A couple of our recent articles covered some ways to maintain health year round. A March article was all about good dental health. Our February article Back to School or Work Health Tips covered:
- Good nutrition – eg fresh foods rather than processed
- Staying hydrated
- Movement
- Sleep
- Time out to de-stress, have fun & enjoy time with friends and family
As winter approaches, adding in some other good habits can help build immunity, reducing the chance of a respiratory illness, or at least the severity.
Ramp up intake of protective nutrients
- Vitamin C – citrus fruit, blackcurrants, powdered acerola, camu camu or acai, or Ester C supplements
- Vitamins D & A – butter, shellfish, liver, cod liver oil
- Minerals – unprocessed salt, bone broths, full spectrum liquid mineral supplements. Zinc is especially needed at this time of year.
- Probiotics, especially if you have poor digestion – yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, supplements. You can also get special NZ made oral probiotics to help prevent illness.
- Keep up your protein intake
Some winter recipes
Recioes we have here on our blog include:
For more, our nutrition and food allergy consultant, Deb, has a website with a variety of recipes for general health and special diets. Here are links to some suitable for nourishing yourself for winter.
- Feijoa protein smoothie
- Choc currant smoothie
- Warming winter soup
- Coconut kumara soup
- Chicken liver mushroom pate
- DIY yogurt (no need for a yoghurt maker) – contact Deb to get a starter, which can be picked up in Kilbirnie or at the Brooklyn clinic
Strengthen your lungs
Especially important if you smoke, vape, have asthma or lung disease, or are prone to chest infections:
- Practice good (not deep) breathing daily. Relax your shoulders. Put your hand on your abdomen to make sure you’re breathing into your diaphragm, not your chest. See our article on good breathing habits for more.
- For a full workout of your lungs and supporting muscles, see our recent article on lung strengthening.
Finish your shower with a burst of cold
It’s challenging, but if you’re brave enough to do it every day, building up to 20 seconds, it’s amazing for building resilience. (Just don’t do it when you’re sick!)
Don’t hibernate over the winter
Get out into the sun and fresh air as often as possible.
Have a clear out
Before the weather gets too cold, do a detox. It’s impossible to avoid all the toxins in the world around us, so it’s good to have a periodic clean out. There are many ways to detox, though some need guidance. Pop into our drop in clinic and ask if any of these are suitable for you:
- Regular or infra red sauna
- Vegetable juicing (organic, or you’ll be adding toxins)
- Essential oil liver support regime
- Herbal cleanses
- Ionising foot spas
- Fasting
- Light and colour therapy
A condensed version of this article was published in the Brooklyn Tattler April 2024
brooklynwellness.nz 