AVOID/LESS Winter COLDS/FLUIt isn't coincidence that we see families plagued with flu and colds during the winter/Holiday months! We are more indoors, with people spreading viruses, and our immune systems lag due to less fruit/veggies from summer, and MORE refined sugar/ processed treats due to Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years.
While it will be covered in DETAIL in my new 2013 step by step BLOG POSTS, just be aware that the immune system is compromised by higher intake of REFINED SUGARS and EXCESSIVE DAIRY. Sure, we are going to be over exposed to cookies/candies/cakes/desserts, especially since many bake. But until I teach you how to have delicious/decadent but healthier treats that are Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar Free, remember, for all the sugary foods you ingest, you not only trigger insulin in abundance (the only time Fat is stored) and therefore gain weight, more importantly you leave your immune system ragged, and when exposed to a virus, down you go. It is especially important to remember that a simple cold can go into bronchitis, or even pneumonia, a particular threat to the young, seniors or those w/auto immune disorders! So here are some of my favorite ways I stay cold and flu free during the winter, or minimize it if I do pick up "the bug." I have to be very careful, as my cold or flu will go into bronchitis easily due to my childhood history of chronic upper respiratory infections. I now have a cold or the flu, RARELY!
1) Start your day, or do an afternoon cup of Hot pure water, with a small or 1/2 a large Lemon, squeezed into the cup (remove seeds of course) Squeeze every last juice and pulp out of it. Add a teaspoon to a table spoon of raw, unprocessed Honey! NOTE: Do NOT give raw honey to anyone under two years old!
The lemon detoxifies viruses waiting to mutate in the body, gets you alkaline, a good thing, and adds copious amounts of vitamin C. Most importantly, the honey THINS mucous, hence not allowing it to thicken and harbor the viruses you are exposed to! Do not fret over the sugar content of the honey, unless you are diabetic. And I am hypoglycemic and can do the lemon/honey thing, as I eat w/in 45 mins. of taking my hot honey/lemon. Check blood sugars and if high, discontinue and use stevia to sweeten the lemon. However, I think you will be surprised to find raw honey in my opinion, does not compare at all to refined sugars. We do the hot lemon w/honey EVERY morning, first thing!
2) When you bake, try something besides white flour/white sugar. There are lots of gluten-free flour mixes, and I will be teaching you to make your own, soon. Gluten Free empowers the immune system, and we will discuss that in detail as well, in upcoming blog posts. And for sugars, try Maple Syrup granules from Trader Joes, Turbinado sugar, Agave or Agave Raw sugar, anything but white refined sugar. Be FULL before you bake, to not overindulge, and before going to Holiday gatherings! It's better to overeat on the "good stuff" and have your treat be decadent, but moderate. IF you overindulge on sugary treats, increase your water intake immensely, and get more rest! More sleep will keep your immune system from becoming more fragile. And think about taking some of the above Echinacea/Golden Seal capsules, JUST IN CASE! The less sugar you ingest, the less chance for weight gain and colds and flu!
3) The greatest thing that keeps me cold/flu free is JUICING! You cannot juice in a blender or even a Magic Bullet. If you do not have a juicer, (and you can buy used ones on Amazon or Craigslist) and want to learn how to do the best recipes you will actually SAVOR, then get ready for my important segment of juicing yourself to perfection! In the meantime, buy Odwalla carrot juice and drink several small glasses a day. Juicing is the most SUPER DENSE way you dispense pure SUPER nutrients directly into your system. It saturates your sick cells immediately, begins repairing, and what happens to your health/weight will astound you! I have NEVER in 38 years of reprogramming to whole live foods and eating for optimal health and weight, experienced anything close to what JUICING can do for your health and weight! It is as close to a silver bullet for most all illnesses, that I have ever discovered. It is worth it, especially until you learn how to change from "dead food eating" to "live food eating," to even buy a freshly made veggie juice (only fruit used is an apple, SMOOTHIES are NOT JUICING) at your local whole foods/health food store, etc. Jamba Juice has wheat grass shots. If you can "like em," go for that as well! We'll be talking about juicing in detail in 2013. My recipe is so good, even kids drink it and go, YUM! It has transformed my life. More than anything else!
4) So you are trying to get more rest during winter, not sweating the small stuff to manage stress (and maybe doing your exercise/yoga/pilates/meditative moments to diffuse stress) and avoiding a large amount of processed foods and sugary desserts! Now, add in ONE more thing to LIMIT. And that would be dairy. Dairy produces mucous! Big time! Use cheese in moderation. But most importantly, do not drink MILK! We will talk about this in detail as well, in our upcoming blog sharing together. If you arise in the morning, and I have to be graphic here, and hack up ANY mucous or phlegm, then you have likely done dairy or refined sugars. When I avoid those two things, I have NO mucous or phlegm. Try giving up dairy and sugar one week, and then have a bunch. You will be shocked! So do the best you can to use unrefined sugars, and rice/almond/coconut milk as dairy substitutes. And dry grated parmesan cheese or string cheese, or mozzarella are better choices than cheddars or jack cheeses. If you say, go to Chipolte's for a quick lunch, just ask for a sprinkle of cheese, and you'll be fine. It is about a lot of the good, and a little of the bad, in programming to optimal health! (and I ask for extra sauteed green peppers/onions, brown rice, and extra black beans, and they oblige nicely!)
5) IF you feel a cold or the flu coming on, it is time to begin Emergen-C, see above, using a package in some cold water, and drink it down. Do several packages a day, or I do up to four packages a day if a cold comes on. And buy Nature's Way Echinacea/GOLDEN SEAL ROOT capsules (it MUST have the Golden Seal Root w/the Echinacea to work) and take TWO every 3-4 hours, until symptoms begin to abate. I suggest you take that regimen for days, and then TWO twice a day for a week or so after the virus has mutated in the body and created symptoms! This is our family's greatest help for the cold/flu. It is amazing. Do LOTS of pure water during this time as well, keeping extremely hydrated! Golden Seal Root is nature's powerful natural antibiotic, and is simply amazing! And yes, zinc helps, but the Emergen-C and Golden Seal are our choices as SOON as symptoms appear. AND remember extra REST! Every extra hour of sleep boosts the immune system about 20%!!!!
6) In summary, to have a healthier winter/Holiday season, be more moderate in your sugary foods, and use dairy modestly if at all. Get at LEAST 7 hours sleep a night if not more, drink plenty of water, not sugary drinks, and add in onions and garlic as much as possible. Juice or buy vegetable juice to fortify and strengthen your immune system. And avoid WHITE (white rice, white sugar, white bread, white flour) but also wheat if possible. AND if you start getting ill, remember the Emergen-C, and Nature's Way Echinacea/Golden Seal Root as directed. START A REGULAR ROUTINE, of HOT fresh LEMON water with raw Honey! And see if your winter/Holiday months aren't more flu/cold free or at least lessened by your helping your body/immune system have the tools to fight the many viruses that seem to be plaguing our health. CHEERS! And remember, your only REAL wealth, is your HEALTH! I hope you will begin the journey in January, to learn step by step, how to live to be a hundred and enjoy getting there. I have learned so much in nearly 40 years of whole food, whole life living, I will deliver it to you in a way, that I truly believe you will never find anywhere else. I believe passionately that my extensive knowledge, my teaching abilities, and my gift given to deliver this message will grace your life! HAPPY HOLIDAY! I cannot wait to help you see that simple changes can create the health and weight you have always desired! Warm wishes, from Linda: AKA, Health Angel ;-)
