The winter is upon us and the change of seasons from cool, crisp fall air has moved to chilly and freezing winter temps, depending upon where you live. A slew of health concerns seem to come naturally this time of year. The cold, damp weather can flare up achy muscles and increase joint pains, cause dry, patchy skin and bring on colds and the flu. While over the counter medications like Advil or Tylenol may reduce pain, prescription medications may help sooth eczema and cough meds may just knock you out long enough so you don’t have to think about your cold, could we look to food as an alternative instead of slapping on a figurative medicine bandaid? Sure, food may not cause an immediate relief, but if you change what you consume and eat only organic food and an abundance of fruits and vegetables, while staying away from processed unhealthy foods, could it change your resistance to some of these winter ailments we hate so much? It is worth a thought, isn’t it? Maybe even worth some research and trial? I think so!
Your diet should be ongoing, a lifestyle change, not a short term fix and then you resort back to your old terrible eating habits after a month. I personally don’t think you need to let go of everything you love to eat, but if you choose to eat all organic food, then you are immediately eliminating dangerous chemicals, GMOs, corn syrup, etc. When you eat organic you are putting REAL food in your body. While I am not a nutritionist or a doctor, it is a quite simple concept, isn’t it: put natural foods in your body and you will start noticing a difference in your health. After going organic, if I all the sudden try to eat say a candy bar, it tastes gross to me! No joke! I can taste the sicky sweet sugar and it is no longer satisfying the way it used to be. There are plenty of organic alternatives and better choices you can make for example, I love to eat Justin’s organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups, made from cane sugar and not corn syrup, when I need a chocolate fix and I feel good about my choice. I tend to think going organic, along with eating in moderation, is a good start to a healthier you!
That brings me to juicing; with only organic fruits and vegetables, of course! I first heard about juicing years ago from my brother. He suffered from eczema ever since he was a little kid and no medication gave him relief. It wasn’t until he started juicing organic carrots every day that his eczema went away! This peaked my curiosity, so I bought myself a juicer and started researching some recipes. I find it quite interesting that food can boost your immune system and reduce inflammation, making you less likely to get sick. Sure, juicing organic fruits and vegetables may be expensive, but it sure is cheaper than hospital bills and prescription medication…but that is just how I look at things!
I have a few favorite juicing recipes that I like to pre-batch for the week during the winter months using these ingredients:
- Turmeric – Curcumin, the healing compound in turmeric, helps reduce inflammation and detoxify the liver and the abundant source of antioxidants can treat skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
- Carrots – Rich in Vitamin A, carrots help reduce eczema and dry skin while boosting your immune system.
- Ginger – Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties improve health, reduce joint pain and aid digestion.
- Beets – Contain the amino acid betaine which helps support liver detox, are a good source of carbohydrates to fuel you for work outs, and are nutrient dense including vitamins A, B and C for fighting inflammation, improving immunity and protecting you from free radical cell damage.
- Apples -You know what they say…an apple a day! Apples are a great source of fiber, high in antioxidants and help treat inflammation.
- Celery – Not only does celery juice help with digestion, it also allows your body to properly absorb minerals, which is crucial to a strong immune system. No wonder celery juice is all the rage right now!
- Cucumber -High in vitamins B5 and C, this green veggie is great for skin conditions like acne and helps prevent cell damage from free radicals.
Batch your juices and get on track to a healthier you this winter with my favorite Winter Juice Recipes:
Carrot + Turmeric: 15 Carrots + 6 inches of Turmeric {You can add some to your organic morning OJ}
Celery: 15 Celery stalks + 1 Cucumber + 3 inches of Ginger
Beets: 1 Apple + 2 Beets + 7 Carrots + 3 inches of Ginger +1 oz Lemon Juice
I hope these juice recipes help give you the boost you need to get your immune system up and prevent some pesky winter ailments because being healthy is so much more fun!
