As the temperature drops and the days become darker, it can be easy to eat more, do less and go into ‘hibernation’ mode. But being proactive about our health is key to feeling great and supporting your immune system.
The UK’s leading nutritional advisors share their expert advice, on why now, more than ever it is important to invest in yourself, as well sharing their top tips to keeping healthy, naturally:
Ben Brown, Director of the Nutritional Medicine Institute:
Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Immune Function
“With winter we typically see an increase in viral infections from colds and flu. Vitamin D deficiency increases dramatically in winter, affecting over 40% of people in the United Kingdom and can increase susceptibility to infection. Take vitamin D through winter if your blood levels are low, or you have a risk factor such as darker skin, older age, or overweight.
Tip: Most micronutrients help support a healthy immune system so a good multivitamin and mineral is a simple, safe and cost-effective bit of health insurance.
Angela Dowden, Nutritionist:
Go to your local high street health stores for personalised advice
There’s always an uptick in respiratory infections in winter – one theory is that colder air rushing into the nasal passage weakens the local immune response there. So being as healthy as you can be going into the cooler months is going to up your chances of getting through with your health unscathed.
Tip: Keeping wearing that COVID mask as it keeps you from inhaling aerosolized germs. Make sure you cover your bases with a healthy wholesome diet including fruits, veg, whole grains, nuts, protein and some diary or plant-based equivalents. Properly trained staff in a local high street health food stores can give one-on-one advice it’s hard to get any other way.
Find your local health food store here: https://healthydoesit.org/fi
Suzie Sawyer, Clinical Nutritionist:
Gut health is key to good immune health
“There is a lot of emerging research particularly relating to vitamin D and C. However, what is really heartening is that there is an acknowledgement that nutrition and specific nutrients may be able to play a key role in treatment strategies for COVID.
Tip: Whilst vitamin D and C are two key nutrients needed to support immune health, others are also important including zinc, selenium and vitamin b6; always best taken in a balanced formulation rather than as individual nutrients.
Additionally, supporting gut health is key to good immune function, therefore, I would take a probiotic which includes some of our bacteroid and lactobacillus, and increase intake of fermented foods, especially natural yoghurt.
Jamie Christie, Nutritional Biochemist:
Positive thinking leads to positive action
“Immune health often comes to mind when the colder season approaches for two reasons; there is an increased pooling of people with children back to school and seasonal increases in coughs and colds. The truth is, immune health is important all year round, as people all over the world have discovered.”
Tip: Remember that immune health is not governed by one or two simple switches rather a combination of factors which might include stress, diet, exercise, genetic predispositions, exposure to allergens, infections or environmental irritants for example.
Positive thinking leads to positive action. We are living in hard and unusual times. Keep buying good food, getting out in fresh air and supplementing with vitamin D, as has been recommended by government (10 micrograms a day).
Jayney Goddard, President of The Complementary Medical Association:
Go plant-based, exercise and practise good sleep hygiene
“I always tell my patients “The choices you make today, predict your health tomorrow – choose well.”
Tip: I support the people; I look after them by teaching them how to harness the power of optimal nutrition by eating plant-based whole food diet. I also help them to take appropriate amounts of exercise, practise good sleep hygiene and manage their reactivity and stress response, with approaches including “The Relaxation Response”; pioneered by Dr Herbert Benso.
For more expert advice or to learn more about how you can support your health and wellbeing this Autumn, visit: https://healthydoesit.org/
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