These are some basic changes to your lifestyle that you can do year round, over the flu season, when you’re trying to stay well for an event coming up or if you’re feeling a bit rough and need a pick me up.
- Water: an obvious one but I can’t go without mentioning it! The vast majority of Australians don’t drink enough water. Try to aim for 2 litres at least but when sick or specifically trying to avoid getting sick, up to 6 litres a day is recommended. Water flushes out toxins, keeps you hydrated and boosts your immune system.
- Sleep: your body can’t heal while you’re awake as it’s too busy keeping you functioning. While you’re sleeping the body can heal and focus on repairing itself, especially heart and blood vessels. Also, your immune system is weakened when you are fatigued.
- Vitamin C: this vitamin is needed for growth, repair of all your body tissues, wound healing, absorption of iron, boosting immune system and the list goes on. You can never over dose on vitamin C but about 2000mg is a healthy dose.
- Cut out sugar: the majority of sugar that we eat is a processed, unnatural substance that just stresses our body out. Eliminating sugar gives your body a bit of a break so it can focus on killing the bacteria or virus that’s making you sick. Keep in mind if you cut out sugar from your diet, you may experience some headaches in the following week or two as your body is flushing out toxins. Drink lots of water to speed up the process.
- Cut out dairy/gluten: many of us are lactose or gluten intolerant but don’t realise it. These are substances which the body recognises but that we consume in much too high of a dose. Cutting back or eliminating gluten and lactose has almost the same effect as cutting out sugar – the body gets to focus on what’s making you ill rather than trying to break down and handle these large amounts of gluten and lactose in its system. Fruits, vegetables, meat or fish are the best things for your body.
- Lime or Lemons: the juices of these citrus fruits are renowned for their healthy properties. Both contain a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants. Mix a tablespoon of the juice with some water for a delightfully tangy refreshing drink. Consumed in the morning, this drink will give your system an energy boost.
- Ginger and Turmeric: These roots both help with digestion and have a lot of important nutrients including magnesium, iron and calcium. They help regulate blood sugar levels and also boost cognitive functions. Ginger also stops blood clotting and turmeric has anti-cholesterol properties. Best consumed mixed with warm water.
- Berries: take to the garden for anti-inflammatory strawberries, blueberries or raspberries to help with gut inflammation, arthritis, a sprained ankle or even inflamed tonsils. The berries have anthocyanin in them which has anti-inflammatory properties. If nothing else their sweet taste will distract you from the pain.
- Oregano and Garlic: Most herbs have some medicinal properties so its best to mix a healthy amount of herbs into your diet when you are unwell. However oregano might well be considered the most powerful of the herbs as it helps with digestion, inflammation, viral infections and bacteria. It is considered a natural anti-biotic. Similarly, garlic is a go to vegetable for illness as it has been shown to reduce the length of a common cold or flu by over 50%! It also reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These two are easy to add to a fried breakfast or to chop up and sprinkle on roasted vegetables or some toast for a snack.
- Stay Away from Digital Devices: blue light screens have been shown to have serious impacts on sleep patterns and eyesight. Not to mention these devices often cause headaches and eye strain which prevent speedy recovery from any illness.
