HELPFUL SUPPLEMENTS FOR THE SEASON

Oil of oregano has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and potential cancer-preventive properties. Carvacrol, an active ingredient in the oil, is a strong antioxidant. The oil can be used to clear lungs and bronchial passages by mixing with a carrier oil (such as olive oil) and rubbing it on the chest and aching muscles or by adding it to boiling water or a vaporizer to inhale the steam.

Elderberry ( Sambucus nigra ) is packed with nutrients including calcium, vitamin C, fibre, iron, and antioxidants that are known to help stimulate your immune system and fight inflammation. Elderberries have shown positive effects on the length and severity of flu and common cold symptoms. Find them at your natural health store as a syrup, in teas, gummies, lozenges, or pills.

Vitamin C has long been a go-to supplement for colds and flu. A critical analysis of 29 research trials involving 11,306 participants found that vitamin C reduced the duration of colds by 8 percent in adults and 14 percent in children. Researchers also found that the severity of colds was significantly reduced. Vitamin C comes in a number of forms, including chewables, tablets, capsules, and effervescent drink powders.

Drink water

Be sure to get a glass of water as soon as you arrive, and hang onto it. It keeps one hand busy and reduces the chance of someone passing you a cocktail chock full of simple syrup and alcohol.

Know when to leave

Still, Ifland knows that as time passes, so, too, does our resolve, and we start to consider making exceptions, having just a nibble or two.

“That’s an indication the craving chemicals are building up in your brain, under the stimulation of the social event, and then it’s time to go,” Ifland says. “It’s okay to leave at that point and just avoid the agony of the mental battle: ‘You don’t want to eat that. Yes, you do.’”

Go easy on yourself

Whatever happens, go easy on yourself, Ifland advises. Changing our behaviours to break the processed food addiction cycle can take years. But the benefits? We feel those sooner than later.

“Within four days (of eliminating processed foods), energy and mental clarity come back up while cravings may stop. And then within a couple of weeks, your blood sugar and blood pressure are heading toward normal and you’re sleeping better,” Ifland says.

“There are so many foods that have been deliberately processed to make them addictive. It can take a couple of years to get off all of them. When people know it’s a long, slow process, they give themselves permission to celebrate their wins.”