As the weather changes and schedules become busier, staying healthy can feel like a huge challenge. Artistic athletes may struggle to keep their bodies at optimal performance level, and fighting off infectious illnesses may seem like an uphill battle. How can we naturally strengthen our immune system, supporting its function for optimum success? We posed this question to Kristin Koskinen, RDN and Bendy Bodies team member, in this episode. Kristin shares why dancers and other performing artists with hypermobility and/or a connective tissue disorder like the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes should care about immunity and nutrition in general. She explains how the foods we eat impact our immune system, and how investing efforts to fuel well now can have a big impact on our health down the road. Kristin walks us through her process for building a healthy, supportive diet for her clients, talking through her suggestions for planning wide varieties of foods, as well as efficient shortcuts when time is an issue.  She discusses the possible effects of sugar on the immune system, and how to deal with the emotional component of foods during the holidays. Kristen looks at the impact of alcohol on the immune system and talks about the microbiome’s role. She shares her expert view on nutritional supplements including probiotics, and offers lots of encouraging tips for managing busy seasons while striving for healthy nutrition. This episode breaks down what can be a stressful and complicated subject in encouraging and manageable ways for all bendy bodies. . . . . . #JenniferMilner #HypermobilityMD #Bendy #BendyBuddy #Immunity #Bloating #DietitiansOfIG #Glucose #Gut #Supplement #ChronicDisease #ChronicIllness #InvisibleDisability #Infection #AlwaysOptimal #AutoImmune #NutritionForDancers #DanceNutrition #OptimalNutrition #NutrientDeficiencies --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bendy-bodies/message