Did you know that 70 to 80 percent of the cells that make up your immune system is located in your digestive system? This means a healthy gut is a major focal point if you want to maintain optimal health, including a very strong immune system. We have both good and bad bacteria in our guts. Getting your gut bacteria healthy is one of the most important things you can do to get and stay healthy.Too many bad gut flora (including parasites, yeast or bad flora) or not enough good ones can spell serious trouble for your health and your waistline. In one study with 123 non-obese and 169 obese Danish individuals, researchers found that people with low amounts of healthy bacteria had more marked overall afflictions and inflammation compared with healthy-gut folks.The good gut flora serves as a gatekeeper in our guts, and cannot allow garbage to penetrate the boundaries. When it does come across as garbage this is when the flora signals the immune system to take action. This is the alarm sounding, telling the body that there is an intruder. If our immune system is working overtime to capture bad guys and put out fires, then we are left with an immune system that is not functioning at its optimum.To maximize your immune system, keep the bad flora out of your gut.Clean up your diet: Eat only clean, whole foods. Processed foods such as breads and pastas, sugar, unhealthy fats, etc. are bad for your gut. Sugar nourishes pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi in your gut, which may actually harm you more than its impact on insulin resistance. People don’t understand why they get sick so often, when in fact they don’t pay attention to what they put in their bodies. One of the major results of eating a healthy diet is that you cause your beneficial gut bacteria to flourish, and they secondarily perform the real magic of restoring your health. Conventional fruits and vegetables that have been treated with pesticides can also bring bad flora into your system. If you’re going to eat fruits and veggies make sure they are certified organic.Find a good probiotic: Probiotics are live microbial food supplements that improve the host’s intestinal microbial balance. A good probiotic will need to stay refrigerated and is great for repopulating your gut with healthy flora.Historically, people used cultured or fermented foods to support their intestinal and overall health, way before the invention of the probiotic supplement.Cultured foods like yogurt, some cheeses, and sauerkraut are good sources of natural, healthy bacteria. And fermented foods, such as kefir (similar to yogurt), can give your body the similar benefits of consuming a whole bottle of good bacteria, at a fraction of the cost.In order to get the best out of your immune system, it’s important to pay attention to what you put in your body!