Swine Flu?....Ew!!

SO....this isn't really about swine flu but getting sick in general.

My friend Abby emailed me and asked me my thoughts on Purell since she really doesn't like to use it because of her Eczema and she obviously doesn't want to get sick.

That got me thinking...we are approaching flu season. What are some ways we can PREVENT getting sick as opposed to curing our selves when we do....

This is the "quick" answer I gave in my email to her:

"Really it’s about eating well and keeping your immune system healthy since our Immune system is mainly in your digestive track. Eat lots of foods with:

*Vitamin C and Vit A to boost the immune system,

*Fiber- to keep things moving,

*whole grains,

*nothing processed,

*antibiotic free meats

*Fresh fruits and vegetables

* dark leafy greens!

* And little dairy if you can.

**Exercise to keep your stress levels low. Stress affects the immune system the most. It’s all a cycle- you need low stress and a healthy diet. Easy right? Ha!!

I never use purell either- the thing is, if your immune system is healthy than it will be able to fight off whatever germs you have on your hands.
Eczema is an auto immune disease which means your immune system is attacking itself. If you are stressed and are eating foods that your system cannot process smoothly and you will have a flare up."

Long and short is -eat as healthy as you can to keep your immune system strong and you will fight off colds and flu's better.

Here are some foods high in Vit C:

*bell peppers (especially red), cabbage, broccoli, leafy greens, kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, and berries.

Foods with Vit A:

*winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin

*Instead of a russet potato, choose a sweet potato- you will increase antioxidants significantly.

*Fish are also good sources of vitamin A including halibut, wild caught salmon, and cod.

*Eat more onions and garlic!

Sample day:

Breakfast: Smoothie with berries, banana, soy milk and (add spinach if you can bear it! this is an extra boost of Vit C!)

Lunch: Salad with lots of fresh veggies of your choice, healthy protein of your choice and a side of brown rice or quinoa- or you can add rice or quinoa into salad directly.

or...hearty vegetable soup, or chicken with vegetable soup

Dinner: Roasted salmon with Roasted sweet potato and broccoli:

Peel and cube sweet potato- toss that with broccoli, olive oil and salt and roast until soft (about 30 mins on 400- the smaller the pieces of sweet potato, the quicker they cook) after the veggies have been in the oven for about 10 mins- place salmon in oven and cook with veggies the remaining 20 mins. You can season Salmon with whatever spices you like. I like just salt, pepper and a little cayenne. - you can finish off the salmon under the broiler for a couple of minutes if it is not done yet.

Dinner #2: *Sauté spinach, broccoli or kale (or all 3) with garlic in olive oil for dinner to make fajitas with chicken and brightly colored peppers. This is a great way to increase your

consumption of vitamin C- which will enhance your immune system!- make enough for leftovers for lunch.

**If you can make some variations of this every day- you will stay stronger and be able to fight off colds!

....and then again, sometimes colds are just inevitable unfortunately!

Beauty Tip: If your face and eyes are feeling puffy in the AM- wash your face with ice cold water after you get out of the shower instead of blasting it with hot water. It is uncomfortable at first- but you will see yourself de-puff!