Hello my quarantiners, how we doing?
Anxious? Confused? Overwhelmed? Relieved you don't have to see your boss today? Hoping you and your significant other can land on a movie you both don't hate?
Whatever you're feeling, it's safe to say that someone else (if not everyone else) is feeling the same way. I have had several of you reach out asking my opinion about the COVID-19, what we are doing in this time, and what steps I would suggest taking.
My first response always, is to control what you can control. We can't control the media, we can't control where we are working or if we are working, and we can't control what tomorrow will bring. In times like this where it seems hard to find the silver lining, I can't help but reiterate how important it is for us to practice prevention rather than reaction. Right now and as we move forward through this weary time.
As a society, we are stellar at reacting. Like grade-a professionals.
We react to pain with painkillers. We react to high cholesterol with statins. We react to colds, flus, heartburn, headaches, cramps, anxiety, depression, ADHD, with what? A pill. But imagine if we supported our bodies in a way that we wouldn't have to react. That the pain was never there because you eliminated inflammatory foods from your diet. That your heartburn was never there because your body was making enough stomach acid. That your cramps were never there because your hormones were balanced and you had ample amounts of magnesium in your diet. That you didn’t wind up with the flu every year because your immune system was more than capable of fighting it off. That your anxiety was manageable because your gut microbiome had the proper amount of good bacteria to bad and your gut lining was strong as an ox.
Imagine if we prioritized our health year round, not just when crisis hits.
And I get it, some facets of our health are out of our control and can't always be prevented. But I believe with every bone in my body, that SO MUCH OF IT CAN BE if we just act proactively. Truth be told, what we are doing in our home to support our bodies today compared to what we were doing pre-COVID-19, is near identical. Sure, we are being more intentional about getting certain immune boosting vitamins and minerals in- but our diet and lifestyle regimen doesn't look much different at all. And what I hope is that we can all learn from this pandemic to love, feed, and support our bodies year round so that when we are uncertain in times like this, we know we are prepared as we can be.
Immune boosters we are incorporating into our diet every day: sauteed raw garlic, oil of oregano, elderberry syrup (except we just ran out wahhh), colloidal silver, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, bone broth, grass-fed butter, HELLA water with electrolytes, and plenty of fruits and veggies. (We also supplement with Biotics L-Glutamine to support our gut lining, Vitamin D3, K, as well as fruit and veggie capsules for an easy “nutrient insurance”. I know it can be hard to get all of your servings in throughout the day, especially if the stores can’t keep them stocked anyway!)
Immune suppressors we eliminate/limit from our diet: processed/packaged foods, canned items, sugar, vegetable oils/ canola oil, alcohol, gluten, etc.
If there is a product that you currently use or have for your family and are curious if it is helping or harming your immune system, feel free to reach out and I would love to have a conversation!
Sh*t is a little weird out there and although there are a lot of unknowns at the moment, all we can do is lay the groundwork for our immune system, build on it like crazy, and not be idiots when it comes to personal and public hygiene. Be proactive until you have to react.