As the leaves and temperatures start to fall, colds and flu are never far behind. While it may seem like getting sick sometime between now and April is a forgone conclusion, it doesn’t have to be. Yes, I’m saying you don’t have to get sick this year, that is, as long as you start fortifying your body now. Work on these immunity-boosting habits, smart food choices, and everyday precautions and you’ll have just about everything you need to fend off the viral invaders. And, if despite your best efforts, you do wind up under the weather, your strengthened defenses will make your body a very inhospitable place for bugs to linger, so you’ll bounce back that much faster.
So, where to start? Here are a few of my favorite tips to keep you in top form until it’s time to put the snow boots away:
If you do nothing else this winter, dump sugar – it’s the most important thing you can do to help yourself stay well. Sugar decreases your immune function by starving the beneficial bacteria and feeding the bad bacteria in your gut. It’s weakening your immune system at the time of year when you need it working overtime.
As it houses roughly 70% of your immune system, a happy, healthy gut will be less vulnerable to every wave of cooties that sweep through your office. How to feed it well? Add fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir and raw, organic apple cider vinegar to your menu. Just a scoop or two, a few times a week should do the trick. Fermented foods are a simple but excellent way to feed your gut the probiotics (aka friendly bacteria) that help keep the microbiome balanced and immunity high.
A good winter-time rule of thumb: dark leafy greens at every meal. Put a pile of spinach under your morning eggs; add a fistful of kale to your lunch-time soup; put more greens into dinnertime salads and stews. In other words, think of every meal as an opportunity to get more greenery into your belly. Doing so will deliver the phytonutrients and fiber that make your good belly bacteria thrive – and keep your immune system defenses strong enough to fight off opportunistic bugs.
No matter how you slice it, garlic is a tasty way to fight off the bugs of winter. Garlic is packed with anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal compounds that help repel the bad guys and onions are especially strong in the antibacterial department. Better yet, onions provide a nice dose of fiber and prebiotics, essential for keeping your gut – and ultimately your immunity – functioning optimally.
Just as important as eating well to fortify immunity is being extra kind to your body during the winter months. And treating it to a variety of health-supportive activities will make the long chilly nights pass a bit more quickly, keeping those winter blues at bay. Topping the to-do list:
To make sure those wintertime ills don’t have a fighting chance, stack the deck some more in your favor. In addition to eating and treating your body well, add a few supplements to the mix. Among my favorites to support wintertime immunity: