Keeping Well This Season

Dear Friends,

A hearty "Thank you" to all of you who requested my books, and for spreading the word to your friends. For those who missed the giveaway, both books are available on our sidebar, for a nominal price.

We'd like to share some of our favorite ways of keeping well during the cold time of year. First off, we never refer to it as "cold and flu season," since we believe that calling it thus is inviting colds and flu into our households!

Secondly, we like to eat as many in-season foods as possible, such as cabbages, root vegetables, and squash, since they were given to us by a wise Creator who knows what our bodies need this time of year. We are always in awe when we study all the health benefits of the humble cabbage, alone (including being a colon cancer preventative).

Lovely red cabbage~

Third, we try to include as many bitter, sour, savory, and pungent foods as possible, as they help our bodies to digest the heavier fare which keeps us warm, while adding plenty of nutrients and immune-boosting qualities. Some of these include garlic and onions, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and pure apple cider vinegar (in salad dressings, as well as a warm drink made of 1 TBS vinegar, 1 tsp. powdered green stevia, and 8 ozs water).

Fresh ginger root is wonderful to chew or suck on when you feel you are coming down with something, and is much more socially acceptable than garlic! Fresh ginger makes a great infusion, too (we chop it in the blender with a little water, then add it to water that has come to a boil, then cooled slightly). You can also add powdered ginger to your cider vinegar drink.

We especially like the beautiful shapes that ginger comes in~

Culinary herbs that boost the immune system include: sage, thyme, hyssop, rosemary, and oregano. These all make good infusions as well, and can be drunken freely throughout the day. To make an infusion, we simply toss in a handful of dried herb of choice into a quart jar and fill it with almost-boiling water and put a lid or plate on top. We like to set the jar close to the kettle (but not touching the burner) while the water is heating, to lessen the chances of its shattering. We let it cool for at least half an hour, then strain and drink (with or without sweetener, depending on our mood). Of course you can use a teapot, too!

Elderberry is full of vitamins and minerals, and if used daily can be a tasty tonic (we like to make syrup or tincture for family use).

One of the most important things to remember is to keep yourself hydrated, since winter air is dry air. Drinking well-filtered or distilled water is the best, and at LEAST eight cups of water (this is really the bare minimum).

We hope we've given you a few ideas that you can put to use; feel free to share what you use in your home too!

Love,

Marqueta