Public transport, open offices, small children: there are a myriad of factors that conspire against us in winter, as we try to fight off endless colds and flus.
Follow these tips to help avoid the dreaded lurgy this winter.
Practise good hygiene, particularly at your desk. Most people do not clean their desktops as often as they should. Be sure to spray your desk once a day with a natural cleaner, especially the keyboard and phone.
Try a grapefruit seed extract nasal spray. When people around you are sneezing, your first line of defence are the cilia [tiny hairs] inside your nose. Keep them moist with ideally a grapefruit seed extract nasal spray or even a plain saline one; two to three sprays daily will help you avoid getting sick. And don’t rub your eyes with your hands!
Keep a jug of tea next to you. Combine freshly ground turmeric, a teaspoon of grated ginger and hot water, and have that as your main drink throughout the day.
Eat lots of nuts and seeds, and fruit such as berries and kiwifruit. One kiwifruit a day packs a real punch of immune boosters. Try to cut out sugar – especially processed sugar – as it represses your immune function. Keep food fresh as much as possible; salads and soups are ideal.
Avoid alcohol. Half a glass of wine or even a full glass four nights a week isn’t a terrible immune suppressant. But any more than that and you could be compromising your immunity.
Eat more fresh garlic. Cooking garlic kills the allicin, the compound that helps fight bugs. I grate fresh garlic and sprinkle it over salads.
Drink iodised salt water. Sore throat? Put a pinch of iodised salt in a glass of warm water and stir it around. Gargle for 30 seconds then spit it out. Do that a few times every few hours to kill the bacteria.
