Winter is coming and everyone knows what that means……people start to catch colds and immune systems start go down hill. It’s important to incorporate antioxidants and vitamins into your diet so that you can keep your immune system strong. It’s especially important to get some type of anti-oxidants when you are exercising because exercise produces free radicals. Free radicals if not neutralized cause aging, so that’s why it’s important to have an intake of antioxidants in order to counteract the free radicals. If you don’t already take a multi-vitamin, you should consider looking into it and find one that you like. Green, Oolong, and black are great sources of anti-oxidants but they have caffeine so try to drink them earlier in the day so you don’t mess with your natural circadian rhythms so you won’t have trouble falling asleep. My favorite is iced black tea with a little stevia or purevia. Purevia is a natural sweetener and can be found almost anywhere…. Winco, Walmart, Target, or health food stores. Coffee is full of antioxidants too and it is where most Americans get their antioxidants, but I recommend buying only certified organic coffee. Regular coffee has tons of pesticides because it one of the most heavily sprayed crops. Certified organic coffee can be found online cheaper than in stores and it tastes much better too! If I am having an iced coffee in the morning, I add a tablespoon of vanilla coconut milk (unsweetened), dash of cinnamon, and dash of sweetener and then poor over ice.
One of the first vitamins I recommend taking is a buffered vitamin C. I recommend buffered because it is easier on the stomach, not so acidic, and absorbed better. I get my buffered vitamin C at Mothers Market, but any health food store should have it. If you are a fan of lemonade a great way to cut out all the sugar is to make your own. Lemons are high in vitamin C. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice in some water and add some sweetner (stevia, purevia, truvia) and stir. Alongside tasting great lemon water cleanses the liver and has vitamin C. Secondly, sugar weakens the immune system tremendously, so try to avoid it as much as possible. Another way to increase immunity is adding coconut oil into your diet. Coconut oil is great to cook with. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. These have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Coconut oil is a MCT and a very healthy fat that is great for your hair and skin too!
Another great food to incorporate into your diet for immunity is garlic. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and a very powerful one. Garlic also helps to lower cholesterol. A great way to add in garlic is in a healthy low sodium chicken soup. I will post the recipe at the end of this blog. Next in line is ginger. Ginger is great for the immune system because it kills cold viruses, helps to eliminate congestion, it’s antimicrobial ( kills bacteria), and it’s a natural antibiotic. Ginger is great for other things too like digestion and circulation. If you don’t like eating ginger, you can also drink ginger as a tea. Many places have ginger tea and the two of the main reasons people buy it are because it highly anti-inflammatory and helps with digestion. One more way to fight off colds and sickness is to take zinc or make sure to incorporate it into your diet. Some foods that are high in zinc include beef (especially grass-fed), bison (grass-fed), pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, and venison.
Below is a great soup because it contains ginger, garlic, and many veggies. This recipe came from my Mommy! Credit to her : )
Healthy Chicken Soup( serves about 3-4)
32 oz Low sodium Chicken Broth
2 tsp olive oil
3 tsp crushed ginger in a jar
1 large onion finely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves ( very finely chopped)
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped and drained sun-dried tomatoes in a jar
3 cups spinach cut into small strips
2 cups cooked chicken breast cut into small bite size pieces
Directions
Saute the finely chopped red bell pepper and onion in the olive oil for 3 to 5 min until soft. Stir in
garlic to saute for 1-2 minutes.. Turn off pan.
Put broth, ginger, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes in a medium stock pot and cook on medium heat from 5 to 8 minutes.
ADD the sautéed garlic, onion, and red bell pepper to broth and cook an additional 5 min.
While broth is cooking roll the spinach and cut into small strips.
Add spinach to broth mixture and gently stir for one minute. Remove from stove and serve immediately. Enjoy!
On my next blog I plan on writing an inspiring blog about goal setting and how to effectively set your self up to succeed. Now that I have provided some nutritional information and diet is key in fat loss as well as resistance training is, I would like my followers to set goals. 
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alissamoffett 