Winter wellness

Cold weather not only brings out sweater season but often the common cold and flu come right along with it. Let’s be honest, while missing school everyone once and a while is nice, staying home sick sucks. Lucky for you, I’ve compiled a list of ways to avoid the sniffles this winter season and keep you in tip top shape.

1. Citrus

Often times when people are sick, they turn to their good ol’ friend, vitamin C. This is because it increases the production of white blood cells which overall, leads to a stronger immune system.

Some great options include:

• Oranges
• Grapefruits
• Lemons
• Limes

1. Try natural remedies first

Although your first instinct, when you get sick, is to stock up on antibiotics, try to stick to the natural remedies. The overuse of antibiotics requires higher doses of the medication as the bacterias in the body becomes immune to it. It has also been shown that the body kills off good bacterias, while trying to take out the bad. This then leads to the opposite effect that the antibiotic was meant to do. Instead of strengthening the immune system, it’s weakening it.    

2. Stay clean

From door handles to bathrooms and even your phone, you’re picking up and carrying bacteria with you wherever you go. This time of the year, it’s super important that you carry around with you hand sanitizer or make the trip to wash your hands as much as possible. The less bacteria around, the smaller the chance of getting sick is.

3. Drink tea

Not only does drinking hot tea soothe a sore throat, but depending on the type, it helps you stay healthy in the winter too. Try making a cup of either chamomile, dandelion, or green tea to boost the immune system and kill infection.