Boosting immunity and beating the chill

Chill in the air has marked the onset of winter which comes with problems for all age groups. The season is also the time when our body needs to strengthen our immune systems, as it gets colder our need for energy increases.

Winter is also the time of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is a form of depression, due to lack of serotonin, the mood-enhancing chemical that regulates hunger and the feeling of well-being. Body warming foods stabilizes the body in freezing winter.

This is also the period when most of the kids fall sick and is the time to boost the immunity of children. Proper diet can keep you away from most of the winter ailments. One must maintain a healthy diet by including variety of foods like cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, fish and egg in daily diet.

Emphasis should also be given on brain boosting foods. Whole grain cereals like wheat, oats is important for overall digestive and heart health, to maintain blood sugar levels and also high in B vitamins which are natural brain boosters. Add garlic to the preparations, it helps to fight flu and other winter illnesses.

Ginger is other spice which helps to keep common cold away. Garlic and ginger keep body warm. Increase the vitamin C intake by adding lemon juice with ginger in every day diet. This helps in increasing the immunity. Drinking a hot cup of lemon water with ginger, turmeric and honey as the first drink in the morning helps to soothe the throat and to keep away infections.

Winter friendly root vegetables like sweet potato, potato, carrots and red beets should also be a part of kids’ diet. Consuming green vegetables helps in preventing anemia, which makes many people lethargic during winter. Apples are great year around; it boosts the cardiovascular health and prevents dementia.

Oranges are good since it has Vitamin C and folate which strengthens the immunity and mental health. Pineapple and papaya also helps in keeping the body warm along with boosting immunity. Nuts and seeds are rich source of selenium which is an important nutrient for brain health, these along with dates also acts as body warmers. They also improve the immunity level.

Chicken is also a body warming food; drinking chicken soup can keep the body warm and helps to ward off cold, cough and fever. Chicken gives us the sufficient protein, vitamin B, niacin and selenium which keep our body fit. Vitamin D is produced by the body when it is exposed to sunlight and a deficiency of it over the winter months is thought to be one of the causes of SAD. Since fish has relatively high levels of Vitamin D, it should be an important part of the diet during winter. Consuming fish will also help to relieve mood disorders by increasing the amount of serotonin, one of the neurotransmitters responsible for the feel good factors in the brain. Omega 3 found in fish is a strong antioxidant and strengthens the immune system.

Eggs are also good choice because of phospholipids and omega 3 fatty acids which allow nutrients to pass into brain more effectively thus helping to keep the memory and brain function sharp. Keeping your body and brain hydrated is very important during winter, since thirst is not much felt during the colder months.

Dark chocolate is also a good option during winter to make you feel better. Drinking basil leaf extract and honey alleviates most of the winter illness like cold, flu and cough.