Well, it’s that time of year. I dread getting sick. I’ve been sick so much the past 4 months with baby, and if I wasn’t sick from nausea and throwing up, I’ve been sick with every little cold or virus that’s gone around.
Your immune system can be weakened by pregnancy, and that is precisely why I am writing this article. I am going to be doing everything I can to keep from getting the flu this season.
I personally will not be getting the flu shot to prevent from getting the flu. I did just a little bit of research on the flu vaccine and said, “No way”. The list of ingredients and their potential threats is not worth it for me.
Especially since they are only guessing at what strain they will be fighting each year. The effectiveness of the flu shot is questionable. I might share a post on that in the future.
For now, what can you do to boost your immunity and prevent spending this winter fighting off the flu? I have a few suggestions for you!
1. Take an immunity booster.
My year round immunity booster and now doubling as my prenatal is my Juice Plus capsules. Juice Plus is the most researched nutritional product on the market, just ask Siri! It is a concentrate whole food supplement containing over 30 different fruit, vegetable and berry powders in a capsule or chew able form.
Study after study has been shown on it’s immune boosting abilities. While growing this baby, I need all the help I can get boosting my immunity. Before I got pregnant, I had been taking Juice Plus for a year and hardly ever got sick.
2. Elderberry for extra immunity.
Elderberry is definitely something I will be taking the remainder of the fall and winter. It is well known for helping to fight off colds and the flu. I love drinking this elderberry and echinacea tea.
Last winter I sent my husband to work with a thermos of this every morning when I knew something was going around. There was a week that he felt like he was coming down with something, but after a few mornings of this, he seemed to fight it off and never fully got it. It is definitely worth keeping on hand.
Since I’m pregnant and already feel susceptible to catching the flu, I’ll be keeping some elderberry capsules or chews around and most likely taking them regularly. Here’s a few that I know are a good brands.
Elderberry with vitamin c and zinc.
3. Eat less junk and more of the good.
Cutting out sugar or at least cutting back on it can be helpful in fighting off the flu. Your body needs the proper fuel to protect itself, so give it all the help you can.
As soon as chilly weather shows it’s face where I live, I’m pulling out my crock-pot to make healthy soups with. I make a pot of soup about once a week. We eat soups for lunches and at least once for dinner.
The base of most soups is broth and vegetables. It’s such a healthy option for flu season.
4. Exercise.
So often we go dormant in the winter time. We just want to stay inside where it’s nice and warm. While staying inside isn’t a bad thing, it definitely isn’t helping our bodies any, not to get some movement in.
I’ve been listening to “How Not to Die” by Michael Greger. He lists so many researches done on the benefits of exercise. From helping to fight depression to building your immunity, exercise is so important.
Listen to his book on kindle “How Not to Die”.
My husband and I go to our local gym together every evening. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Regular exercise helps me so much with everything from feeling better about myself, to having regular bowel movements (which if you are pregnant or have been pregnant, know that, that is a pretty big deal).
5. Rest up.
The last thing is, rest up! You need anywhere from 6-8 hours of sleep every night. We live in a sleep deprived age. We are so busy running and doing that we don’t allow ourselves the proper amount of time to rest in order for our bodies to properly fight off sickness.
Do yourself a favor and commit to going to bed on time in order to get the proper amount of sleep for your immunity to fight off the flu this season.
What are your go-to immunity boosters for fighting off the flu during the fall and winter months? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!
KaitlynEileen 