Stop Cold & Flu In Its Tracks

By Deb Lowther @kidsgummymum & online at: adultessentials.com

This post is sponsored by:

The key to avoiding the common cold is keeping your immune system strong by getting plenty of rest, fresh air, exercise and SOUP! Yes, the right soup can make the difference between a healthy winter and getting lost in a sea of crumpled tissues!

Fresh Air & Exercise

Even though it’s cold outside, get out there and play with the kids, go for a hike, a family skate, learn to snowshoe or ski and make staying active fun. Especially important in winter is to enjoy the sunshine to boost your Vitamin D stores, a nutrient hard to get enough of through diet alone. Join a walking group to get outdoors and stay active a couple of times a week then add in some strength exercises such as squats, push ups and burpies!

Plenty of Rest

Getting enough sleep not only allows you to wake up feeling rested, but it allows your body time to repair itself from the busy day. Getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night helps keeps your immune system strong enough to combat viruses.

Soup!

Be ready to face the germs with a big bowl of soup that has the right ingredients to give you all the vitamins to build a strong immune system! Vitamins essential in the immune boosting arena include vitamin C which has been shown to decrease the severity and length of time you are plague with cold symptoms as well as being a powerful antioxidant. B-vitamins promote the release of antibodies that combat the cold virus as do Vitamins A, E and K as well as reducing inflammation and adding extra antioxidants. Add some fibre to aid in digestion, folate to for red blood cell production and manganese to help the body utilize these key vitamins. Can you fit all of this in one bowl?

To fill your soup pot with vitamin A,B,C,E, K fibre, folate and manganese use these key ingredients; red peppers, carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, peas, barley, tomatoes, sweet potatoes. Just 1 cup of each of these ingredients and you have 1,600% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A, 150% of your B vitamins, 500% of vitamin C, 26% of Vitamin E, 2600% of Vitamin K, 150% of your daily fiber, 112% of folate, and 215% of manganese in one pot! And the best part is the antioxidant properties of the carrots, spinach, broccoli and sweet potatoes actually increases when they are cooked! Add in your favorite stock, some sautéed onions and garlic, add spices to taste and you have a bowl of a cold fighting remedy you won’t find in any store!

Get outside, get some sleep, fit in some exercise and start cooking up some soup! Our favorite recipe is this Immune Boosting Vitamin Soup but we would love you to share yours in the comments below. Stay healthy!

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