Monday, March 28, 2011

Immune support

I ate my weight in berries this weekend as I battled allergies and tried not to get Josh's bacterial infection. I ate bowls of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. These berries contain vitamin C and powerful antioxidants. Raspberries contain 50 percent more antioxidant activity than strawberries due to compounds exclusive to raspberries. Blueberries appear to be a better source of the antioxidant anthocyanin than red wine. Try to incorporate these tasty and healthy berries in your diet as much as possible.

I also powered up with Echinacea. Echinacea is a natural immune booster. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and is a great way to fight against bacterial and viral infections. I have Echinacea tea and supplements that I take when my body starts showing signs of getting sick. Here's a list of other herbal remedies to try.

What do you do when you're getting sick?

Sources:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Herb Reference

6 comments:

Shelley said...

Do you stick with organic berries? I always want to but they're soooo expensive.

One of my don't get sick tricks is to add fresh ginger to my tea and gargling with warm salt water.

Unknown said...

Hey Shelley! I try to buy organic when I can, but I too know how expensive they can get. That's why I love going to the farmer's market and buying what's in season. The food/fruit normally tastes better and is cheaper!

Love the fresh ginger in tea idea!

Colleen said...

When we are feeling the sick coming on, we fire up the blender and make smoothies. Everything goes in... berries, bananas, plain yogurt, greens, honey... basically any color I can get my hands on. It is great because it is something my little one will drink too. She thinks it is a treat.

emily jane said...

A mug of hot water with a splash of apple cider vinegar and honey. Got me through many winter singing competitions where I felt awful!

fotógrafa oficial said...

Adrienne, do berries loose their antioxidants when frozen? I don't find the fresh ones at this time of the year (I'm in Buenos Aires!)

Unknown said...

Hi Guadalupe! Freezing berries does decrease the amount of antioxidants (ranging from 10-40%), but that doesn't mean stop eating them! Enjoy frozen when fresh berries aren't in season. Also buy organic so they contain even more antioxidants.