As the weather changes from blue skies and sunshine to rain and chilly winds, many of us are feeling the winter blues and coming down with colds and flu and it’s a good time to think about how best we can help ourselves stay healthy and fit for the winter season. Louise O’Driscoll, Xen-Do’s affiliated Holistic Health Coach has produced a list of easy and perhaps unexpected ways to keep our immune system in shape and stay upbeat. Here is the first.

Look after your gut.

Hopefully your kickboxing training at Xen-Do ensures you don’t have an obvious gut, but here I am talking about what is inside, not out! It is estimated that between 50-70% of our immune system exists in our gut, in the 10 quadrillion (yes it’s a real number!) bacteria that reside there.

Poor diet and antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria, leaving us exposed to viruses we would otherwise be able to ward off and this increases our chances of becoming overweight, developing IBS, eczema, colon cancer and mood swings.

It is vital to maintain healthy gut flora to avoid this and the best way to do it is to consistently eat a diet rich in fibrous vegetables (especially those containing prebiotics, like onions, garlic, leeks, parsnips, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and ginger) and complex carbohydrates (wholegrains, oats, starchy vegetables and beans). Choose live yoghurt. Don’t overdo it with the animal protein, cut out sugar as much as possible and take a probiotic, preferably a live one. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, keffir and miso paste are also excellent for gut health.

This article is based on opinion:
– the author is not a qualified doctor or anyone who can dispense medical advice.
– any opinions stated are just that and people should consult a doctor before making any dietary changes or changes of any nature prompted by the articles published by or on behalf of Xen-Do.
– under 16’s please obtain parental permission before posting anything online.
– any opinions stated are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of Xen-Do.