In our previous article 8 Reasons You Should Start Eating Snail Meat, we briefly highlighted that one of the numerous nutritional benefits you get from eating the snail meat is an improved immune system.
With the daily increasing number of deaths recorded across the world, more attention has now been turned to having an improved immune system, as people with a weak or compromised one have a higher risk of experiencing frequent infections and severe symptoms that might be harder to treat.
Your immune system has its own defence-protocol your body develops to fight-off unwanted disease in your body. Think of the immune system as your body’s personal army, fighting hard to push off any form of infection or disease and guarding against internal threats (such as cancer).
Take a deep thought about your health status; Do you remember a day when you have a terrible headache and you managed to sleep off without using any drugs? And you woke up without feeling the pains again? That’s your immune system at work. They help you “fight unseen battles” happening inside your body, and ensure you are safe from internal danger.
Well, just as every battle fought in real-life cases, we lose some soldiers on the battlefield; same events happen inside your body. A hundred of thousands of your “immune cells” (White Blood Cells) die daily just to kick out these diseases and as such; there is a need for you to stay healthy and eat healthy meals to keep replenishing your “immune cells”. That’s the more reason you need to always feed on the snail meat.
The snail meat is an excellent choice of meat when it comes to having an improved system. Coupled with the fact that you’re going to know how eating the snail meat will give you an improved immune system, you’re also going to learn some amazing and well-explained terms reading this article.
Let’s begin
Snail Meat Contains the Ideal Form of Protein- An Integral Part of Your Immune System
Along with a network of special cells, tissues, and organs, Protein is part of what makes up the immune system. It works by helping to form antibodies that help protect your body from harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses.
Snail meat is an excellent source for the ideal form of protein because unlike other sources of animal protein that comes with a high content of fat and calories, it contains close to zero fat.
Why this is beneficial to your immune system is, high fat and calorie diet triggers a response from your immune system similar to a bacterial infection, hence, it’s more like you’re having a bacterial infection when having high fat and calorie content in your body, which is what you won’t get from eating the snail meat.
What’s more, is that…
Snail Meat Contains Minerals for a Strong Immune System
Magnesium: The snail meat contains magnesium which plays a vital role in how quickly your immune system responds to any form of infection.
Magnesium is one of the seven macrominerals that you need to consume in a relatively large amount (from dietary sources like snails) — at least 100 milligrams per day.
An article from Medical News Today (MNT), a global web-based outlet for medical news reveals that getting enough magnesium can help prevent or treat chronic Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, migraine, and type 2 diabetes.
As regards type 2 diabetes, scientists in a review of 13 relevant studies have discovered that people with diabetes are 3.4 times more likely to have a critical case of COVID-19.
Now more than ever is the time to up your magnesium intake by including the snail meat in your diet.
Iron: Iron is another mineral your immune system benefits when you eat the snail meat
What’s the role of iron in immunity?
It is necessary for the generation and maturation of immune cells particularly lymphocytes (remember those awesome terms we said you’re going to learn reading this article?) Well, lymphocytes are white blood cells that make up your immune system and they determine the precision of your immune system to infectious microorganisms and other foreign substances.
Hence, the more the recommended iron you have in your body, the more improved your immune system will be.
Snail Meat Contains Zinc:
According to the European Journal of Immunology, our bodies need zinc to activate T-lymphocytes (T-cells).
What are T-cells?
They are a type of lymphocytes produced by the thymus gland and they actively participate in controlling and regulating your immune system and attacking infected and cancerous cells in it.
Humans more prone (especially children) to infections at a slight deficiency of zinc
We’re glad the snail meat is a rich source of zinc.
The Snail Meat Contain Antioxidants that Improve the Immune System
Antioxidants are compounds positioned to defend your cells from attacks caused by those DNA attacking “bad boys” called FREE RADICALS.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that your body produces as a reaction to when you’re under pressure or exposed to external stressors such as environmental pollution, ultraviolet rays, harmful chemicals, and cigarette smoke. In a more scientific term, excess free radicals cause oxidative stress.
What’s more, is that many areas of your body are vulnerable to this oxidative stress, and the immune system is especially sensitive. Good thing oxidants are present to jump to the defence by eliminating excess free radicals from the bloodstream to keep your body functioning at its best.
