Zestt Wellness

26/02/2026

Eating for Immunity 🥬 🥩

Beyond Boosting - The Biology of Food and Immune Health

The number of people who look at me like I am a whack job when I talk about food and immunity is high. Immediately, I am banished into the world of alternative therapy and magicians. I am not sure why. The old adage “Food be thy medicine, medicine be thy food” is widely accepted, yet we don’t seem to make the direct connection between food and health, unless we are talking about obesity.

But food and health are far more than just whether someone is overweight. Let’s take a look at food and its connection with immune health.

The Immune System is Not Static

✅ The immune system adapts and changes from birth through old age with two interacting pathways:

✅ The innate immune response, which reacts quickly and nonspecifically to pathogens (and other invaders)

✅ The adaptive immune response, which builds memory and long-term recognition of pathogens.

As you age, your immune system can deteriorate in the following ways:

⬇️ Diminished T-cell function (a type of white blood cell)

⬇️ Reduced antibody production

⬆️ Chronic low-grade inflammation.

The interacting parts of your immune system mean a single immune booster is simplistic. What needs to happen is consistent support for the whole system through your lifestyle, including diet, sleep, movement, social connectivity and managing stress levels.

🫛 Nutrition as a Modulator of Immunity

Nutrients and dietary patterns affect immune cells, inflammation pathways and gut microbiota. Certain micronutrients are essential for immune function, including:

✅ Vitamin D supports innate and adaptive immunity

✅ Zinc and selenium are involved in antioxidant and antiviral mechanisms

✅ Vitamin C supports barrier function and immune cell activity

✅ B vitamins vital for energy metabolism and immune cell proliferation.

Beyond vitamins and minerals, plant bioactives such as polyphenols and flavonoids, which are found in colourful fruits, vegetables, teas and spices, support immune defences by modulating inflammation and enhancing antioxidant capacity.

Oxidative Stress: The Invisible Link Between Diet, Ageing and Immunity

As you age, your body's oxidative stress increases. Every cell in your body produces reactive oxygen species as part of normal metabolism. In excess, these molecules damage DNA, proteins and membranes, accelerating ageing and impairing immune signalling.

Many of the same nutrients that support immune cells (micronutrients, vitamins, and plant compounds) also play roles in antioxidant defence. A diet rich in colourful plants increases antioxidants throughout your body, neutralising the reactive oxidative species.

🌏 A Holistic View

The word “holistic” often triggers eye-rolling, yet the biology is undeniably interconnected. Nutrients shape immune cell metabolism, influence the microbiome and regulate inflammatory pathways. Diet interacts with sleep, movement, stress and social connection to determine how effectively the immune system responds.

💥 These daily inputs matter more over time because immune function shifts with age.

23/02/2026

What Comes First? Autoimmune Disease or Gut Health Problems?

It's a chicken-and-egg question 🐣, but whatever the answer, part of the solution is to improve your gut health.

Darcy, Zestt's cofounder, suffers from Sarcoidosis and Ankylosing Spondylitis and had an autoimmune system that was raging.

Pharmaceuticals calmed his system down for the short term, but added to his gut health problems.

Darcy knew he also needed to make lifestyle changes to get back to full health. The changes he made meant he went from 26 pharmaceuticals to 3.

The changes Darcy made were:
🥬 Diet: high-fibre, protein and fat, low sugar and processed foods.
💤 Improving sleep routine
🚴‍♂️ Regular exercise: walking, cycling and muscle building
⭐️ Zestt Gut+ and Zestt Breathe+ lozenges for digestive and respiratory health

Go to Zestt Wellness for more stories and information
www.zesttwellness.com

20/02/2026

A recent randomised controlled trial tested a “big breakfast” weight loss approach.

Participants ate
45% of their daily calories at breakfast
35% at lunch
20% at dinner

for four weeks.

All meals were provided. Calories were controlled.

One breakfast was high in protein.
The other was high in fibre.

Both diets led to weight loss, with the high-fibre diet losing more weight:
4.9kg for high-fibre
3.9 kg for high-protein

Other findings:

The high-protein breakfast suppressed appetite more
The high-fibre breakfast improved gut microbiome biomarkers

The Zestt Takeaway

Combine a high-fibre, high-protein breakfast if you want to:
✅ Lose weight
✅ Feel fuller for longer
✅ Improve your gut health.

🔥 Include Zestt Gut+ lozenges for better metabolic health

The study was published in 2026 in the British Journal of Nutrition.

17/02/2026

17/02/2026

I grew up believing women were at lower risk of heart disease than men.
At least that's what my Dad told me and he was a doctor.
He was right - until women hit menopause.

