Easter and your Immune System

As Easter and the long-weekend quickly approaches, I thought I'd share a couple of ideas on how to stay healthy this holiday.

When I think of Easter I think of chocolate and huge family dinners. To some people it's a religious weekend, to others, it isn't. The common denominator, however, is over-eating! I'd like to discuss one type of food that's especially harmful to your health and immune system: SIMPLE SUGARS.

Simple sugars come in various forms. Candies and chocolate are one. A large proportion of our population receives most of their sugars daily from sweetened drinks (like pop and fruit juices loaded with sugar). Finally, simple sugars are the main component of all refined carbohydrates (such as white bread, pasta, and pastries).

Sugar wreaks havoc on your body in many ways. Sugar:
- Decreases your immune system up to 75%! It impairs your defenses against infectious disease.
- Leads to obesity and elevated cholesterol levels. These lead to chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Leads to premature aging
- Feeds cancer cells
- Causes a number of problems in your gastro-intestinal system and nervous systems (such as mood disturbances)
- The list goes on and on....

So, my advice for this Easter is try to stay away from sugar. Sure, have a few pieces of dark chocolate, but please don't go overboard. Your body will thank you.

Also, with such an amazing weather forcast on Friday and Saturday, try to get outside enjoy the sun. The sun makes vitamin D which is essential for your immune system. There is so much research on vitamin D I will make another post about it soon. This article today from the Globe and Mail proves how essential vitamin D is to prevent the flu. The sun is a great free source of vitamin D, but remember that it can burn you. Moderate amounts of exposure are definitely good for both your body and soul.

Have a wonderful weekend. Yours in health,
Sarah Oulahen, HBHSc, ND.

Feeling congested?! I dare you to try this!

'Warming socks' (aka cold wet socks which your body WARMS up) are a simple yet incredibly effective way to treat head congestion. Sounds crazy? Heck yeah. But this simple trick works, and it's free!

Here's the mechanism on why it works: The body sees the cold socks as a “threat” and sends blood to stimulate the vital functions. Red and white blood cells increase, keeping the immune system functioning strongly. The cold temperature draws blood downward from the head to the feet to warm them, relieving head congestion.

Try this if you feel congested or you feel like you're just about to get a cold. It will stimulate the immune response, overcome exhaustion and relieve stress headaches, insomnia, stuffy sinuses, head or chest congestion.

The treatment:
1) Warm feet first with a quick hot rinse or footbath (5-10 minutes). Not entirely necessary but will enhance the treatment.
2) Wet cotton socks thoroughly in very cold water and completely wring out excess water.
3) Put on cotton socks. Cover completely with dry wool socks.
4) Wrap yourself in a warm blanket and hop into bed.

Better yet, check out this amazing instructional video a colleague of mind made on warming socks.

Keep this in mind with your next cold and let me know how it goes. You won't be disappointed in the amazing power of water!

Yours in health,
Sarah Oulahen, ND.

Reasons to invite this family of vetegables to your dinner table.

I was so excited when I watched this Miracle Food commercial a while back because it's SO TRUE. Broccoli is an incredible food that should be included in everyone's diet. Let's also not forget it's brothers and sisters who are all in the brassica family of vegetables and have similar amazing traits: bok choy, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and turnips.

These plants are one of the most beneficial foods you can eat. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, high in dietary fiber, low in calories, tasty, and contain potent anti-cancer compounds. These compounds are the phytonutrients sulfuraphane and the indoles. Sulfuraphane can increase the body’s ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances, while the indoles have many actions including hormone regulation and decreasing risks of breast and uterine cancers. The compounds in these foods have complementary and overlapping actions, including antioxidant effects, modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of the immune system, reduction of inflammation, modulation of steroid metabolism, and antibacterial and antiviral effects.

The bottom line is they:
- Protect and also fight various types of cancer (including breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, & bladder cancers, leukemia, & melanoma)
- Help increase detoxification in your liver
- Decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke, when eaten regularly.
- Increase your bone density (due to their high calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin K content)
- Boost your immune system
- Contain a good amount of B vitamins and folate, which help combat stress!

Normally, raw food is the most nutritious for you. This may not be the case with the brassica family, as they can cause gas and bloating when eaten raw. The phytochemical compounds found in the brassicas are heat stable and even made more bioavailable with cooking. Try steaming them first and put them with your favourite dish. Add a little olive oil or sesame seeds (after cooking) for some added flavour.

Next time you're in the grocery store, head to the vegetable section and load up on your leafy greens. You'll feel great and your body will thank you for it! Get to know the entire family of brassicas. I'm good buds with baby bok choy.

For more information check out the links on The Miracle Food page.

Yours in health,
Sarah Oulahen, HBHSc, ND.