Surviving Cold & Flu Season: Part 2

Foods that are Immune Boosters:

I personally love kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, radishes, tomatoes, red skin onion, sweet potato, pumpkin, red & yellow squash, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. The list goes on and on. Even with veggies that I simply detest (like brussel sprouts), I try to find ways to disguise them and put them in my body. My body loves the nutrients and life’s more interesting this way.

Phytochemicals: What are they?

Phyto means plants. Chemicals are the naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and hundreds of other substances that science hasn’t even discovered yet. When vegetables and fruits are brightly colored, they pack powerful agents that deliver immune enhancing agents. This helps your body maintain balance and fight disease. We know that vitamins and minerals don’t work to their potential when they work by themselves in the body. When they are accompanied by broad spectrum phytochemicals, the body utilizes them more effectively. The kicker is, science is still discovering new phytochemicals everyday. For best health, eat a large variety of brightly colored fruits and veggies - the deeper the color, the more nutrient dense the phytochemical.

A Rule to Live By:

Pay careful attention to what you put into your body immediately following your workout. Remember the “Anatomy of Recovery” – your body is a proverbial sponge in that first 30-45 minutes following a workout. Many people hurt themselves physically, and slow down the ability to burn fat or gain muscle by not consuming a liquid meal during this time. The solution is to drink nutrient dense calories NOW and replenish what you have burned. Your body needs the natural glucose and fructose sugars from fruits to properly recover. Make every calorie count and make sure they are nutrient dense. You can do it with a green veggie shake and really boost your immunity! Because your body is a “sponge” at this time, the phytochemicals absorb quickly and helps you maintain good health.

EAT WELL!

Check back next week for Issue 3.                   Brought to you from our partners at PROJECT: PFC

Surviving Cold & Flu Season: Part 1

Brought to you from our partners at PROJECT: PFC

Prevention Is The Best Medicine

Since there are no known cures for cold or flu, prevention is the best medicine. This year, it is more important than ever to take all necessary precautions to avoid getting the flu.

Healthy young people are at less risk for the serious complications, that can accompany the flu, but it could still mean a week or more out of work (not to mention the misery that goes along with that.)

10 Natural Ways to Reduce the Risk of Catching or Transmitting Colds or Flu

1. Eat smart. Eat a variety of brightly colored foods containing phytochemicals. These natural chemicals give the vitamins, held within the foods, a supercharged boost. 
2. Get enough sleep. Your body can’t recover without enough sleep. 
3. Don’t cover a cough with bare hands. Cough into the crook of your elbow or into a clean tissue and then dispose of immediately. 
4. Wash hands frequently. Viruses can live for hours and sometimes weeks outside the body. 
5. Don’t touch your face or the face of others. Cold and flu viruses enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth. 
6. Manage your stress. It is well documented that stress can lower the immune system. 
7. Drink lots and lots of water. All of life’s functions take place in water and it flushes your system, washing out toxins as it rehydrates you.
8. Take a sauna. Studies prove that those who take two or more a week got half as many colds as those that didn’t. One theory is that viruses cannot live in temperatures higher than 80 degrees. 
9. Do cardio exercises regularly. Cardio forces the body to pump more oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. This helps to eliminate waste and produce more of the body’s natural virus-killing cells. 
10. Take nutritional supplements. Due to stress, food degradation, the environment and other factors, the foods you eat may be missing important nutrients.

Check back next week for ways to boost your immune system!