On many occasions, however, these villains called free radicals can be more than the concentration of naturally occurring antioxidants in your body, hence, to stay healthy, you need a constant supply of antioxidants from external sources such as food.
Another good thing is, the snail meat contains quite a number of these life-saving antioxidants such as Vitamins E, A, K, B12, Selenium, and Zinc (yes, it also works as an oxidant).
Snail Meat Contains Vitamin E:
Present in the snail meat is vitamin E which is a superhero for immunity. It is the first line of defence against oxidative stress. Vitamin E is also needed for the normal function of cells in the immune system. Alongside its antioxidant credentials, it also helps to reinforce your body’s resistance to bacterial and viral infection.
Snail Meat Contains Vitamin A:
This plays a vital role in maintaining your body’s natural defence against infection as it is involved in the production of white blood cells that help capture and clear bacteria and other germs from your bloodstream.
Snail Meat Contains Vitamins K and B12:
These are also powerful antioxidants that play a big role in modulating your immune responses.
Vitamin K protects the cellular membrane (a thin layer that forms the outer boundary of a living cell) from damage due to excess free radicals.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition did a study to show that people who have a higher intake of vitamin K has a reduced risk of cancer.
Vitamin B12 protects against inflammation-induced oxidative stress. Inflammation occurs when a part of your body becomes swollen, hot, and painful due to an injury or infection. Chronic inflammation in the human body has been linked to heart disease and stroke.
Thankfully, the snail meat not only has antioxidant properties, but it also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Selenium: Like the many terms we’ve used in this article, you probably might not be familiar with selenium but it is a powerful oxidant that fights against oxidative stress in your body. Selenium works by neutralizing excess free radicals and it protects your cells from damage.
It also protects your body from chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
Zinc: Zinc is a potent weapon for improving immunity and a great antioxidant. A small deficiency in zinc can wreck many areas of your immune system, leading to poor immune responses and a reduction in antibodies.
The Snail Meat helps you Sleep Better
Okay, you’re probably wondering how this is possible or how it even relates to improving your immune system. Well, according to the National Sleep Foundation (Yes, there’s a foundation called that), sleep deprivation has a similar effect on the body’s system as stress.
Lack of sleep disrupts the normal production of white blood cells- a crucial component of the body’s immune system.
Are you having trouble getting enough sleep? Then you need to include food rich in tryptophan in your diet, this is another benefit you enjoy from eating the snail meat.
What is Tryptophan? It is an amino acid that is necessary for proper growth in children and it participates in the production of both melatonin and serotonin in the body (too many exciting biological terms, huh?). Well, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite, sleep, mood, and pain in your body, while Melatonin improves your sleeps quantity and quality.
PubMed Central, a highly respected database from the National Institute of Health, reveal in a study that eating tryptophan enriched meal at breakfast and dinner helped adults fall asleep faster and sleep longer- Well, there goes your sleep trouble varnishing when you include the snail meat in your diet.
One more benefit is…
The Bonus Benefit of having Omega-3 to Improve Your Immune System
Many studies have shown that omega-3 is associated with boosted B-Cell activity which is a vital part of our immune system (B-cell is also a type of white blood cell and they form a part of your adaptative immune response by producing antibodies and antigens to the T-Cells).
Omega-3 is also an anti-inflammatory food that signals your immune system to heal and repair damaged tissues.
It is an integral part of the membrane that surrounds each cell in your body and it is an ESSENTIAL FATTY ACID, meaning it cannot be produced by your body, you only get it from your diet and it is very much available in the snail meat. Fish is also a great source, but the snail meat is perfect especially if you don’t like having the fish smell in your breath.
In Conclusion
Can an immune system be boosted? No! A weak or compromised immune system can only be improved on.
Many factors can contribute to a weak or compromised immune system, some are present from birth while most result from malnutrition, certain types of cancer, some medical treatments, and old age (yes, our immune system tend to weaken as we grow older). But the good news is that there are many steps you can take to maximize your chance of staying healthy and avoiding infections.
At NGsnails, we’re passionate about living healthy at all times and we want you to stay healthy too, hence, why we’re sharing this article to tell you the impact of the snail meat on your overall health and; Of Course! You can always get your Healthy snail packs from us.
e urge you to take all necessary precautions to stay safe, especially during this pandemic.
Kindly share this article with a friend, you just might be giving someone a chance to have an improved immune system.
