Your immune system is constantly working to defend your body, standing guard against countless attacks by microbes or antigens.  Some sweets and snacks, for example baked goods (cakes and cookies), cheese, crackers and some chips, often are high in saturated fat, sodium and bad sugars, which can weaken your immune system and allow the invading microorganisms to cause you serious harm.

Most sweets and snacks are made with refined grains and processed foods to enhance their flavor and shelf life, which diminishes their nutritional value.

• Impaired disease resistance is associated with deficient amounts (intakes) of vitamins and minerals.  Since most sweets and snacks are refined, those key nutrients are gone and are usually replaced by chemicals or substances that make us unhealthier and weaken our immune system
• Nutrient deficient foods first impair your immune tissues
• If the nutrient replacement found in refined or processed foods cannot perform the metabolic task of the missing nutrient, your immune system is weakened

Besides eating a balanced diet, exercising and taking vitamins, minerals and supplements, maintaining or improving your health is about making daily choices.  If you want to have a healthy immune-boosting diet, avoid any products that are labeled refined, enriched, or fortified.  With these labels, the good nutrients have been removed and replaced with other nutrients such as riboflavin, niacin, folate and iron, along with bad sugars and fats.  When grains are refined, fiber and important natural nutrients have been lost.  Eat only whole grain products if you can. 

Not all snack foods are high in saturated fat or refined. Try some of these low-fat ones and keep them on hand for snack attacks:

• Ready-to-eat whole food cereals or whole grain granola bars without added sugar
• Frozen grapes or banana slices; or other fresh fruit
• Fruit leather or other dried fruit – try to buy organic
• Low-fat or fat-free whole grain crackers like melba toast, rice cakes, rye crisp and soda crackers
• No-oil baked whole grain tortilla chips
• Popcorn (air-popped or "light") – avoid butter and try adding spices instead
• Whole grain pretzels
• Raw vegetables with non-fat or low-fat dip