Tips for winter

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Top 10 to keep in the pink of winter

Mumbai Mirror

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Is the winter cough and cold troubling you?

 

With pleasant temperatures comes a slight deflation of your usual healthy

self. Breathing problems, flu, joint pains and other ailments. However, if

you have a healthy immune system, none of these would bother you. So here is

our Winter Top 10 to keep you in the pink of health!

 

DRINK YOUR LEMONS

 

Lemon is the ideal food for restoring acid-alkali balance. Drinking freshly

squeezed lemon juice in water, or adding it to tea, salad dressings (in

place of vinegar), baking or cooking, helps maintain the body's internal

"climate" at a pH which supports healthy bacteria instead of the viruses and

harmful bacteria which thrive in more acidic environments .Apple cider

vinegar is another great way to improve your body's alkalinity, but the

taste of lemons is much more pleasant!

 

GIVE YOUR BODY AN HERBAL BOOST

 

Hundreds of herbal supplements and tinctures exist to give the immune system

additional support during the winter. Essential oils are an excellent source

of immune-stimulating compound, and the rawest and most natural form of any

medicinal plant, but there are other supplements which can be effective.

Fresh herbs and whole food remedies are always preferable over packaged

herbs or supplements, since they have a much higher potency and frequency

and your body absorbs more of their value.

 

GET A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP

 

Everybody's different: your body may need anywhere from 6 to 10 hours of

sleep each night.Whatever your personal sleep requirement is, get it! Sleep

has been linked to balanced hormone levels (including human growth hormone

and the stress hormone, cortisol), keeping weight down, clear thinking and

reasoning, improved mood, and vibrant, healthy skin.

 

EAT PLENTY OF PROTEIN

 

Protein is a building block for a healthy body, mind, and immune system.

Diets low in protein tend to be high in carbs which convert readily to

glucose, spiking blood sugar and stressing the pancreas and the immune

system.

 

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

 

This is almost, but not quite, a given; most headaches occur because despite

the number of reminders, people still aren't getting enough water! Headaches

and thirst are both signs of dehydration. You should be drinking, in daily

ounces, half your body weight in pounds. (i.e. Body weight in pounds,

divided by 2 = number of ounces of water per day.)

 

STOP DRINKING COFFEE

 

Contrary to recent marketing as a source of antioxidants, chocolate and

coffee are two of the worst things you can do for your immune system and

your health. Caffeine robs your body of minerals and vitamins, and it

dehydrates you. If you drink coffee, make sure you add an additional two

glasses to your water intake per cup of coffee. A mineral supplement helps

to offset caffeine's damage, too.

 

WORSE YET IS THE IMPACT OF REFINED WHITE SUGAR

 

If you do only one thing to boost your immune system, eliminating sugar will

do the trick. You will see noticeable results in your energy levels, weight

distribution, immunity and your ability to think clearly when you break the

cravings and stop eating refined sugar. Many holistic nutritionists consider

sugar a drug for its impact on the human body. Healthier sugars such as

agave and stevia do exist, but I avoid artificial sweeteners; they are more

toxic than cane sugar.

 

STOCK UP ON RAW FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR THEIR ANTIOXIDANTS, VITAMINS,

MINERALS, FIBRE AND ENZYMES

 

The nutritional content that you receive from raw fruits and veggies is

unparalleled. Many vitamins, including C, are antioxidants and will protect

cells - including those of your immune system - from damage by toxins in the

environment. Dark-coloured produce (berries, kale, broccoli) tends to be

higher in flavonoids, polyphenols and other antioxidants.The perfect source

of minerals is seaweed, which is sold dried, but can often be found raw

(dried at low temperatures to maintain most of the enzymes and nutrients) in

health food stores.

 

SPEND SOME TIME OUT IN THE COLD

 

Snowball fight, anyone? Exercise can make a noticeable difference to your

health and happiness by releasing endorphins. Most of us spend 90% of our

lives indoors, inhaling dubiously filtered air and other people's germs, so

take any opportunity to get outside. Time spent outdoors in the cold also

stimulates the thyroid gland.

 

NURTURE YOURSELF

 

Make sure you take time to yourself, spend some time with friends, and

indulge yourself in a massage , a hot bath, or an energy work session when

you want one. Our bodies respond to our emotions - if you're feeling

harassed and anxious, it can manifest in a sore throat or a cold. Create a

space within yourself and your living environment for harmony, self-love and

joy (giving thanks, prayer and blessing the abundance in your life and of

the world around you helps). Pay attention to warning signs of sore throat

or exhaustion so you can keep them from getting worse.

 

Rgds

 

VallabhaN