After menopause, women have the SAME risk of dying from cardiovascular disease as men. 💔

And yet
• Most women do not know this
• We are underdiagnosed
• We are often dismissed

It is time to retire this myth. 🚫

Here is what is really happening:

🔎 For women, the symptoms do not fit the textbook; medical diagnostics were built around male coronary disease.

Women are more likely to have these issues:
• Microvascular dysfunction
• Diffuse plaque
• Fatigue, nausea, breathlessness
• Jaw or back discomfort (instead of crushing chest pain)

Tests can look normal.
Disease can still be present.

📉 And for women, risk gets minimised

• Abdominal weight gain is dismissed as just menopause
• Blood pressure creeping up is described as "borderline" or a "bit high"

🧠 Women are told it's in their heads

Women with palpitations chest tightness, fatigue, or dizziness are more likely to be told it is stress or anxiety.

Advocate for yourself.
Push for appropriate testing.

What to do

1️⃣ Know your numbers
Blood pressure
Lipids, including LDL and ApoB
Glucose and HbA1c
Hip to waist ratio

2️⃣ Do not ignore subtle changes
New breathlessness
Reduced ability to exercise or do things you used to do easily
Unusual fatigue
That quiet inner voice saying something is not right

Ask your doctor directly

💥 Could this be Cardiovascular?

Here is the truth:

Women after menopause have been understudied and underestimated for decades.

Your cardiovascular health is not background noise.

It is central to how well you age.

Treat it that way. ❤️

17/02/2026

Darcy Schack, the CoFounder of Zestt Wellness, suffers from two autoimmune diseases: sarcoidosis and ankylosing spondylitis.

As part of his disease, managing his gut health has been a constant challenge.

Listen to his tips on managing gut dysbiosis.

13/02/2026

Zestt Wellness wishes You a Happy Chinese New Year!
Year of the horse 🐎

13/02/2026

Come and see us for Chinese New Year celebrations - it’s the Year of the Horse! 🐎

Darcy, Danny, Lisa, Rean, Jessie and I are here in Auckland to celebrate 🍒
We have some special gifts and discounts too 🎉🐎

10/02/2026

🦠 Can probiotics help with viral infections — or is it hype?

Probiotics are often marketed as immune boosters, especially during cold and flu season. But that framing oversimplifies what’s really happening.

Probiotics don’t boost immunity in a generic way. Instead, they influence immune responses at key entry points, particularly along the oral–lung–gut axis 🫁🦷🌱

The immune system isn’t organised into individual organs, but into interconnected networks. Signals from gut microbes influence immune activity in the lungs, while the oral microbiome plays a frontline role in respiratory defence.

Viral respiratory infections are commonly associated with:
• Disrupted gut and oral microbiota 🦠
• Reduced microbial diversity 🌈
• Impaired mucosal barrier function
• Exaggerated inflammatory responses 🔥

When these systems are out of balance, immune responses can become either sluggish or excessive, worsening illness and delaying recovery.

Rather than directly attacking viruses, probiotics help stabilise these microbial ecosystems and support more balanced immune responses ⚖️

How probiotics support viral defence:
• Support mucosal immunity at the point of entry (mouth, throat, nose) 👄
• Regulate inflammation rather than overstimulating the immune system
• Support barrier integrity in the gut and oral tissues
• Produce beneficial metabolites (postbiotics) that signal immune cells, including in the lungs 🧬

Human studies show that specific probiotic strains can:
• Reduce the frequency of common viral respiratory infections (BLISK12 is patented for its effect against COVID)
• Shorten symptom duration ⏳
• Reduce secondary infections, particularly in children, older adults and immunocompromised populations

Where Zestt fits in 🌿
At Zestt, our approach to immune resilience is multi-layered. We don’t view probiotics as a standalone solution; we combine probiotics, prebiotics and plant bioactives to support immune regulation and pro-resolving pathways, including those associated with M2 macrophage activity (as seen in Zestt Breathe+).

The bottom line:
Probiotics won’t prevent every infection or eliminate viruses. But evidence suggests they can help shape the microbial and immune environments that influence how often you get sick, how severe symptoms become and how quickly you recover 💪

09/02/2026

Join ZESTT WELLNESS at the 2026 Auckland Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day

As the Year of the Horse approaches, Auckland is preparing for its annual flagship Lunar New Year celebration. ZESTT WELLNESS cordially invites you to visit our booth and celebrate this festive season with us.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, 14 February 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Auckland Showgrounds (Free Entry)
Booth: Hall 4 · 420 & 421

On-Site Highlights:
💥 Product Showcase: Discover our latest award-winning health and wellness innovations.
💥 Exclusive Offers: Take advantage of special Chinese New Year promotions available only at the event.
💥 Festive Giveaways: We have prepared exquisite red envelopes and New Year gifts for our visitors.

