This post focuses on how to stay fighting fit this winter when challenges to immunity are everywhere; on every surface, in the air and in our food and drink and the immune system is our body’s natural defense against them.
When immunity is compromised, we experience colds and flu, fevers and fatigue through to more threatening conditions such as degenerative diseases and cancer. Without it quality of life would be poor and we wouldn’t live very long…
Diet and lifestyle have a huge influence on the efficiency of our immune system and there are a number of steps we can take to optimise it. Here are three tips that will help to strengthen yours:
Shake the Sugar Habit… Sugar can suppress the immune system for up to 5 hours so cut down on intake, or better still cut it out altogether. It’s hidden in all sorts of foods, even savoury products so check the label and be your own sugar detective.
Upgrade your diet – and your shopping basket… Food has healing powers, often with anti viral and anti bacterial properties, not to mention those vital antioxidants. By including garlic, onions, raw chocolate, yoghurt, kale, broccoli, blueberries, oats, bee products, almonds, pumpkin and flax seeds, miso and ginger in your weekly shopping basket you’ll be less likely to need immune boosting supplements A, C, E, B6, D3, essential fatty acids and zinc out of a bottle.
Reduce your stress levels and sleep well… Being run down, sleep deprived or stressed weakens immunity and makes us prone to illness. In other words …be nice to yourself; it’s vital in improving immune strength. Stress depletes our systems of vital nutrients and puts us in a constant sense of ‘emergency’ which disturbs the natural balance our bodies continually strive to achieve. Without rest the body doesn’t function optimally, it’s as simple as that.
Make ‘be prepared and get proactive’ your motto for the coming winter season! A strong immune system doesn’t happen over night so don’t wait to get sick before taking action; making little tweaks to your diet and lifestyle now pays dividends and you’ll be glad you did.
Think of food as the most proactive form of health insurance …pay now, or pay later …why wait to get sick?
Changing our Attitude to Food changes everything…
www.attitudetofood.com
