Every winter, it rears its ugly head amid the twinkling holiday lights and among parties with family and friends- cold and flu season. Despite the vaccinations that exist to help prevent viral afflictions, germs appear to be lurking everywhere and many feel defenseless against them.
In 2018, it was projected that the global vaccine market was worth 49 billion dollars and was expected to reach over 59 billion by the year 2020. In addition, current research indicates the following:
“…Americans spend $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs and another $400 million on prescription medicines for symptom relief from the common cold. Also, more than $1.1 billion are spent annually on the estimated 41 million antibiotic prescriptions for cold sufferers — even though antibiotics have no effect on a viral illness.”
As individuals in developed countries, we have access to a plethora of medical interventions that can help appease the discomfort and pain of illness. However, we also have an amazing material at our fingertips that can help prevent and combat illness that is far more economical and natural than pharmaceutical medicine: food.
At its core, food serves a vital need for all humans, but when it’s utilized appropriately, it becomes so much more than a basic necessity. Research has shown that for the majority of human existence, food has been regarded as a form of medicine- with the ability to not only comfort, but to heal, fuel and strengthen. Yet, the importance of nutrition to support and enhance the immune system often appears to be overlooked in today’s society. Food continues to be viewed as a comfort for a large majority of humans and cultures, but it has lost much of its reputation to be a healing agent amid the overabundance of processed foods that get eaten on the fly, thrown in grocery carts, and served on dining tables. As a society, we have lost touch with what food can do for our health and longevity.
We’ve heard it time and time again- “You are what you eat”- and it’s repeated across the ages for good reason. We may not be what we eat, but our immune systems certainly respond to what we put into our mouths each and every day, which has a profound impact on our overall well-being. It may be true that nutrition does not impact all infections equally and that it is not an end-all, be-all cure for a myriad of illnesses; however, it is a critical determinant of health. It is well-researched that nutritional deficiencies are commonly associated with impaired immune responses and documented that malnutrition is the most common cause of immunodeficiency worldwide.
So how do we filter through the copious amounts of food in grocery stores and restaurants to know what will provide us with the support that we need? Here are some guidelines to help guide some winter food gathering:
Shop the perimeter
It’s a common adage now among health-conscious shoppers: avoid the middle aisles at the supermarket. The foods with the most healing properties are the ones with the deepest historical roots, so your best bets will always be fresh fruit and vegetables, grass-fed meats, and cage-free eggs. Organic is recommended, but can get pricey, so be sure to reference the Environmental Working Group’s 2018 list of the “Clean Fifteen” and the “Dirty Dozen” foods to help guide your organic decisions.