It’s that time of year again; crisp cool air, beautiful snow covering the trees! (well not yet, but we all know it’s coming!) It’s really beautiful. Honestly that’s about all I like about winter. I detest the cold temperature, the blustery wind and all the winter gear that goes along with it, and of course the dreaded common cold bug that makes its way around.
Everyone’s catching it; your husband got it from someone at work, your co-workers are still coming to work with it, one by one your family and friends are catching it too, getting all nasally and stuffed up, and your toddler’s nose is dripping non-stop, and there’s no off switch. Eeek, a girls gotta protect herself, especially if you are pregnant. After all, if you do catch the cold there’s not much medicine you can actually safely take while pregnant, which means you’ll just have to live with it, and hope for a quick recovery.
Instead of avoiding your friends and co-workers like the common-cold-germ-harbingers that they are, here are some tips for a pregnant mama (or anyone and everyone else for that matter) to keep your immunity strong and protected, and lessen the impact of the cold.
“It’s hand washing season…” proclaimed a co-worker of mine! Although hand washing hygiene should be an everyday occurrence, his funny remark did ring true, in that hand washing is one of the biggest ways we can protect ourselves from catching and transferring whatever bacteria and germs strangers pass around on door knobs, railings, even the kitchen sink at work. Washing with soap and water is sufficient, you don’t need the antibacterial stuff. Make sure to wash your hands before eating, every time you get off public transit, and any time you enter your home. (Also think about any food that is shared with co-workers – is everyone’s hands dipping into the same bag or bowl of snacks??)
Sleep is so important because during our deepest stages of sleep our body is repairing and regenerating the immune system.
Get your Beauty Sleep. As a pregnant woman, you’re probably more tired than you were before pregnancy. Listen to your body, go to sleep when you’re tired, even if it is the same time that your children go to sleep (your husband can clean up the kitchen and finish the laundry). Do what you need to do to ensure you feel rested when you wake up in the morning. Sleep is so important because during our deepest stages of sleep our body is repairing and regenerating our immune system. If you are sleep deprived, your immune system suffers and becomes depressed, resulting in a less than optimal ability to fight of any illness you may come into contact with.
Consume Probiotics + Probiotic Supplementation. You may have heard a lot about probiotics lately. If you’re wondering what they are, they’re good bacteria that live in our digestive system and gut. In fact, 80% of our immune system is found in our bodies’ digestive tract, which means if your gut is out of balance, so is your immunity. These little critters help to support digestion, support immunity, protect against pathogens, and help keep the good and bad bacteria balanced to keep your body working like it should. Valuable sources of probiotics include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, buttermilk, fermented soy, sauerkraut, and miso. I recommend a daily probiotic supplement which you can find at your local health food or supplement store.
…if your gut is out of balance, so is your immunity.
Eat Properly. I’m talking earth grown wholesome fresh foods to provide your body with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants it needs and requires to function properly and support a strong immune system. This means nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains and lean meats, and organic food when possible. Additionally it’s a good idea to consume garlic as it has natural antiviral properties and may help ward off the cold.
…garlic has natural antiviral properties and may help ward off the cold.
Avoid Processed, Packaged Foods and Refined Sugar. Studies have shown that our gut health flourishes on healthy natural nutritious foods. Conversely, refined sugar, packaged and processed foods and other anti-nutrient food-like products increase pathogenic bacterium in the gut while decreasing the beneficial bacteria. As mentioned above, our gut houses 80% of our immune system, so if we deplete our gut of the good bacteria and increase the bad bacteria, our immunity will decrease with these changes, making us especially vulnerable to any illness that may be going around.
Exercise & Manage Your Stress. We all have stress in our lives, but too much stress increases certain hormones which have detrimental effects on the immune system function such as reducing our natural killer cell activity (which are cells critical to the immune system which respond rapidly to viral-infected cells), reducing antibody production, and reducing our lymphocyte cells which are important white blood cells that help protect the body against disease and foreign invaders. By managing the stressors in our life through meditation, relaxation and daily exercise we can eliminate the negative effects of stress which compromise our health and immunity.
…people who have lower levels of vitamin D3 are more likely to get influenza than those who supplement with with the vitamin
Get Your Vitamin D3. Many studies have shown that people who have lower levels of vitamin D3 are more likely to get influenza than those who supplement with this vitamin, otherwise called the ‘Sunshine vitamin’. This vitamin isn’t readily found in food, but some animal based sources include salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and egg yolks. Also a deficiency in D3 has been linked to increase chances of birth via C-Section. Take a D3 liquid supplement every day.
Take Your Prenatal Vitamin. In addition to fresh nutritious earth grown foods, continue to take your prenatal vitamin as usual to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you need to grown a healthy baby.
When the cold season starts, this is my go-to ‘cold busting’ smoothie I like to have to help keep my immune system strong and ward off the nasty cold germs. Try it for yourself!
Ginger Cold Buster Smoothie Recipe
Prep time: 3 minutes
Blend time: 1 minute
Makes: 1-2 servings
1 cup coconut water
1/2 banana (frozen or fresh)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1 small-medium size orange peeled or 3 clementine or mandarin oranges
2 handfuls kale or spinach
small 1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger* (approx 1 gram)
1.Add to blender in order listed
2.Blend until smooth and no clumps or chunks remain
3.Pour into smoothie cup and enjoy!
**note only a small amount of ginger is necessary and has been shown very useful in relieving nausea, vomiting and morning sickness in pregnant women. Studies of ginger have not been undertaken to determine the safety during pregnancy, and is considered safe in small doses, high doses are traditionally considered emmenagogue (stimulate menstrual bleeding).
This smoothie is a warming citrusy bliss! It’s:
•creamy
•naturally sweetened
•chock full of vitamin C -an antioxidant protecting cells from damage and maker of collagen for cartilage, tendons, bones and skin for mom and baby
•fibrous from the leafy greens and fruit- helping keep you regular
•hydrating and provides electrolytes from coconut water
•vegan & gluten free
•full of earth grown nutrients
•and highly portable!
I wanna’ know, do you have a germ and cold buster recipe or tip?
Resources:
“Herbs in Pregnancy: What’s Safe & What’s Not”. AvivaRomm.com March4, 2015
“Diet-Induced Dysbiosis of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Effects on Immunity and Disease.” PubMed. Aug 2012 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3448089/
“Stress Hormones & Immune Function.” ScienceDirect n.d. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008874907002523
www.vitamindcouncil.org
“Effectiveness and safety of Ginger in the Treatment of Pregnancy-Induced Nausea and vomiting.” PubMed. April 2005. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15802416