Cold and flu viruses take advantage of our weakened immune systems when we are tired or run down with lack of best nutrition. After the holiday season, we have often over-exerted ourselves, eaten more sugar than usual and consumed plenty of alcohol. Sugar and alcohol use up abundant nutrients and antioxidants as our bodies try to metabolize and detoxify these substances. They also stress our digestive tract and liver, which are working to process out nasty bugs and viruses.
If we are using up our stores of precious vitamins and minerals to fight with foods and substances that we are willfully consuming, our immune system is malnourished, challenged and open to invasion. Shore up your defenses so that you can enjoy winter!
Winter is a cozy time to eat warm food so that your already-chilly body does not have to “cook” food to body temperature, which is exactly what a stomach needs to do when it receives ice cream, for example. Warming soups and stews are great to make several times a week so that you have easy-to-reheat meals. Pack them with hearty veggies, protein and fiber so that a bowl is a full meal. Visit my Recipes page for my favorites! If you are not planning to finish what you cook within four days, freeze portions for later to avoid leftovers going bad. Fresh foods break down in the fridge, but stay good for longer in the freezer.
It is still good to eat fresh, raw veggies and greens during cold weather, since the vitamin C in plants is reduced by cooking. Have a fresh salad alongside a nice cut of hot chicken broth, veggie broth or miso soup so that your body stays comfortably warm. Enjoy a cool smoothie, but leave out any ice cubes when you blend it. Balance the smoothie with a moderate portion of fruit plus greens, fiber and some fat to keep blood sugar and energy stable. If your blood sugar is unstable and you have spikes and dips of energy, that’s stressful to your body, and all stress makes you more susceptible to illness. In winter, I add camu camu powder to my smoothies. It’s a highly concentrated, yummy tasting source of vitamin C.
We may be hungrier in winter since our bodies work harder to stay warm. Fuel up with fresh, natural foods and eat substantial meals instead of relying on snacks. Snack foods are typically processed and inferior in nutrient density. Add additional, clean fats to your diet instead of more carbs. Sprinkle pumpkin, sesame or hemp seeds on almost anything, or slice up a creamy avocado. Eggs, butter, oily fish and other fats from responsibly caught or raised seafood and animals are rich in the fat-soluble, immune-supportive vitamins A, D ,E and K. Drizzle antioxidant olive oil on veggies. Evaluate your protein intake, or do a food journal for me so that I can see if you are eating enough to meet your needs. Your immune system’s defensive “soldiers” are made of protein!
When eating to stay healthy during cold and flu season, consume foods that your immune system recognizes as safe and optimally nourishing. Your immune system finds food additives, dyes, artificial flavors, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides to be dangerous irritants, so please eat clean and choose organic when possible. Winter is a perfect time for food allergy or sensitivity testing to determine which foods are irritating your immune system and burdening your body.
Here’s my winter fridge, freezer and pantry list of soothing, easy foods in case I get sick and am housebound for a few days:
Chicken broth! Pacific, Imagine and Whole Foods all make quality broth that lasts in the kitchen cabinet for months or years.
Miso soup in a nice tub in my fridge - I use Miso Master certified gluten-free and organic.
Frozen, pre-cooked brown and white rice and quinoa can be added to broth or soup. Whole Foods has organic varieties that heat up in minutes.
Frozen, organic veggies galore, like stir-fry blend veggies that also cook deliciously into a soup with the above ingredients.
Frozen, organic berries and almond milk make high-antioxidant blended smoothies. I add frozen spinach or kale, hemp seeds, almond butter and high-quality protein powder to make each smoothie a balanced meal.
Rice cakes settle an upset stomach. Knudsen’s organic rice cakes are yummy.
Frozen, pre-cooked or quick-cooking chicken breasts have a bland flavor that is inoffensive, which is important since our taste buds are “off” during illness. Heat them the oven with anti-inflammatory turmeric sprinkled on top.
Drink LOTS of water and stay hydrated! The minimum amount of liquid a person should drink a day is half as many ounces of water as they weigh in pounds, more when we need to flush something out of the system. Add a sprinkle of pink Himalayan salt if you feel dehydrated or have GI upset.
Many black and dry teas are high in tannins that dry out a sore throat, so keep demulcent Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea handy. It has a delicious, sweet taste.
Put local honey in tea to soothe a cough.
Homeopathy like the classic Boiron brand Oscillococcinum and Cold Calm pellets and tablets have been shown to reduce the duration and intensity of flus and cols.
Zinc reduces the duration and intensity of illness and comes in yummy tablets and lozenges. Did you know that the metabolic panel tested during routine annual physical blood work has a marker of zinc called alkaline phosphatase? Bring in your labs for a functional review, or we can look at new labs for you.
Black Elderberry fruit supports the immune system and can be found in syrups, powders and lozenges. Be wary of ingesting lots of sugary syrups, though!
Vitamin C is abundant in fresh, colorful, leafy, crunchy veggies and fruits. Eat some fresh, raw produce daily and supplement with vitamin C tablets or powders (like camu camu fruit) throughout the day. Vitamin C is water soluble and runs through the body quickly, so spread our your intake and doses.
Herbal formulas like Wish Garden Herbs Kick-Ass Immune can be dissolved in water and drunk throughout the day.
Probiotics protect your gut’s immune system. I take a daily dose of probiotic capsules for prevention and GI wellness, and add more if I am sick, and I am make sure to feed them prebiotics, their foods found in natural fibers. (If prebiotics bother you, we need to look at your gut health). Many foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir and kombucha have natural probiotics.
I keep natural antimicrobials, natural virus fighting formulas and activated charcoal in my tool kit as well. I can help you put together a personalized toolkit.
Wishing you a happy, healthy rest of winter…regardless of what the groundhog said today, it’s still cold outside!