Welcome back to Carol’s Corner. Hope everyone is having a good week. Exercise wise I am doing great, but food wise I have to start being more careful. I ‘m up a few more pounds than I would like, although my clothes seem to fit ok. This is a lifelong journey and everyone should treat it as such. I need to keep a close watch on the scale, so I don’t let it keep creeping up. We can’t let our guard down for too long, because it’s just too easy to say the heck with it. I didn’t know if I liked how today’s picture turned out, but now that I see it here, I actually like it quite a bit. This top is another awesome one I found at a thrift store.

Love today’s FitBit band. It actually has little white hearts. It is so cute and goes quite nicely with this outfit. I love deciding which band to accessorize my outfit with. Some people might think it’s silly, but anyone who knows me , knows I’m all about the total look and accessorizing is one of my gifts, I guess you could say. I would love to be someone’s shoppers assistant or personal shopper. I could really rock that job.

For tonight’s topic I’ve decided to talk about foods that boost the immune system. I know many people who need to know what there is to be found on this subject.

Don’t know if this will be a one night event or continue for another night. I never know until I just get going on it. So let’s get started with something from women’s health mag.com. It’s from an article on Spotlight / Cold and Flu, Boost Your Immunity With Food. Certain foods and drinks have a natural immunity boost; to tap their benefits, just open up and say, “Ahh”.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH FOOD

Prevent sickness by stocking up on these items the next time you’re at the grocery store

TEA OFF AGAINST COLDS

Not just any hot tea though. Chamomile, according to researchers from London’s Imperial College, is the one that’ll help prevent sickness. In a recent study, they found that people that drank five cups of the brew a day for two weeks had increased blood levels of plant-based compounds called polyphenols, some of which have been associated with increased antibacterial activity. Levels remained high for two weeks after subjects stopped drinking it. (Bonus: chamomile tea also raises levels of glycine, a mild nerve relaxant and sedative).

KNOCK ‘EM DEAD

There’s a killer living in all of us. Known as a macrophage and produced deep in your bone marrow, it only works if you help it. These killer cells are activated by beta-glucans, a component of fiber foods. The best source? Oats, says David Grotto R. D., director of nutrition education at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care in Evanston, Illinois. So eat your oatmeal. The steel-cut oats, like McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, have double the amount found in the rolled quick-cooking kind.

DRESSING FOR SUCCESS

Eating a salad for lunch is smart. Drowning it in Fat-Free dressing is not. A recent study from Iowa State University found that without dietary fat , your body doesn’t absorb some of the disease -fighting nutrients in vegetables. Researchers fed seven people salads for 12 weeks and tested their blood after each meal. Those who topped their salads with fat-free dressings consistently failed to absorb carotenoids, antioxidants that have been linked to improved immunity. Fat is necessary for the carotenoids to reach the absorptive intestinal cells. Choose dressings with healthy fats from olive or nut oils. If you’re feeling adventuresome try making your own. For an Italian type dressing try 2 or 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar; for something with an Asian influence try 3 parts sesame oil to 1 part rice wine vinegar.

FIGHT BUGS THIS WHEY

Although you might be tempted to have a shot of whiskey to feel better, whey protein is a much more effective immune-boosting cocktail. Whey is rich in an amino acid called cysteine, which converts to glutathione in the body. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant that fortifies cells against bacterial or viral infections. For the highest concentration of protein, try something called powdered why protein isolate, which is more pure- and more expensive- than concentrate. Fortify a morning smoothie with this, or try another source, yogurt. The clear liquid that forms on top in most yogurts is pure whey protein , so don’t drain it off, just stir it back in.

TOMATO TRUMPS CHICKEN

To beat back a cold, you slurp chicken noodle soup. To avoid getting sick in the first place ladle out some tomato. In a study published in the American Journal Of Nutrition, 10 subjects ate a tomato-rich diet for 3 weeks, followed by a tomato free diet for 3 more weeks. While subjects were on the tomato diet, their infection fighting white blood cells sustained 38% less damage from free radicals- atoms in the body that damage and destabilize cells- than when they ate no tomato products. Researchers speculate that the lycopene in tomatoes, act as an antioxidant, helping white blood cells resist the damaging effects of free radicals.

There are five more segments from this which I will finish tomorrow, along with some other great links on the same topic. There is a ton of information to be had if you’re willing to look for it. I have spent so many hours putting the information together that some nights I bite off more than I can chew. So tomorrow we will continue on this interesting and enlightening subject.

In light of today’s topic, it seems fitting to leave you with this. No matter where you are in this journey, remember you are worth it. Every day is a new day and new beginnings. We all mess up, but we can all start over, each and every day that we are blessed to get out of bed. Till next time, a God Bless.