It's almost mid-April and winter is finally waving goodbye. Our days are warming up, there are ample puddles to jump in, and we can almost dig our hands into the dirt.
3 Simple ways to keep your family healthy during this seasonal transition:
1. Embrace warmth.
Continue to eat steamy foods like soups & stews, gentle warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and hot herbal teas like echinacea, elderberry and chamomile. Dress your kids for unexpected changes in temperature, and unexpected spills in the puddles. Consider low grade fever to be your body's first line of defense against viral and bacterial infections (see earlier post on how to support a fever).
2. Limit sugar consumption. Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, then Easter keep our candy larder overflowing all winter long. Limit consumption of refined white & brown sugars, as well as high fructose corn syrup. Encourage naturally sweet fruit, or gently sweetened homemade treats made with (limited) less refined sugars like honey, maple syrup, juices, dates. Sugar directly inhibits our immune response so it's especially important to avoid during the first signs of cough, cold or flu.
3. (Re)Consider Cod Liver Oil
High in fat soluble vitamins A & D and omega three fatty acids EPA & DHA it's no wonder our grandparents doled this out during long Canadian winters. Natural flavouring and encapsulation have made this wonder supplement somewhat more palatable in modern times.
