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Best Foods, Supplements and Recipes for Immune System Support Gut

By Dr. Josh Axe

October 17, 2022

Feeling down and having trouble staying on task? Have multiple food sensitivities? Need a healthier microbiome? Then you probably have an "Immune System Support Gut."

Take my Gut Type Quiz to find out if that’s true. Relying on ancient Chinese herbalism, I created five different gut types impacting all of us. Once you know your individual gut type, then you can learn about the best foods, supplements and recipes that fit best … along with the foods that you should avoid.

So take the quiz, and if you’re designated an “Immune System Support Gut” type, then the hints and recipes in this article should help!

What Is an Immune System Support Gut?

An underachieving, “down-and-out” gut ready for immune system support.

• Feel “down” for long periods of time

• Trouble staying on task

• Born via C-section (and/or gave birth via C-section)

Just how much of the immune system is located in the gut? It’s now believed that the gut houses between 70 percent and 80 percent of all immune cells.

Best Foods to Support Immune System

• Cooked, fiber-rich vegetables and fruits including carrots, cabbage, celery, broccoli, cucumber, asparagus, mustard greens, kale, watercress, radishes, fennel, fenugreek, onions, garlic, ginger and kombu seaweed. You can also have cooked fruits or raw fruits — some of the best include pears, apples, blueberries and cherries.

• Herbal teas of marshmallow root, mullein leaf, nettle and yerba santa leaf.

• Bone broth is loaded with easily digested amino acids — including proline, glycine and glutamine — that help the gut.

• Organic protein in moderation such as chicken, turkey, bison, grass-fed beef and wild caught fish are allowed.

• Easily digested starches like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pumpkin and sprouted mung beans.

• Fermented foods including sauerkraut, miso, natto and two-day fermented dairy, like kefir or yogurt, if your body responds to it well.

• Good fats including extra virgin olive, coconut and flaxseed oil.

• Coconut flour for baking with maple syrup as sweetener.

Recommended Supplements

• SBO Probiotics can help to bolster the good guy bacteria in your gut, including your large intestine.

• Digestive enzymes promote healthy digestive function and elimination, plus help to maintain healthy gut microflora.

• L-glutamine serves as fuel for cells in the gut and supports the immune system.

Foods to Avoid

An elimination diet has proven to be effective for identifying foods that cause a negative reaction in your gut:

• Milk (most common A1 casein and lactose)

• Eggs

• Wheat

• Soy

• Grains containing gluten

• Shellfish

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts)

• Sugar

• Alcohol

Best Immune Gut Recipes

Quinoa Banana Oat Pancakes

Total time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cooked quinoa

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Egg replacements equivalent to 2 eggs (mix 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water; allow to set for 5 minutes, then add to recipe)

• 1 cup oat flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ½ cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in large bowl and stir gently (do not over stir or mixture will be tough).

2. Place a large pan over medium heat and add in coconut oil.

3. Add 1/4 cup of the batter to pan.

4. Cook pancakes about three minutes on the first side and about one minute on other side or until cooked through.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 5 cups chicken broth (or 5 scoops Bone Broth Protein mixed with 5 cups of water)

• 3 organic chicken breasts

• 3 to 4 carrots, peeled

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 to 4 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced

• sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Dice the chicken and chop the carrots, celery, zucchini and onion.

2. Place the chicken and vegetables in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Heat and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is thoroughly cooked (usually over 30 minutes).

3. Strain the chicken and vegetables, then add them back into the pot. Pour in the broth, season with sea salt and black pepper, and heat up for 10 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

Total time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef

• 1 tablespoons coconut oil

• ½ cup tomato sauce

• ½ cup unsweetened BBQ sauce (such as Primal)

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent (2 to 3 minutes), then add ground meat and brown.

2. Add tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and sea salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Serve on grainless, gluten-free bread/buns.

Baked Apple Chips

Total time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsweetened apple juice

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 large apples

• cinnamon, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250º F. In a large pot, combine apple juice and the cinnamon stick, and bring it to a boil.

2. Remove the top and bottom of the apple and slice cross wise to make thin chips. Drop each apple slice into the boiling juice and boil for 4–5 minutes.

3. Remove chips from water and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and then bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Total time: 10 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients: (use organic)

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 1 pound raw pumpkin seeds

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 4 teaspoons red pepper sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds and sauté for 2–3 minutes until they start to pop and turn golden brown.

2. Add cayenne and red pepper sauce, toss and continue to cook for another minute.

3. Transfer to a sheet tray, carefully spread out in a single layer and set aside to let cool before serving.

Garlic Lamb Roast

Total time: 6 to 10 hours

Serves: 2 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 leg of lamb that will fit in your crockpot

• water, to cover lamb

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar

• 6 garlic cloves

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon rosemary

• 4 cups chopped carrots, onions and butternut squash

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in crock pot.

2. Cook on low for 6 to 10 hours, depending on settings and size of lamb leg.

Buffalo Chili

Total time: 90 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• ½ cup chopped onions

• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

• 1½ cup chopped celery

• 1 cup chopped green pepper

• 1½ pounds grass-fed ground bison or grass-fed ground beef

• 2 teaspoons thyme

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• sea salt, to taste

• 1 8-ounce can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)

• 1 12-ounce jar salsa (homemade or all natural)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or crock pot on medium to high, melt coconut oil and sauté onions, garlic, celery and pepper until onion is translucent — about 3–4 minutes.

2. Add ground meat, thyme, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5–6 minutes.

3. Add salt, tomatoes and salsa to pot. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour. (Crockpot on low can simmer for 4–6 hours.)

Grilled Salmon

Total time: 45 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 4 minced garlic cloves

• 1 teaspoon grated ginger

• 1 tablespoon melted ghee

• ¼ cup coconut aminos

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

• 2 pounds wild caught Alaskan salmon

Directions:

1. In a small pan, whisk together honey, garlic, ginger, ghee, coconut aminos, thyme, salt and pepper.

2. Place salmon into pan and coat with mixture

3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, flip salmon in pan and recoat other side. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

4. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate, or cook in pan on stovetop.

5. Remove salmon from marinade, shake off excess, and discard remaining marinade.

6. Grill a few minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches 145 F, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Blueberry Pudding

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 1 cup goat’s milk kefir

• 1 cup blueberries

• 3 avocados, halved and pitted

• ¼ cup sprouted chia seeds, ground

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 drop peppermint oil

• stevia

Directions:

1. In a high-powered blender, combine the coconut milk, kefir and blueberries. Scoop the avocados into the blender. Add the chia seeds, vanilla extract, salt and peppermint oil.

2. Sweeten with the stevia to taste (such as a full dropper of the liquid variety). Purée until smooth.

3. Transfer the pudding into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve warm with asparagus on the side.

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS, is a doctor of chiropractic, doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist and author with a passion to help people get well using food and nutrition. He operates leading natural health website DrAxe.com and is co-founder of Ancient Nutrition, a health supplement company. He’s also author of the books Eat Dirt, Essential OIls: Ancient Medicine, Keto Diet, Collagen Diet and the newly released Ancient Remedies.