As I sat in bed this morning, Matt Lauer informed me that the flu season is here. Cases have been reported in all 50 states. Having the flu is no fun. After all, you're not really living the good life if you're sick. Luckily, my family has not been sick in years. Actually, it's not luck; it takes forethought and planning to keep all 5 of us healthy year after year. Since every person and every person's immune system is different, I can't guarantee that following my advice will always keep your family healthy. However, I can tell you that it works for mine.
Vitamin C: I know this is an obvious answer, but eating foods rich in Vitamin C is easier than you might think. Having a glass of orange juice each day is something that my husband and I preach to our children regularly. If OJ doesn't appeal to you, or you just want to mix things up a bit, there are a lot of other foods you can add to your menu to give you the 90mg per day that's recommended for men and the 75mg per day recommended for women. The fruit and veggie platters are a great place to start. Bell peppers, broccoli, and kiwi all have more Vitamin C than oranges, and strawberries have the same amount as oranges. (Just be sure no one with a cold has scavenged the platter before you.) A tropical fruit smoothie is another great way to boost your immune system. Guava, papaya, Acerola cherries, and grapefruit are all high in Vitamin C. If you'd like a more detailed list of foods and their Vitamin C quantities, visit Healthaliciousness, the Global Healing Center, or the Daily Green.
Limit Exposure: We all live busy lives. Staying home for the duration of cold and flu season just isn't an option, however being smart about when and where you go can reduce your exposure to viruses. My first tip is to limit eating out; especially fast food restaurants. The last thing I need is a sneezing, coughing teenager handling my food. When we do eat out during cold/flu season, we choose either places where we can see our food being prepared, or high-end places that are more strict about the health of their food handlers. Secondly, you really don't have to attend every single event. If there are going to be people at an event whom we know are or have very recently been sick, we often choose not to attend. The kids might complain that they are missing the fun, but they'll quickly agree that being sick for 3-5 days after the party just isn't worth it.
A Good Night's Sleep: WebMD, the Healthy Green Kitchen, and The Scientist magazine all agree that getting a good night's sleep improves your immune system. I know it's tempting to stay up after the kids go to bed and "get some things done", but slowing down and simplifying your life will do wonders towards being able to get to bed and fall asleep in time to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Trust me, once you get into a habit of getting enough sleep, you'll wonder how you ever functioned without it.
Cleanliness: I am a mom. I'm always reminding my children to wash their hands and clean up their spills. However, I also find myself trying to grab a quick bite for myself and not taking the time to wash my own hands first. So, this is just a simple reminder to take your own advice. Keeping not only our children's hands clean, but our own hands, counter tops, door knobs, and cell phones clean will greatly reduce the number of bacteria and viruses living in our homes.
How about you? Do you have tips or ideas for keeping your family healthy during flu season? I'd love to hear them.
Karissa
Limit Exposure: We all live busy lives. Staying home for the duration of cold and flu season just isn't an option, however being smart about when and where you go can reduce your exposure to viruses. My first tip is to limit eating out; especially fast food restaurants. The last thing I need is a sneezing, coughing teenager handling my food. When we do eat out during cold/flu season, we choose either places where we can see our food being prepared, or high-end places that are more strict about the health of their food handlers. Secondly, you really don't have to attend every single event. If there are going to be people at an event whom we know are or have very recently been sick, we often choose not to attend. The kids might complain that they are missing the fun, but they'll quickly agree that being sick for 3-5 days after the party just isn't worth it.
A Good Night's Sleep: WebMD, the Healthy Green Kitchen, and The Scientist magazine all agree that getting a good night's sleep improves your immune system. I know it's tempting to stay up after the kids go to bed and "get some things done", but slowing down and simplifying your life will do wonders towards being able to get to bed and fall asleep in time to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Trust me, once you get into a habit of getting enough sleep, you'll wonder how you ever functioned without it.
Cleanliness: I am a mom. I'm always reminding my children to wash their hands and clean up their spills. However, I also find myself trying to grab a quick bite for myself and not taking the time to wash my own hands first. So, this is just a simple reminder to take your own advice. Keeping not only our children's hands clean, but our own hands, counter tops, door knobs, and cell phones clean will greatly reduce the number of bacteria and viruses living in our homes.
How about you? Do you have tips or ideas for keeping your family healthy during flu season? I'd love to hear them.
Karissa
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