Secret Tips to Staying Well This Holiday Season

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It’s cold and flu season.Do you seem to catch whatever is going around? Or are you in almost perfect health 99% of the time? Why is it that some people get sick at least once a month, and others seem to NEVER get sick. Is it heredity? And what about digestive issues?Do you get feel bloated, experience gas, stomach aches or struggle with constipation? Is there a connection here?

I say yes.

Although there are obviously many reasons for the symptoms mentioned above, including stress, types and quantities of food intake, allergies, sleep quality and quantity, fitness levels and even the fact of whether or not your were breastfed as an infant, there is a definite connection. Research shows that up to 80% of our immune system is located in our gut. From my own experience, the more nutrient dense my eating style is, the less frequently I get sick and the less digestion problems I experience.

I’ve learned a few little tricks over my years of Nutritional Healing and want to share a couple of tips to help keep you healthy this season.

Since so much of our immune system is in our gut, it makes sense to keep it healthy. One way of doing this is to ensure we are giving our bodies plenty of probiotics and prebiotics.

What’s the difference?

Probiotics are live microorganisms (friendly bacteria and other good microorganisms) that can be ingested in certain fermented and raw foods. Some probiotics you may have heard of are Bifidus, Lactobacilli, L. casei, etc.

We all have several TRILLION of these microorganisms doing work at any given time in our digestive tract. Probiotic microorganisms thrive on the acidic environment of your stomach and small intestine, and provide these MAJOR benefits to you:

*Improve digestion
*Increase immunity
*Reduce yeast infections, urinary tract infections, etc
*Reduce episodes of diarrhea and/or constipation
*Improve lactose intolerance
*Increase absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients
*Increase production of white blood cells to help reduce inflammation, allergies, and other conditions

Are you a frequent antibiotic user? Do you rush to the doctor at the first sign of an illness begging for a Z-Pak, instead of letting your immune system do the work? I concur that there are medical necessities for antibiotics. Thank God we have them. But remember that these antibiotics don’t come without a price. They kill off a portion of the essential, friendly bacteria living inside of you. You need these for your body to function as intended. This would be a good time to add a quality probiotic supplement to your intake.

Make sure to confirm with your doc that you really do have a bacterial infection before taking an antiobiotic. Even in those cases, it is worth inquiring if the medication is essential or if you can get well on your own. So, besides taking a good supplement, do you know what foods can you eat to provide good sources of these health-giving probiotics?

Here are some great choices. I would recommend having TWO 1/2-1 cup servings EVERY DAY of the high quality super foods. Just for the record. These fermented milk products are the ONLY milk products I recommend to my clients. Otherwise, they steer clear of all milk products.

Yogurt - make sure that the yogurt label says that it has live cultures in it. Your best bet is Non-Fat, plain, unsweetened yogurt. Try Greek Yogurt. It has a delicious texture that you’ll learn to crave. Add a little stevia and fresh fruit and a few nuts to give it a delicious kick. That sugar laden stuff will NOT help your situation.

Kefir - This is a liquid sort of yogurt, but made from fermented milk. It can pack 2-3 billion or more friendly organisms per serving. Once again, Non-Fat, plain and unsweetened. Add your own ingredients to taste.

*Aged types of cheese - blue cheese, hard aged cheeses, aged cheddar... all can contain up to 10 billion friendly organisms per serving. One ounce a time or two a week is more than enough as this is also a heavy fat source.

*Kambucha - This is a fermented tea with very strong carbonation effect and smell. By all means, DO NOT shake it before your open it! I love it and consider it a treat! Try your local Health Food Stores. A tremendous source of nutrition. )

*Natto, miso, and tempeh - forms of fermented soybean (these are now the ONLY types of soy that I believe are healthy in our diet in limited quantities.)

*Sauerkraut - The best would be homemade. But really now, I know NO ONE who makes their own. Or, if you can find a non-pasteurized version, as the pasteurization process kills most of the probiotics.

*Naturally Fermented Foods: They are around. You may have to look for them. Typically other cultures eat more fermented foods than we do. If you’re ever in a Korean Restaurant, ask for Kimchee. I have a Korean sister, and this is one of her favorite dishes. I've seen it on Asian buffets before and really enjoy it!

The Bottom Line is that we need to be adding probiotic rich foods into our daily eating style. I recommend at least 2 servings a day of the above mentioned yogurt or kefir. This will go a long way in keeping you healthy, strengthening your immune system and preventing sickness. (Not to mention the adverse digestive issues you could avoid.)

Now for Prebiotics. It goes without saying, that if probiotics are the actual organisms, then prebiotics are the types of nutrients that you can eat to help your body produce the growth of probiotics in your system.

Fiber is the key here. Eat one serving a day of a whole grain like oatmeal, quinoa, oat bran, aramanth or brown rice. (Preferably after you’ve exercised). Your goal is the soluble fiber that will help the probiotics flourish in your digestive system. Making the mainstay of your nutritional lifestyle the leafy greens, various fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts and beans, will serve you well in setting your body up to produce MANY probiotics.

Stay well this season.

Get those pre and probiotics!

Enjoying the journey,
Whitney Cabrera RN, BSN from Woman To Woman
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