7 Tips To Prevent Winter Colds & Flu

Colds, flu, and now these latest coronavirus strains, are predicted to infect everyone. Between holidays and other kinds of stress, low vitamin D and warm indoor air circulating in our homes, schools, and offices, is it inevitable that we’ll all get a case of the flu this winter?  

Most seasonal illnesses are viral and must run their course. This is why you’ve probably been sent home from the doctor with a prescription for “plenty of rest and fluids.” Antibiotics should only be used for acute bacterial infections (i.e., if a virus has caused a secondary infection, like pneumonia). And while some antiviral medications exist, they only shorten the virus’s duration and severity — not cure it. Many viruses remain in the body in” viral sanctuaries” and never leave.  

For most people, the preferred course of action is to bolster your immune system to prevent an infection in the first place or to resolve it quickly if you succumb to one. 

Body Ecology’s system of health and healing offers valuable solutions specifically focused on strengthening your immune system to prevent and fight infections. 

Here are some tips to prevent colds, flu, covid, and other illnesses this winter and year-round. 

7 Cold & Flu Prevention Tips

#1 Avoid sugars and acid-forming foods

Vegetables and dark green leafy vegetables should make up close to 70-80 percent of the meals on your plate.

#2 Include fermented foods and drinks in your diet

Research shows nutrition plays a role in the immune defense against Covid-19.  Countries with low death rates have more fermented cabbage in their diet. These countries include Korea, Taiwan, and European countries, including the upper parts of Germany, Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. This is thought to be associated with diet since cabbage and fermented milk (Bulgaria and Greece) are common foods. Fermented milk is a known ACE natural inhibitor. Turkey, another low-death rate country, also consumes a lot of cabbage and fermented milk products.

Why would these countries have a lower death rate? 

70% of our immune system is under the control of the tiny invisible microbes in our colon, so give your inner ecosystem a daily boost and add the “good guys” to that community.  

Young coconut kefir, cultured vegetables, probiotics like Bifidus Power Blend and our probiotic liquids can keep that system running smoothly with plenty of immune-boosting microflora.

Cultured vegetables made with cabbage are high in vitamin C. Since fermenting foods increases their nutrients hundreds of times over, eating cultured vegetables is an excellent defense against colds and flu.

Adding a shot of one of our probiotic liquids to your meal is another way to support your digestive system and introduce immune-supporting beneficial bacteria to your gut. 

#3 Fast

Many animals already fast! Use these winter months to eat less and lose weight, allowing some hours each day to fast. The 16:8 (eating within an 8-hour window) is ideal for most people. People with the worst case of COVID-19 and are more likely to die have diabetes and are quite overweight. People with diabetes are not controlling their blood sugar, making the body too acidic, which feeds viruses and other infections.

#4 Nourish your adrenals and your thyroid to keep your energy up

Holiday stress, overworking, skipping meals, poor sleep, unhappy relationships, and everyday stressors push your adrenals to the max. In addition to finding ways to cope with stress, support your adrenal glands with vitamin C and B vitamins, minerals zinc, selenium, and iodine, and the amino acid, tyrosine.

Because they are an excellent source of iodine and other minerals, ocean plants are a great food for nourishing your thyroid. Ocean plants have been shown to reduce cold symptoms and strengthen the immune system.

Body Ecology’s Ocean Plant Extract is a raw, super-concentrated extract of an ocean plant grown deep in the pure cold waters near Siberia. It is a pure food supplement containing antimicrobial agents, including vitamins C, A, and B vitamins. It is helpful if you are exposed to radiation and helps clean the body of metals like mercury. The toxic metals in our bloodstream are very damaging to the delicate thyroid.

#5 Take immune-boosting supplements

Medicinal mushrooms, reishi and cordyceps, have also been shown to support the immune system and protect against the flu. You can get a daily dose of these immune-supporting mushrooms in Body Ecology’s Immune Shake, a delicious daily protein shake. 

Studies show that vitamin C, D, quercetin zinc and echinacea can prevent and treat colds. While you could take vitamin C in supplement form, getting your vitamins from a food source, especially cultured vegetables, is even better. Vitamin D is hard to obtain from food, so take 10,000 IUs daily as a supplement.

#6 Get a good night’s sleep

Your immune system needs rest to repair and protect your body against infections. The short days of sunlight and longer periods of darkness are Nature’s way of encouraging us to do so. Darken your rooms at sunset and take melatonin to make you sleepy if necessary. The hours you sleep before midnight are the most healing.

#7 Be grateful!

One of the most valuable ways to deal with stress is to master the art of being grateful for everything — yes, even the difficult training life throws our way! Our perception of stress can be changed almost immediately if we retrain our thinking to become grateful for what we have (a warm bed to rest in, soup to eat, time off work to recover, etc.) instead of lamenting the fact that we’re sick. 

You can conquer the cold and flu season by taking care of yourself with the Body Ecology program and following these guidelines.