YAY! The holidays are upon us. A time when everyone stays inside with all their germs and shares them around the festive dinner tables! Before you decide to go visit the in-laws with full face masks on, let's talk about ways to be healthier with a stronger immune system this holiday season! (aaand hopefully afterward) There are several things that influence your health and especially your immune system. The biggest factors are stress and nutrition. I'm going to discuss the nutrition part.
I know...it's a daunting topic. It's one that instills a sense of guilt in a lot of us. Let me stop you RIGHT THERE. I don't want this to guilt anyone. If you think there haven't been days that my kids have lived off of almost entirely Cheetos or crackers...you are wrong my friends. I know it's easier to say YOU will eat healthier than to get your kids to...so please don't feel I am judging you. ;) I was blessed with two fantastic eaters which I have to figure is mostly from the fact that I ate such a variety during pregnancy and breastfeeding? I'm not sure how it happened, but I am thankful because I REFUSE to make special meals for the kids. That being said, I have plenty of friends who have picky eaters that I have SUCCESSFULLY fed vegetables to. (secretly..but that's another topic for another time)
I know that the holidays are full of sweets and fatty foods. Let's prep for that NOW. We know that Vitamin C gets big hype for being an immune booster, but there are a couple of things you may not know...Vitamin C SUPPLEMENTS have been linked to a number of health problems and your body doesn't know the difference between Vitamin C and sugar. Okay, maybe that's not EXACTLY true, but the more sugar that enters, the less Vitamin C can. So if you are downing sweets all day and popping Emergen-C hoping not to get your nephew's cold...good luck. Your body will take in the sugar and toss what it believes to be "excess"(the Vitamin C). Your best chance is to beware overindulging in all that sugar AT LEAST up until the festivities you attend and try to get NATURAL FOOD BASED Vitamin C. (broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, brussel sprouts, strawberries, papayas, oranges..but not orange juice with sugar in it, cantaloupe, pineapple, cabbage, etc etc etc.) Your best bet this holiday season is to start now building up your body's defense. Wake up tomorrow and have an omelet with bell peppers maybe? I promise that the cake your aunt always makes will treat you better if you've been treating your body well up until then. ;) Everything in moderation!!
♧Lady Luck
* I don't hate all supplements. I am fond of the ones that are PLANT BASED and not just a bunch of chemicals and artificial sweeteners. *
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