We look forward to seeing you there as we embark on a new chapter of health and prosperity together.
https://www.zesttwellness.com

活動預告】
ZESTT WELLNESS 邀您共赴 2026 奧克蘭新春花市同樂日
隨著馬年的臨近，奧克蘭即將迎來一年一度的新春盛會。ZESTT WELLNESS (賽斯特健康) 誠摯邀請您蒞臨我們的攤位，共同慶祝佳節。
活動詳情：
💥日期：2026年2月14日（星期六）
💥 時間：上午 9:30 至 下午 4:00
💥 地點：Auckland Showgrounds（免費入場）
💥 攤位：Hall 4 · 420 及 421

現場亮點：
1️⃣ 展示最新研發並榮獲獎項的健康系列產品。
2️⃣ 提供僅限花市現場的新春特惠活動。
3️⃣ 準備了精美的新年紅包與禮品贈予到場嘉賓。
期待與您見面，共同開啟健康、好運的新篇章。

03/02/2026

Why High Protein isn’t Enough (And Never Was) 🥩

Last week, I wrote about protein and I gave it a number - how much to eat per day, but there is more to the story than that (of course, there is)!

When you eat protein, your body asks:

1️⃣ Can I break this protein down?
2️⃣ Can I absorb it early enough in digestion to use it?
3️⃣ Will I incorporate it into muscle, bone and enzymes?
4️⃣ Or will it simply be oxidised and excreted?

That is what protein bioavailability means: not just what you eat, but what your body can use.

Animal proteins, such as eggs 🥚, dairy, fish and meat, tend to be more digestible and better absorbed than most plant proteins, due to their structure and lack of antinutritional factors.

They also deliver a stronger muscle-building signal, particularly in older adults, because they contain higher levels of indispensable amino acids, such as leucine 💪🏼.

In other words, animal proteins are very good at answering the first three questions.

They tell your body:
“Build tissue now.”

But they answer the fourth question (retention) less well on their own.

That’s where fibre 🥦 comes in (yes, you knew it was coming!).

How Fibre Contributes
Fibre doesn’t build muscle, but it plays a critical role in determining whether protein is used efficiently or lost.

High-fibre diets are associated with:

👉🏼Improved insulin sensitivity
👉🏼Reduced low-grade inflammation
👉🏼Healthier gut microbiota
👉🏼Improved metabolic handling of nutrients.

Fibre also supports gut microbes involved in nitrogen recycling, which helps reduce unnecessary protein oxidation and loss.

When protein and fibre are eaten together, microbial metabolism shifts toward more beneficial by-products and away from excessive amino-acid degradation.

😄 It also means you p*e less than if you were on a straight high-protein diet!

So what’s the goal?
The goal isn’t:

“High protein”
“Plant-based”
or “Animal-based”

The goal is signal + support 🌺.

Animal proteins provide a strong biological signal for tissue building.
Plant foods, especially fibre-rich vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains, provide the metabolic conditions that allow that signal to be used efficiently.

This is super important as we age, when protein quality, timing and context matter just as much as total intake (especially when combined with exercise).

So if you’re choosing high biological-return proteins, like whey, eggs, dairy, fish, or lean meats:

Combine with plants - that’s how protein stops being a number and starts to do the work needed 🫛.

Add Zestt Gut+ lozenges to the mix and build a healthy microbiome to optimise protein digestion.

28/01/2026

Why Respiratory Immunity Starts with Your Mucosal Microbiome 🫁🦠

When we think about avoiding infections, it’s easy to focus only on the pathogen -
how to avoid a virus, how quickly it mutates and how fast it spreads.

That was the dominant message during COVID-19.

But a more important question often gets missed 👇

What determines whether a virus successfully takes hold in the first place?

The answer lies partly in your mucosal system.

Your respiratory tract is lined with a mucosal surface - an active interface between your body and the outside world 🌬️
This mucus is constantly interacting with air, particles, microbes and immune cells.
How well this system functions plays a major role in your respiratory resilience.

The Oral & Respiratory Microbiome: Your Frontline Defence 🛡️

A central component of the mucosal system is its microbial community - the oral and respiratory microbiome.
These microbes help determine whether external pathogens can establish themselves by:
• Occupying physical space and competing for resources
• Shaping local immune responses through signalling

When your mucosal microbiome is stable, it acts as a buffer against invasion.
But it can be disrupted by inflammation, illness, environmental stressors (like alcohol), or high viral exposure ⚠️

That’s why looking after your mucosal microbiome is just as important for preventing respiratory infections as targeting pathogens directly.

Zestt Breathe+ lozenges contain patented probiotics and plant compounds, which reduce inflammation, coughing and phlegm.

Improve your breathing today!
Visit zesttwellness.com to make an order ☘️