Be Well During the Long Winter, Part 1

A lot of people panic when they hear about all the sickness and the new flu strains that come up during winter. Not to worry, though, there are plenty of natural ways to stay well during these long winters.

A great combination to start with is Vitamin C and honey. Since they have a synergistic effect, the combo is especially valuable. If you already eat a lot of citris fruits, you should take 500 mg of Vit.C plus one teaspoon of honey in the morning and evening. Personally, I love raw organic honey. If you aren't getting lots of citrus in your diet, then bump up your Vit. C intake to 1,000 mg.

Vitamin D is another powerhouse vitamin that "actually switches on a gene that makes a natural antiviral and antibiotic substance in our bodies," says Mark Moyad, MD, MPH and director of preventative and alternative medicine at the Univ. of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Vitamin D also helps with mood during winter, since we are not getting as much sun. Shaklee's multivitamin, VitaLea, just doubled their Vitamin D levels to 800 IU, to meet new clinically supported levels of effectiveness. Don't forget that Vitamin D also helps with the absorption of calcium, and healthy bones and teeth.

I love probiotics, and they are excellent for boosting immunity. Probiotics are healthful bacteria that prevent invaders from taking over your gut. The largest number of immune cells are found in the digestive system, so it is very important to keep this system working at its best. Make sure the yogurt you eat has live and active cultures, and take a probiotic supplement with at least 500 million colony forming units. Shaklee's probiotics have triple encapsulated technology, which protect their live delivery against stomach acid so that they reach the large intestine where they provide the greatest benefit.

Now that we have friendly probiotics living in our digestive system, we want to feed them. Prebiotics are the second step. They give the food and energy needed to function properly. If you aren't taking prebiotics, make sure you add some healthy fiber to your diet, such as flaxseed.

Tomorrow, we will look at more ways to naturally be well this winter.
If you are interested in the quality, 100% guaranteed supplements I mentioned such as: pre and probiotics, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D in the multivitamin, VitaLea, please check out www.caranitz.myshaklee.com. Never hesitate to shoot me over any questions you may have either.

Be Well!