BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY NOW

Wondering what to purchase when the stores are packed with panicking people, but completely devoid of packaged items on the shelves?

In this time when so many are panicking, I believe we need more voices and thought leaders to help us all find our calm in the chaos.

By no means am I downplaying the magnitude of what we’re facing at the moment with Coronavirus, but if we allow what we see in the news and read online to get the better of our imaginations, we can easily find ourselves in fight or flight most or possibly even all of the time.

We can take the proverbial bull by the horns, prepare and then make a plan.   And that’s all we can do.

Which is precisely why it’s more important now more than ever that we integrate whatever it is that will facilitate each of us to find our calm.

Mediate.  Do yoga.   Move your body.  Go outside and get fresh air.  And now more than ever, eat real food to boost your immune system, thereby boosting your body’s natural ability to ward off whatever may come your way.

(One less thing to worry about: if you’re stocking up on what you really need in order to sustain yourself, there’s no need to be concerned with empty supermarket shelves… except for loo roll!)

Below is my recommended list of what to stock up on, much of which you can purchase at your local farmer’s market, while they’re still open!

• WATER  Unless you’ve already gone through the exercise of having a filtration system put into your home, having a stock of clean water in glass bottles is the absolute first necessity.  As our son is now eating real food, he’s begun to drink water as well and the brand our pediatrician recommended most highly is Mountain Spring.
• BONE BROTH  A properly sourced and prepared bone broth is key to supporting our gut biome and therefore helping our body stay strong and fight inflammation.    Given the likelihood that the farmer’s markets will close soon, I’ve started serving my BB customers by delivery in the LA Area; dig deep in your area if you’re not making your own and are unsure of where to get a good option.  The local butcher is the best place to start.  Look for organic, 100% grass fed and finished and / or pasture raised on the labeling, a thick, gelatinous consistency and a delicious taste in order to ensure you’re getting the best option where you live.
• FATS  Coconut oil, MCT, ghee, avocado oil,  pasture raised lard, grass fed tallow.  These are shelf stable, and products you’ll use anyway, so it’s not money wasted in any sense of the word.    Not only are these an essential part of an eating plan that is suitable for someone who opts for a ketogenic approach, they’re delicious and satiating… just what we’d need in the event of an emergency.
• PROTEINS   Grass fed and finished ground beef, short ribs and steaks, bison, pasture raised chicken and ground turkey, pasture raised pork chops, pork butt or shoulder are just a short list of some of the proteins you can purchase at your farmer’s market and then freeze to have on hand, defrosting one by one as needed.    No access to a farmer’s market?  Check out online sources such as US Wellness Meats.
• FRESH PRODUCE   While plain, organic frozen veggies are definitely an option, you’ll save significantly if you can buy locally, chop, flash steam or blanche and freeze.   Some of my favorites include broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, asparagus.   Berries, naturally low in sugar and high in fiber, freeze well.   Fresh garlic is a natural antioxidant and oregano is a natural anti microbial to boot!
• SEA VEGGIES  These are something important to all of us, not just those dealing with autoimmune (for AIP, eating seaweed and the like is essential as it provides necessary dietary iodine which balances out the sulfur we get from the crucifers, thereby supporting healthy thyroid function).   Shelf stable, these will last for long periods of time in our pantries as well.
• NUTS So long as you’re not following an auto immune protocol (AIP), raw, organic, sprouted walnuts in particular can be good non-perishables to have on hand.   
• BPA-FREE CANNED WILD FISH   This is certainly a time where the ‘in a pinch’ category comes into play.    Typically, I’m not one to recommend much canned anything, but given the times we are in at the moment, having small, fresh water fish which are naturally low in Mercury in your pantry is a no-brainer.  Brands such as Wild Planet offer these options in BPA-free cans.
• PROBIOTICS   A healthy gut biome is the goal anytime, but especially now when we want to make ourselves resilient as possible, there’s no harm in adding a top quality into the mix.  The brand I like is Mega Spore.  Unless you have specific recommendations to avoid probiotics from your doctor (in some instances, those with already compromised immune systems may need to be more cautious before starting probiotics).
• DRIED / POWDERED PROTEINS High quality grass fed and finished jerky, biltong and even EPIC bars are good options to have on hand.  Be sure to read ingredients to ensure you’re not getting any soy sneaked into the mix; soy is often used as a tenderizing agent.    Protein powders may also come in handy; again, read ingredient list to make sure you know what you’re eating and that nothing you’re about to ingest is going to contribute to inflammation, such as whey, soy or untoward oils.

There’s another category to consider:  supplements.   Vitamin C, D, Zinc, Colloidal Silver and perhaps glutathione are some of the basics that can further boost all the mega-health benefits you’re getting from all the unprocessed foods.      Many naturopaths and functional medicine doctors are also recommending more concentrated protocols such as Meyers cocktail. 

Once you’ve got all the items on your list ticked off, you’ve done everything you can do on the food front to prepare for what may come our way.

Then, remember that if we keep on top of common sense behaviors that we should be implementing all the time, no-brainers such as washing our hands and not going out in the community if we feel like we’re beginning to fight off a bug, we truly are as armed as we can be.

Finally, and this is certainly last but not least, find your calm.   

It’s worth reiterating; whether it’s mediating using an app, learning TM, reading up on the work of whichever positive thought leaders with whom you resonate, attending the church you belong to or simply whatever it is that you personally do to feel connecting to something bigger, do it and do it in a big way.

Refuse to let the negative messaging all around get the better of you; it is a choice well within your control.

The more we channel positivity around us, the more we can share it with those around us, be they few or many.

We will get through this.