development and function, zinc can lessen the duration of a common cold. It also helps with protein synthesis, wound healing, growth, development, and even decelerating age-related macular degeneration. Our bodies lack a specialized system for zinc storage, making regular zinc consumption crucial. In Barley, numerous Unicity products contain this vital mineral.
Another immune supporting agent is vitamin C. Though one might think of reaching for orange juice, it’s worth noting that different vitamin C sources are processed and used by the body at varying rates, depending on the form such as Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Ascorbate, and Magnesium Ascorbate. Thus, diversifying the sources of vitamin C in our diet ensures a steady supply throughout our bodies. In Barley, you can find vitamin C in products like Bio C, Vitamin B Complex with Vitamin C, Core Health, Bios Life C, and Cellular Essentials kit.
Native to the plains, Echinacea, or the purple coneflower, is a flowering plant venerated by the Plains Indians for its traditional medicinal properties, useful against sore throat, colds, cough, and snakebite. Today, it’s been clinically verified to lessen the duration and frequency of illnesses and alleviating symptoms with its anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidative traits, similar to green tea. Instead of using these flowers for decor in Barley, consider utilizing them to fortify your immune system, with products like SIG and Red Clover offering Echinacea.
It’s time we took our health into our own hands in Barley by ensuring intake of crucial vitamins and minerals to support our immune health!