Sniffles Creeping Up On You?

People are sneezing, coughing and blowing their noses at every turn.  Don't have time to be sick? Join the club!

There are some things you can do to keep the sniffles away!

• Remember what your mother told you, "Eat your fruits and veggies!"  Try to squeeze in at least 5 different fruits and vegetables throughout your day.  They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that can do more than stave off a cold.  They also decrease your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes!
• Keep your diet well rounded! Include whole grains (check out last week's blog), protein and dairy to keep your body functioning normally.
• Should I supplement? Well, a multivitamin is always a good idea specifically during cold and flu season to ensure you are getting everything your body needs to keep it strong.  Be careful about supplementing specific vitamins or minerals.  There are upper limits to some of them for good reason...any higher and they make you sick or keep your body from appropriately absorbing other nutrients.  Do a little research before you dive into a vitamin supplement, or shoot me an email and we can figure it out!

Outside of nutrition....Top 5 ways to stay healthy:

1. Wash your HANDS
2. Do not smoke - decreases Vitamin C utilized within your body
3. Exercise! Even walking to class counts!
4. If you choose to drink, MODERATION
5. Do something good for your body and SLEEP!  I know it can be hard to find the time, but if you want to stay well, it's necessary

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Questions? Send me an email NIUNutritionQuestions@gmail.com