5 Secrets To a Sickness Free Season

Do you find yourself lining up each year at the doctors with the typical symptoms of cold and flu? Do you spend Winter trying to relieve the sniffles, sore throat and cough? Take action in the months leading up to Winter to arm yourself with these tips to staying healthy.

According to Sheila Zhou, expert Scientist at USANA, leading producer of high quality supplements, “Summer is officially over, and with the cooler months often associated with sneezing, coughing, and fevers, it’s no surprise many of us aren’t happy about it. Staying healthy during this time however, doesn’t have to be difficult. By implementing a cold and flu prevention regimen during April, before Winter starts, will boost your immune system significantly.”

Ms. Zhou shares her expert tips on how to winter-proof your immune system this season: 

Soak up the sunshine 

A significant number of Australians are deficient in vitamin D. Did you know that just 20 minutes of sunlight each day significantly boosts the production of vitamin D in your body? Vitamin D not only helps protect your body in maintaining healthy immune function, but it also assists in general wellbeing. Unfortunately, with the days getting shorter and the daylight hours diminishing, winter can be a difficult time to get the necessary sunshine, so supplements such as USANA’s Vitamin D can be beneficial. 

 

Drink like a fish

Like any other time of year, staying hydrated during winter is extremely important. Even though you may not feel as thirsty or sweat as much during the cooler months, drinking plenty of water is still essential to help eliminate waste and prime your body against infections from pathogens.

Get  moving 

Never underestimate the importance of regular activity. Exercising is of course a great way to get into shape, but it also increases the number of natural killer cells in our bodies that fight off infection. So even if you only have time to walk around the block, making the effort goes a long way in keeping you healthy and infection free as the weather cools down.

Get creative in the kitchen  

Eating brightly coloured fruit and vegetables is also a great way to keep infections at bay. They are rich in vitamin C and E and antioxidants. Their ability to increase the functionality of your immune system means that adding these fresh fruits and vibrant veggies to your daily diet helps your body safe guard itself from nasty viruses, while tasting delicious too!

Stress less

You’re probably aware that stress isn’t good for you, but very few people are aware of how much it actually impacts your health. Stress takes an enormous toll on the immune system and makes you more vulnerable to everything from a common cold to major diseases. So if you don’t already, make sure you get enough sleep and take time out to do the things you enjoy.

To view the full range of USANA Health Sciences nutritional, weight management and personal care products visit www.usana.com.

Wordless Wednesday - Berry, Berry Yummy

I am a real sucker for berries of any description, all year-round. I especially love them fresh, and home-grown over the Summer.

Picking a favourite is so hard for me .... I just love them all.

What would be YOUR favourite berry?

Mmmm ... Raspberries

Fresh Home Grown Strawberries

Blueberries with my Oats

Linking up with



















5minutesformom.com

Erica Price Designs

abusymommy.com

 

Wordless Wednesday - Green and Fabulous

My little veggie patch is looking quite lush at the moment (if you ignore the weeds).
I love all the veggies when they start forming - so little and cute. I hope they taste as good as they look.

Linking up for Wordless Wednesday with:

Power of Beetroot

Did you enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities? Are you feeling that you may have slightly definitely over-indulged? I love juices for their pure properties, and the following juice is a sure way to help your body get rid of toxins and repair itself. Beetroot and Lemon work well together as a detox blend, but PLEASE note the details below on the power of Beetroot, to make sure this Juice is suitable for you.

Beet & Lemon Juice Detox

• 1/2 small beet
  Handful of beet greens
  1/2 fresh lemon
  4 dandelion leaves
  2 cored apples with skin
  1 inch fresh ginger
  1 cup distilled water
  Preblend the beet in a blender or food processor, then add other ingredients. Strain liquified ingredients through a cheesecloth until smooth. Drink this detoxifying juice as a breakfast substitute. The recipe makes one serving.

Important 

Beets are probably one of the most powerful vegetables available. Beets are known for causing both stools and urine to turn red and if this happens, don't be surprised.

