TIPS FOR GETTING THROUGH THE COLD AND FLU SEASON

It's that time of year where coughs and colds are rife, here’s a few tips you can do to help give you the best protection and keep you feeling great this winter.

Lets start with health and what you can do to help protect from cold and flu viruses this season. Obesity has been proven to be high risk for developing further health problems, one of which being respiratory problems, therefore it stands to reason that tackling obesity would help to reduce the risk of not only comorbidities, but of experiencing extreme symptoms from colds and flu viruses etc. Our immune system protects us from bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, in order for our immune system to be working at it's best we ought to be focusing on our gut health and also ensuring that we are getting enough vitamins and minerals from our diets. A number of vitamins (A, B6, B12, Folate, C, D and E) and trace elements (Zinc, copper, selenium and Iron) have key roles in protecting our immune system and reducing the risk of certain infection.* By focusing on our diet, we will naturally get these vitamins and minerals, however a good quality multivitamin may also be added. Let’s look at some of the foods that we should be adding, remember to go organic where possible to reduce the use of pesticides and antibiotics being transferred through the foods into our biological system, local farm delivery services are fantastic. Vitamin A Rich foods: Beef and lamb liver, oily fish such as Mackrell and salmon, butter, eggs, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and also green leafy vegetables. Vitamin B Rich Foods: Whole-grains such as brown rice and whole porridge oats (I soak the oats overnight), meat, poultry and fish, eggs and yoghurt (choose pro-biotic natural yoghurts), legumes (beans and lentils), seeds and nuts (sunflower and almonds), green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts etc), fruits: Citrus fruits, avocados, bananas. Vitamin C Rich foods: Citrus fruits, berries, peppers, green leafy vegetables. Folate: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetable, peas, chickpeas and kidney beans and liver. Vitamin D: The best source is from direct sunlight (not good when the weathers crap here hey!) go without sunscreen for a few hours but be sensible and not burn, oily fish, red meat and eggs. Vitamin E: Nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. Zinc: Red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole-grains Copper: Poultry, spinach, asparagus, potatoes, organ meats such as liver, shiitake mushrooms, nuts and seeds, raw cacau / dark chocolate. Selenium Pork, Beef, turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nuts (Brazil nuts) Iron: red meat, beans (red kidney, edamame and chickpeas), nuts, dried apricots (moderation key here as dried fruits naturally have higher natural sugar content). NOTE - pregnant women should not eat liver. My clients past and present, I hope if you're reading this you will now see why the meal plans have the variety that they do with many of the above. My number one goal is for you to be healthy, if you strive for health then the rest follows. So how could this look in a meal plan? Breakfast: Porridge whole oats (small cup) soaked overnight with water/almond milk and sunflower and pumpkin seeds, add a desert spoon of natural probiotic yoghurt and a small handful of mixed berries. Or if you wanted to go grain free/lower carb Natural pro-biotic yoghurt with berries and seeds. Lunch: Chicken and egg salad with spinach and other mixed green leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and add some sauerkraut. Vegetarian: Mixed bean salad. Dinner: Chilli con carne with cauliflower rice. Fluids - Water and herbal teas. These are just little examples and is why a varied diet is helpful - eat the rainbow. Let's not forget you can still consume too much if you're not expending enough energy however, you may wish to track calories and macros using an app or just go on how you feel in yourself and how your clothes feel. Here's what we should be monitoring in our diet: Alcohol - yup, it's all fun and games, but it is energy dense (high calorific with no nutritional value) and it does lower our immune system so to really focus on health we should be examining our alcohol intake - be honest with yourself, could you do with lowering the amount of alcohol you're consuming? Sugar - Yup, they say it's as addictive as cocaine?!?! Once you do cut sugar out, after about 3 days the cravings for it do go away, you get more than enough sweetness through the low GI fruit such as berries and citrus fruit. Plus our natural energy levels will be much better. Caffeine - caffeine has it's positives and negatives, it can be good for a pre workout, but if you're already a stressed individual it's not a good addition to the diet, caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands (the fight or flight response). In our every day, we have many stresses and while caffeine may help wake us up, it can also lead to sleep disturbances etc. and lack of sleep can also lower immunity. On top of this, certain vitamin and mineral uptake may be hindered by too much caffeine in the system. Nutrition is only part of the issue, adequate rest and rejuvenation are important as are monitoring stress levels and sleep (something I got very little of in the first five years of my sons life so I get it, sleep is often disturbed, hey we can but try 😂), get out in nature, laugh with friends and family, be thankful for each and every day. I've tried to pack as much in this as I can but I know it's a pretty long read, Have a brilliant weekend Love Debbie x *Reference: https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/3/1/74?fbclid=IwAR33OMbk1oZSC6U_HgzhNQ0X_AQDdrkrVwFwIq-VHOj8x4UHDRaoLILU77U