Move Your Body
Lymph fluid is the clear watery substance that moves bacteria and viruses in the body to the lymph nodes for destruction. Unlike blood, which is pumped through the body by the heart, lymph fluid is only pumped by muscular contraction. Smooth, brisk exercise (think yoga, swimming, or fast walking) can boost your immunity tremendously, as it helps the lymphatic system work more efficiently.
Drink Warm Lemon Water
Consume a large glass of warm water with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon first thing every morning. It might taste sour at first, but you will soon look forward to benefits of this ritual! It quickly resets your digestive system, cleanses your palate, and vitamin C boosts both your energy and immunity.
Eat More Garlic and Onion
Garlic has natural antibiotic properties, and onion contains extraordinarily powerful phytonutrients. You should always have both close at hand when you cook, and make sure to eat some every day. Chopped onion and garlic are easy, and delicious, additions vegetables, sauces, and soups.
Eat for alkalinity, and double the recipe
After digestion, food leaves either acidic or alkaline ash in our bodies that changes our overall pH balance. Our bodies prefer an alkaline environment for optimal health. When you are sick, it is best to avoid foods that create acidic ash, such as meat, dairy, sugar, breads and pastas. Roasted vegetables and hearty vegetarian soups will help you recover faster. If you double the recipes when you cook, you will have plenty for leftovers, and cut your weekly cooking time in half.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine dehydrates the body and depletes essential nutrients, including B and C vitamins, essential for energy and healing.
Drink Warm Tea
Decaffeinated green tea and lemon can help boost immunity by delivering powerful antioxidants and vitamins to the gut, where most of our immunity resides. Lymph glands and vessels in the throat can also work more efficiently when supported by the warmth of the tea.
Most of all, practice awareness. The more you pay attention to the effects of food and exercise on your health and happiness, the easier it becomes to shed unhealthy habits, and add healthier practices to your daily routine.
Amber Barry is a certified yoga instructor, wellness coach, motivational speaker, public school advocate, and founder of Come On, Get Healthy! She lives in Atlanta, GA, with her husband and three daughters, and shares her adventures in wellness on the Come On, Get Healthy! facebook page, and as @anandamama on Twitter.
