Boost Your Immune System

For most people, winter brings to mind frosty mornings, warm mugs of cocoa, and boxes upon boxes of tissues. It truly does seem as if we have entered the season for the sniffles and the sneezles. I remember many years ago, before I changed our family’s diet, we usually had about four straight months of runny noses and scratchy throats. I just assumed back then that it was one more unfortunate and inevitable burden of parenthood that everyone had to tolerate. But, I have learned so much since then!

Alive and Well
I begin every day with freshly juiced carrots and apples. This way the enzymes directly enter the bloodstream and are immediately absorbed by the body. Enzymes are a great way to boost your immune system, and the only way to get them is from live foods. The typical American diet really stresses the immune system because it has to work so hard to digest the over-processed and under-nourishing food that we often consume. Food that is alive, such as raw fruits and vegetables come with their own living enzymes to help the digestive process. Increase the living food that you consume and you won’t be reaching for the tissues this season.

Go For The Green
It may be a bit pricey, but consider picking up some dehydrated green food supplement from your local natural foods store or nutrition center. One of my favorites is Barley Green and Perfect Food by Garden of Life. This is a great way to get those live enzymes and a dose of whole food nutrition quickly and easily. Just put a couple of spoonfuls in your juice in the morning and you’re on your way to better health.

Get A Good Dose of Oil
Omega 3 Fatty Acids are an excellent health booster. For vegetarians, you can get this through flaxseed oil (just mix it up in your salad dressing). For others, a great source is fish oil, which you can get in capsule form or in a bottle (just hold your nose and hope for the best). If you do buy these bottles, make sure you store them in your refrigerator and use them up quickly.

Long Live the Germs!
This is often the time of year when you want to whip out the Lysol and the Clorox and scrub every surface in the home. But, if you want to stay healthy then resist the urge to go germ-free. When we clean with a lot of antibacterial products, we can often damage our health and the health of others in our home. Everyone has healthy bacteria in their noses and throats that help fight off infection. Harsh chemicals kill off all bacteria – good or bad. Inhaling those airborne molecules from the cleaners kills off the healthy bacteria in our bodies and damages our immune system. Go easy on the chemicals that you use in your home.

Laugh A Lot
The Bible is right again - “a happy heart doeth good like medicine.” Laughter releases natural endorphins that aid in fighting off illness and infection. Pop in some of your favorite comedies and laugh your way to good health! But if you’re like me, then the best times are the ones that are shared with your family. Unfortunately, that often limits our movie selection because some of the funniest movies usually have a word or scene that is inappropriate for all eyes and ears. We have found a great solution. Cleanfilms.com is a resource where you can rent movies for a flat fee every month and every one of them has been edited to remove profanity, nudity, and other objectionable material. Finally! We can ALL enjoy the antics of Ace Ventura!