Never drink beet juice by itself. Beet juice should always be mixed with other vegetables and/or apple juice. Pure beet juice (from the bulb or greens) can temporarily paralyze your vocal chords, make you break out in hives, increase your heart rate, cause chills or a fever.
Beets are best used in small amounts. I never use more than 1 to 2 ounces of beet juice (approximately ½ a small beet or ¼ a large beet).
Use moderately. Both the roots and greens are powerful cleansers of the body. Beets are said to really cleanse the blood and kidneys and this is why it is suggested you use beets moderately.
Beets (including beet greens) are high in oxalic acid and therefore should be avoided by those who suffer from or are at risk for kidney stones, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and those whose stomach is easily irritated.
Since beets are high in oxalic acid, you should also avoid combining beets with other vegetables that are high in calcium, such as broccoli. Oxalic acid combines with calcium to create an indigestible compound. You should also avoid eating calcium rich food immediately after eating or juicing beets or any food high in oxalic acid. This includes foods like tofu.

Instructions

• Wash beets thoroughly.
• Peel the outer layer of skin from the beets using a vegetable peeler.
•  Chop beets into pieces that are small enough to fit into the juicer.
•  Juice the beets.
•  Mix the beet juice with the juice of other vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, spinach, garlic, 

A Natural Sour Hit for a Healthy Me

Whilst I am feeling a little under the weather with the sniffles, I am thinking of you.
What is my Bright Side Up gift to my readers today?
Even while I take some more Paracetamol, I count my blessings and think of the many things around me that brighten my life.
These things I want to share with you.

So today, it is only natural that I share the joy of the first plant we purchased, what seems so many moons ago, to celebrate the purchase of our first home. We brought it and kept it in a pot whilst we renovated the house we had purchased, to make it into our home. When we were able to focus on the garden, my beloved Lemon Tree was the first to be planted.

Being a mega sweet-tooth, it seemed quite odd, as I was growing up, that I enjoyed many a Lemon. Squeezing the juices and eating the flesh, like many would eat Oranges. As an adult, I eat them less, but still indulge in the occasional sour burst straight from a Lemon.

Today, just like so many times before when feeling a little under the weather, I head to my Lemon Tree, and pick it's lush fruits that will give my body that instant shot of Vitamin C, as I take a little time out to nurse my throbbing head, raspy throat and blocked nose.

Lemons would have to be my favourite fruit, not only for flavour, but also the health benefits. Lemons are high in Vitamin C, a good source of Vitamin B, loaded with anti-oxidants, rich in dietary fibre, and low in calories.

I leave you with a picture of Lemons picked fresh from our own tree.
Even before cutting into a Lemon, I am sure that the bright Yellow makes me feel a little better.
Is that possible?

Do you like a food others cringe at? Do you like it purely for taste, or does it have other benefits?

The perfect juice to put sunshine into the day

Today I picked up some great fruit at a great price. Perfect for making our own vitamin-rich juice at home. This juice is refreshing, and has a good bite to it, but is not sickly sweet.

Number 59 on my 2012 To Do List  is to make great juice with my new Breville Juicer, and since this juice qualified; here it is.

My idea of great juice is:

• fruit/veg that is in season, and therefore, cheap

• juice that is full of vitamins

• juice that tastes good

My ingredients today were:
1 bag of Oranges
1/2 pineapple
1/4 watermelon
2 apples

I have learned some great tips from playing with my juicer that are worth sharing.

Purchase a juicer that has a motor with a bit of grunt. You want to be able to throw in an whole apple and just do the minimum preparation.

Your juicer will come with a small jug to collect the juice as it is is extracted. This jug will hold small quantities, but if you working with quantities such as I have above, then you need a bottle or jug ready to pour the juice into.

Keep a cloth close by. This is sticky business.

Rinse your Juicer parts straight after finishing. This makes the cleanup process so much easier, than waiting until the juice and pith have dried on your parts.


Most juices will always taste better chilled.

The pith that is separated from the juice is great for several uses. Add it to your breakfast, add it to your cooking, or eat with yoghurt.