Top 5 Tips For Staying Healthy During Flu Season

29 Oct Top 5 Tips For Staying Healthy During Flu Season

Here are the five healthiest habits you need to maintain to naturally boost your defenses. They have a much higher success rate than a marginally effective flu shot, which is why I don’t recommend getting the flu shot if you are a healthy adult.

1. Wash your hands.

• Wash with pure soap and water ONLY.
• This will remove any germs you may have picked up from communal items such as door knobs, handshakes, grocery carts, etc.
• Don’t buy antibacterial soaps, especially those containing Triclosan.
  • Triclosan is the main ingredient in most “anti-bacterial” soaps and was just recently banned by the FDA due to associated health risks, such as bacterial resistance and hormonal effects.
  • It’s no longer allowed to be used in production, but I can guarantee you can still find it on the shelves of most stores because there hasn’t been enough time for the previous supply to be sold.
  • It’s been scientifically proven that washing your hands with plain soap and water is just as effective as using any “anti-bacterial” brand.

You can read more of the FDA’s announcement, made in September 2016.

2. Maintain your healthy habits and healthy foods throughout the holidays.

• Don’t forget about your green smoothies every day, your big fresh salads and your homemade meals. Fresh, enzyme-packed fresh foods are a massive nutrient boost for your body. Get motivated with this super simple, SuperLife, green salad bowl.
• Organic fruits and vegetables are your best and most natural source of vitamin C and so many other protective vitamins and minerals. Refresh why choosing organic is so important here.
• These are the foods that keep you and your family healthy throughout the year, but they also tend to be the foods that slip away from our daily routines as the house begins to fill with holiday treats.
• Avoid certain foods that will only weaken your defenses. Including alcohol, packaged and processed foods, hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and artificially sweetened foods or those with high amounts of added sugar.
  • I’m referring to: leftover bags of Halloween candy (do you know who much sugar is in that candy?), giant sides of mashed potatoes or coleslaws that Aunt Sally left at the house during Thanksgiving and let’s not forget all of the sugar cookies, fudge, and candy canes that begin to be dropped off at your door by neighbors, family, and friends hoping to wish you ‘Happy Holidays’ unknowingly flooding your body with toxic loads of sugar.

3. Avoid the Sugar

• As mentioned above, sugar seems nearly unavoidable during the holidays, but you and I both know that sugar can lead to a host of so many other problems besides weight gain. It drags your body down right when you need it operating at its best.
• Added sugar in your drinks or food leads to heightened cravings for more junk food and a weaker immune system.
• This cycle of bingeing on sugar ‘every now and then’ is associated with total body fatigue (sugar crashes), headaches, belly aches, digestive issues and most importantly it lowers your immune defenses’ ability to fight off any cold or flu virus that you might have otherwise been able to kick out the door.

4. Make Immune-Boosting Elixirs and Foods at Home

• Try a green smoothie loaded with powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Here’s one of my favorites!
• Drink organic, quality tea to help boost your immune system: Here is a simple recipe to try for Ginger Cinnamon Chamomile Tea!
• Start your day every morning with warm water with fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of cayenne before eating or drinking anything else.
• Get creative with homemade soups. This is a great way to get a large variety of vegetables in one meal.
• If you have a juicer at home you are going to love this flavorful green immune boosting elixir. It’s packed full of natural antibiotic and antiviral ingredients.
• Make my ultimate flu-fighting immunity elixir.

5. Stay Hydrated

• I can’t talk about the importance of clean, filtered water enough.
• You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces to maintain hydration. For example, a 200lb man needs to be drinking at least 100 oz .of water daily, and a 150-pound woman needs to be getting at least 75 ounces daily.
• If you exercise or spend a lot of time outside, drink even more
• If you feel like you might be coming down with something, drink more water than that!
• Intrigued by my enthusiasm for water? I recommend that you read my post about the shocking impacts water can have on your health now that you’re inspired!

Water will keep your cells hydrated and allow your body to continue to circulate any toxins you may be exposed to through your system and out through your urine.

If you’re not drinking enough water (or you are drinking too much caffeine) your cells will become dehydrated and will begin holding on to unwanted toxins, viruses, and bacteria that we ultimately want to get out of our system.

Those are the top SuperLife tips for fighting off the flu. Again, when you think for yourself and look closer at the research, the flu shot cannot be the only tool in your toolbox when it comes to preventing the flu from making you sick this year.

There is more power in your hands than pharmaceutical companies want to admit. Take it!

RELATED READING:

Questioning if you should get the flu shot? Read Darin’s thoughts in this blog: Why You Should Rethink Getting the Flu Shot.

Need some more motivation to kick those not-so-healthy habits you might still be holding onto that will bring your immune system down?

Check out Darin’s 7 easy hacks to learn to eat healthy again, learn why it’s important to eat more plants to change your health, and discover why you need to stop skipping the kitchen and take a little more time to prepare your meals at home.