Tricks

Drink plenty of hot drinks

Another amazing little trick that can be useful and is not difficult to apply is to drink your coffee very hot. This eliminates viruses in your mouth as they will not be able to resist such a temperature and will be killed.

Beside the fact that heat kills viruses above 38° it also activates stress proteins that help stimulating the immune system.

Furthermore, some studies show that hot drinks can help fight the symptoms of the common cold.

Studies consisting of sending warm steam into the nostrils of a person who has caught a cold showed very positive results.

 Fanny.B

                                                                                                                                                          

Take care of your nose!

This advice can seem surprising, but unlike to what we may think blowing our nose too hard

when suffering from a cold does not help to get rid of the germs in our sinuses, in fact it could be considered a hindrance. Indeed, if we blow our nose too hard the germs present in our nostrils could rise up into our sinuses and increase our risks of contracting diseases.

Still regarding our sinuses, an American study has looked into an Indian practice for cleaning one’s nose and confirmed its efficiency. This technique is called “Jala Neti” and allows a quicker recovery, using less medicine and falling ill less often.

Fanny.B

                                                                                                                                                                 

What do I have to eat to be healthy ?

Our immune system can be weakened by the reduction in our defenses. Some factors can be responsible for it, such as chemicals contained in our food (colourings, preservatives) or food low in minerals and vitamins. That is why eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is going to help fight bacterial attacks.

What stimulates our defenses ?

Good quality food rich in micronutrients provides the best chance of keeping a strong immune system. With this in mind it is preferable to favor :

-     a healthy diet with fresh food.

-     easily digestible food that will encourage intestinal health

-     a diet rich in fruit and vegetables containing vitamins and minerals as well as those elements needed for the smooth  functioning of the body ( vitamins C & E, magnesium)

-     drink water or green tea

-     an intake of vitamin D.

Principles of a well-balanced diet :

Food brings essential nutriments to the body and these are used to provide energy, maintain health, encourage cells growth and help it to protect itself. The main elements are :  

    -   Well-balanced meals : these should contain vegetables and fruit (half a plate) cereals (quarter of a plate) meat and meat substitutes (quarter of a plate) as well as dairy products such as yoghurt.

   -   a variety of food is necessary to provide the full range of nutriments, as well as eating several different types of food of the same group. Take cereals for example : it is not enough to eat bread made of wheat, you also need rice, rye and barley.

  -   Fresh and good quality food : avoid sweet food. It is necessary to try as much as possible to eat fresh food that has not been processed.

Which food should we favor ?

Most food is rich in a specific nutriment. Here is a short guide :

  -   Vitamin C : is found mainly in fresh fruit, especially in kiwi, citrus fruits and bananas.

This vitamin is normally produced by the sun and in winter a deficiency in vitamin C in some people can be observed. This can have serious implications as vitamin C encourages the presence of calcium in the bones

It also plays an important role in the immune system as it accelarates the maturation of antibodies. 

  -   Zinc : is present in meat, fish, seafood and wholegrain cereals. It can also be found in some fruits and vegetables (oranges, spinach) but to a lesser degree. Zinc is needed for the efficient functioning of the immune system as it activates the hormone Thymuline that triggers immunizing cells.

  -   Beta carotene : this is the yellow-orange pigment that gives foods such as carrots their bright colour ; it is also found in all fruits and vegetables that are not coloured green : cantaloupe melons, tomatoes, grapefruit and peppers etc…

It may be converted into vitamin A, which has an important role as an antioxidant ( it prevents the disintegration of DNA, lipids and proteins) and is also an immunostimulant.

  -   Copper can also have a toxic influence on micro-organisms such as viruses and bacteria and is vital in forming connective tissue

  -   Magnesium : is  present in seafood, chocolate, wholemeal bread. It helps fight tiredness and stress and assists in the production of antibodies.

So,as we have seen….. « Eating » helps us to remain healthy !