Ever wonder what causes “flu season” ?
We are staying indoors because of cold weather which turns into lack of exercise, potentially overeating and falling into less healthy habits overall. These factors weaken your immune system, in the winter our vitamin D levels are typically lower because we can’t get out in the sunshine as much, this alone weakens our immune system and causes us to become more susceptible to viral infections. When our immune system is weakened we aren’t able to fight off infection and disease, to stay healthy during “flu season” the main focus is to protect your body and prepare your body to fight off infection.
Here are some of the tips I like to use when I start to feeling under the weather:
- Eat smaller and easier to digest meals (usually smoothies or organic bone broth) this allows your body to focus on fighting infection, rather than using energy to digest foods.
- Echinacea tea, lemon ginger tea, green tea. Drink any of these teas, they have amazing benefits, echinacea increases white blood cell count to fight infection, lemon ginger tea soothes the throat and stomach, while also helping nausea and green tea is loaded with antioxidants and helps destroy pathogenic bacteria in your body.
- Zinc Pills (15-30mg)
- Oil of oregano (Click here for my favorite brand)
- Elderberry Pills (especially good for flu virus)
- Manuka Honey Drops - I cannot say enough great things about this, it's basically magic
- More sleep at least (8-10) hours
- Stay hydrated!
- Epsom salt baths in the evening to detox and calm the body
- Eat fermented foods for probiotic gut health such as yogurt and ginger.
- Take it easy on exercise, mostly walking or light yoga practice.