Last week we examined the difference in taste between certain organic foods and their conventional counterparts. This week, I’ll share my observation on how the food you eat will greatly affect your body’s ability to fight off sickness this winter.
We are right in the heart of the cold and flu season, and through casual observation, I’ve noticed an obvious correlation between how one eats and their ability to fight those pesky bugs. My clean-eating friends who eat consciously by avoiding processed foods and choosing organics, are 
vastly healthier than my friends who choose the cheapest food options, including fast food. Though I haven’t conducted any scientific studies to base this on, the group that I’m pulling from represents a wide variety of family sizes and lifestyles, and the food they eat seems to have a clear impact on their immunity to sickness.
“You are what you eat” is an old cliche that I believe continues to ring true. So many people, and children especially, are suffering from seasonal ailments as well as serious body conditions that could be considerably helped just by reinventing their daily diet. If taste doesn’t convince you to choose clean and conscious food options, maybe the amount of throw-up laundry and doctor’s visits will.
The reason these “clean” or “conscious” eaters are healthier is easy to understand; eat the kind of foods that provide the highest natural source of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to fight illnesses, and you will be healthier. Not only are labels promising added vitamins and fiber often misleading, but also those foods with added supplements are frequently not absorbed by our bodies as well. Be wary of sugars in these processed foods as well. Sugar weakens the immune system and is exactly what those pesky sicknesses feed on to keep you under the weather longer.
To maximize your food budget in a way that will also help you stay healthy this winter, try these tips:
Make your own yogurt or kefir blends – a daily mix of plain yogurt or plain kefir mixed with 100% juice (orange or fruit punch are great) will save you money from pricey individual servings, and save you from the added sugar or high fructose corn syrup that contradicts the probiotic power of these cultured products.
Buy frozen fruit and vegetables and keep them stocked for meals or kids lunches – fresh produce is expensive this time of year, but don’t let that stop you. Frozen produce still packs a great nutritional punch to keep your immunity strong. Don’t avoid all fresh produce though, as bananas and celery are still readily available for low prices and ironically have been linked to better sleep.
Cut back on eating out. Restaurants saturate their meals with salt, sugar, fat and MSG, and there is an extremely high cost to eating out. Instead, find a recipe to try at home that involves everyone, and make it a family night. The money you save will be just as valuable as the time you enjoy preparing the meal together. It will be the kind of memory you all will remember.
About Heidi Morris