Healthy through the Holidays

Have you noticed how many people get sick or get colds through the winter, especially through the holidays?  Viruses are weakened in warm weather but love the cold weather.  Here are suggestions if you want to increase your chances for a non-sick season.
 1.  Watch the sugar.  (Drinks, sweets, breads, sugared coffees, chocolate milk). Breads and flour based items if not Whole Grain or Ezediel bread quickly turn to sugar in the body, so I count them as sugar. An Alternative Treatment site for Cancer stated that sugar feeds the germs and lowers your immune system by less than half  it's strength.  One glass of pop contains 10 teaspoons of sugar which will suppress your immune system for over four hours.  That is a lot of time for you to touch a door knob, for example, that has a germ on it and for you to have poor defense against it if you don't wash it off quickly. 
2.  Play a game with yourself and try, just try to eat the recommended daily amt. by the gov't of 7-9 servings of fruits and vegies in a day.  If you treat it like a game, you will probably make better choices moment by moment of what you intake. Colorful fruits and vegies are full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, carotenes and more. These ingredients greatly strengthen your own body to be strong and energetic, and to ward off anything that attacks it. According to the US Dept. of Agriculture,  one serving = a 1/2 cup,  a whole fruit,  3 strawberries, 15 grapes, one cup of greens.  3 vegies 2 fruits/day=kids, at least 4 vegies/3 fruits/day for teens/adults.  Count them!
3.  Increase legumes (such as pinto, kidney, red beans , lentils, chick peas, etc) as they have lots of germ fighting antioxidants, more than blueberries according to Dole Nutrition. Cook them up per pkg. directions to  keep in fridge, or buy them by the can at the health food store (w/o preservatives),  to add to salads, pastas, wraps or just by themselves. 1/3 c.=one vegie serving.
4.  HANDWASHING.  Best technique on the planet for preventing sickness! I'm not kidding. Use soap and wash for a full 15 seconds. Also, watch what those hands touch. (keep them off of public railings, push doors with your arm, not your bare hand and watch out for those germy office telephones!)
5. Consider stopping all your vitamins and getting on Juice Plus whole food supplement instead, with 8 fruits,7 vegies and 2 grains. See  http://www.suewalkerjuiceplus.com/.  watch the 12 min.video.  Email me with questions at suewalkerrn@yahoo.com.
6.  SMILE , LAUGH, PLAY, EXERCISE, Have Fun!!!  Find ways to REDUCE the STRESS!!!