I can never remember how the saying goes. Something like “Starve a cold, feed a fever, or starve the flu, feed a cold.” I don’t even know if I’ve ever tried to do any of those things.
For some reason, I seem to get sick for a couple days every winter. Nothing too bad, but I know I have something and I make sure to skip wrestling practice, the gym or any other contact sports for a couple days until I feel better, just because I don’t want to get anyone sick.
Since flu season is coming and we are all in the middle of navigating the first viral pandemic of our lives, I figured I’d look into the best ways to avoid getting sick this time of year.
Doctors say that feeding colds and flus with nutrient dense foods is best. Our body needs nutrients to keep our immune system strong. Obviously, this doesn’t mean we should eat more calories, but that we should try to make sure we are eating plenty of foods with the full spectrum of amino acids and all the essential vitamins and minerals.
According to the articles I read, liquids are even more important than solids when we are sick. Often, we lose our appetite when we are sick. This is a result of our body using extra energy to fight infections. Sometimes when we are sick, it’s easier to drink liquids than to eat a meal. Also, when we have a fever, we lose more electrolytes and water through sweat. Of course, Nanohydr8 is the fastest, most effective way to absorb minerals essential to hydration. However, when we are sick, it’s good to avoid caffeine and alcohol, because they can make us feel even worse. Alcohol also quickly causes dehydration.
Some doctors recommend warm liquids because they can help break up mucus and make it easier to get out of our chest and sinuses. Eliminating mucus is the first effort the body makes to get rid of excess germs. Some warm liquids that they recommend are traditional chicken soup with vegetables, because the antioxidants in the vegetables help support our immune system. Herbal tea is also helpful and can help sooth a sore throat.
We often focus far too much on the remedy or cure as opposed to prevention. Eating good, nutrient dense food will not only help us get over these sicknesses faster, they will help prevent us from getting them in the first place. Especially with things like Covid-19, people who are already in good shape do way better at beating the virus than those of us that don’t take very good care of our bodies. This is true regardless of age.
One thing that I didn’t know was that 70% of our immune system is in our gut. This is probably why I still get sick once a year even though I really try hard to be fit. I really messed up my gut during the 2 years I lived in Brazil and my body has been adapting ever since. Doctors say that probiotics and prebiotics are essential to a healthy immune system. One of the ways we can get these is through consuming a wide array of fiber from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. Doctors also recommend that we should try to eat as many brightly colored fruits and vegetables as we can. Things like red bell peppers, sweet potatoes and colorful fruits and berries. Garlic and onions are also recommended, but if you are in a relationship with someone with a sensitive nose, you might want to weigh the pros and cons of these two.
Most of this is common sense. Of course, exercise is also a great way to boost the immune system, but you can actually workout too much and weaken your immune system. And if you are feeling sick, stay away from the gym and maybe take it easy for a couple days so your body can use the small amount of energy it has, to get you healthy as quickly as possible.
Masks and hand sanitizers might seem like the best thing to keep everyone healthy, but the best thing is to eat healthy, live an active lifestyle and stay away from people if you are sick. Especially our grandmas and grandpas. Hope you all stay as healthy as possible, be considerate of others, especially people we know might be at risk of getting really sick, but locking ourselves inside is for sure not the best way to stay healthy. Get outside and get some vitamin D as much as possible. Sunlight and fresh air are as important as good food and exercise to keeping us mentally and physically healthy.
Guest Post by Adam Legas
Founder/CEO Nanohydr8
Leave a Reply