Oh No, I Got Sick and Need a Plan
This is not the time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves! We must have a recovery plan so we can get back on our feet asap. And don't beat yourself up for allowing yourself to get sick. There are times when germ contact gets the better of you and also, dormant viruses remain in your body and can reactivate when your immune system is off or under stress.
Exercise of moderate intensity has been shown to keep viruses at bay. The problem is, some of us like to get pretty intense exercising and this compromises our immune system. Dr. Michael Greger has some suggestions for activating your immune response and preventing future attacks:
- Eat berries - they provide an immediate immune response
- Add cardamom to blueberries - they provided about 10x more of an immune response vs blueberries alone in a petri dish. I love to add cardamon to pancakes and smoothies as it also gives a really delightful, fresh and unique flavor!
- Take probiotics -research in humans using a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study showed that people who take probiotics have fewer colds
- Feed your gut bacteria with prebiotics (found in beans and green bananas)
- Take chlorella in whole food form. In 2012 Japan researchers gave chlorella to athletes who were training intensely. The control group's IgA levels dropped but those given chlorella had steady levels of IgA.
- Eat mushrooms regularly - an Australian study showed that mushroom eaters had a 50% boost of IgA's in their saliva and that effect remained for a week!
- Eat nutritional yeast - research has shown that after two hours of intense cycling, immune cells nose dive. The group that got 3/4 tsp. nutritional yeast before exercise ended up with a higher level of immune cells than before the start of the workout. Another study with runners at the Carlsbad Marathon demonstrated that a teaspoon of nutritional yeast for 4 weeksafter the race cut upper respiratory infections by 50% compared to the control group. This seems like a must before any hard workout.
- According to "Uncommon Wisdom Daily," At the first sign of a cold, put a capful of 3% hydrogen peroxide into each ear, one at a time, and let fizzle for 5-10 minutes. This remedy was discovered in 1928 by Richard Simmons, M.D. and was also confirmed in German research studies. This data was most likely ignored by mainstream medicine because it is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies. Hydrogen peroxide costs about $1.09 for 16 oz. This seems to be worth a try! Let me know if it works for you!
Chewsy Kelp Noodles
Makes two servings
Per Serving: 286 calories, 20g fat, 18g carbohydrate, 13.5g protein
Ingredients:
- 1 Package Kelp Noodles
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2 hours; then drain
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbls lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup water ( add a little more if sauce is too thick )
Directions:
- Blend all ingredients except for kelp noodles
- Rinse kelp noodles and add to a pot of warm water to heat slightly
- Pour mixture over warmed noodles and Enjoy!
