It’s here! The season of sore throats, runny noses, and fevers!

How do we fight this flu season and conquer that cold if we happen to get one? 

Let’s talk about prevention!

It’s the best medicine right?!?

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

✅ Keep Food Quality High: 

Eat as much while real food as possible. Aim for 600-800 grams of fruits and veggies each day.  Up the ante with garlic and ginger. They are great antimicrobials that fight those rogue bacteria. try to avoid dairy if possible. It can promote mucus, which is obviously not what we want more if when we’re already a sniffly, stuffy mess.

✅ Boost the Immune System with Supplements :

Consider adding in some magnesium, zinc, Vitamin C and D. I’d opt-in for the D no matter what!  And let’s activate it by getting outside whether it’s sunny or overcast for 20 minutes a day.

Other things that are my go-to’s when I feel something coming on strong:

Olive leaf 

Echinacea

Oil of oregano

Astragalus

Elderberry

I will take in liquid tincture form or in capsules.

✅ Elevate your Gut Health:

If our gut is our second brain let’s wide up and fortify it from the inside out. Bone broth, collagen, fermented foods and probiotics can really support your microbiome.  And don’t forget all the prebiotic fiber and goodness those 600 grams of fruits and veggies provides for the gut! It’s MONEY!

✅ Prioritize Sleep:

Sleep is our body’s time to heal and regenerate. When we sleep our body actually releases cytokines. Cytokines are a group of proteins or peptides that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system. They help regulate immunity, inflammation, and hematopoiesis.  So the more zzzzz’s you catch the healthier that the immune system will function.

✅ Keep an eye on Consumption:

By eating in a deficit or in excess it can add extra strain or stress to the immune system so be sure to keep things in balance. Also, be cognizant of raining stress and overreaching there.  Listen to your body. Take a rest day if you need one.

✅ Stay Hydrated:

Water may not necessarily be the most enticing thing (especially if we have a sore throat), so consider sipping on things like peppermint, ginger, or lemon tea with honey, bone broth, coconut water, or things like Pedialyte.

The biggest thing we can do to prevent illness is….

Wash those hands! 

But SKIP the antibacterial soap.

Most antibacterial soaps contain triclosan. Studies have shown when testing on rats Triclosan seems to elicit a decrease in thyroid function & a negative impact to sex hormones. 

We have seen a rise in super germs and antibiotic-resistant diseases like MRSA if the last decade especially and they are linking antibacterial soap to this rising problem.  Fall back on that age-old rule …..sing the A B C’s when you wash and that’s all you need to keep those puppies germ free. Be sure to dry them too!

 

So here is to helping you enter this season armed with knowledge and a plan to prioritize your health and fight those buggars that want to make you ill!