Maintaining winter wellness

You’ve run out of batteries to replace and hinges to oil. Your online exercise class is getting boring and your waistline has not shrunk. And you know it will be months before life elizabeth morse read returns to any semblance of “normal.” How will you get through these cold, dark weeks of winter without losing your sanity and breaking all those New Year’s resolutions?

Try focusing on the surprisingly simple steps that can make you healthier, calmer, and more energized.

Boost your immunity

It’s incredibly important that you eat a nutritious diet that promotes gut (digestive) health and helps you fight off infections and inflammation – foods high in Vitamins B1, K, D, C, zinc, probiotics, and beta-glucans. While you may need to take supplements during the winter, it’s much better to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals by choosing your foods more mindfully, especially as we try to avoid contracting respiratory illnesses like COVID-19. [see sidebar]

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) improves immune function, reduces inflammation and the risk of type-2 diabetes, and helps maintain healthy blood oxygen levels. Foods high in B1 include whole grains, beans and legumes, red meats, fish (especially salmon), nuts, oranges, kale, asparagus, and eggs.

Vitamin K helps your body maintain healthy blood vessels and activates enzymes that protect lung tissue – two major organs seriously affected by respiratory viruses. It’s better to eat fresh foods rich in Vitamin K than to take supplements – choose leafy green vegetables like lettuce, kale, chard, and spinach, as well as vegetable oils.

Vitamin C boosts the immune system and, as a powerful antioxidant, slows down the effects of aging. It also speeds up healing and protects bones and teeth. Get your Vitamin C every day by eating red grapes, tropical fruits, citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, cabbage, and broccoli.

If you don’t have enough Vitamin D in your body, you’re much more likely to develop respiratory infections. During the winter months, when getting actual sunshine on your skin can be hard, eating foods high in Vitamin D can help – eggs, seafood, fortified milk, beef, orange juice, mushrooms, and cheese. In addition to providing low-fat protein, fish and shellfish contain the elusive Vitamin D, as well as powerful omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent inflammatory diseases like coronary heart disease. [see sidebar]

Zinc bolsters the immune system and may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Studies show that zinc actually decreases the growth of viruses and reduces the length and severity of respiratory symptoms when taken at the onset. If you can’t ingest enough zinc in your daily diet – meat, tofu, oysters, lentils – you can try supplementing your diet with zinc lozenges or nasal sprays.

Probiotics, which boost your immune system, contain good gut bacteria and come from fermented foods like miso paste, yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, kombucha, tempeh, buttermilk, and certain aged cheeses.

Beta-glucans are micronutrients found in oats, barley, yeast, and mushrooms (especially shiitake) that reduce cholesterol and help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammatory lung damage caused by pneumonia and severe cases of COVID-19.

Improve your mood with food

The best way to feel well is to eat well – and the easiest way to do that is to understand the “Mediterranean” diet. Daily meals are filled with fresh seafood, vegetables, beans, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, fruit, artisan cheeses, and locally-produced wines. Unlike the typical American diet, meats are not eaten every day.

Fish and plant-based proteins like beans and legumes dominate over meat and poultry in the Mediterranean diet, and it should in your daily meals, too. Although we live in one of the richest fishing regions in the country, many people don’t like to handle or cook raw fish – so go for frozen, canned, or pouched seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids – salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, mackerel, cod, haddock, herring, and trout.

Plant-based Mediterranean meals include vegetable and bean soups (minestrone, kale soup, pasta e fagioli) as well as casseroles, pasta dishes and dips (like hummus) made with cannellini, chickpeas, fava, lentils, or black beans. Beans, soy, and lentils are packed with antioxidants, protein, Vitamin C, calcium, and zinc.

Side dishes (including salads) are focused on vegetables and grains. Dark green vegetables like broccoli, kale, spinach, escarole, chard, cabbage, and leeks are high in antioxidants, fiber, phytochemicals and nutrients like Vitamins A, C, E, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Orange veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut, and acorn squashes are high in fiber and Vitamins A and C.

People who eat at least one serving of whole grains each day have a lower risk of heart attacks or strokes. By leaving on the protective outer bran, unprocessed whole grains are packed with fiber, zinc, and nutrients that are lost in processing – so choose corn tortillas, whole wheat breads, brown or wild rice, barley, oatmeal or whole-grain pastas.

Olive oil is a heart-healthy fat that helps you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) in your foods. It also reduces the glycemic response to a meal, preventing your blood sugar from spiking, and makes you feel full so that you don’t overeat.

After the main dishes, Mediterranean style meals consist of an assortment of dairy products, fruits, and nuts. Fermented dairy products like yogurt and artisan cheeses help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Plain Greek yogurt can be blended with fresh fruit for a sweet snack or with herbs and veggies for a savory one like tzatziki. Artisan cheeses include Parmigiano-Reggiano, kefir, feta, and labneh.

Whether they’re blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries, berries are packed with phytochemicals that reduce inflammation and protect your immune system. The most balanced food on Earth, nuts contain healthy omega-3 fats, protein, and carbohydrates. Like berries, they’re very easy to nibble on (unsalted!) and can be added to cereals, salads, homemade desserts, or as a topping on vegetables.

Sidebar: Stay Hydrated

You hear all the time that you need to drink lots of fluids to keep your body in sync. But you need to zero in on the hydrating details beyond guzzling water throughout the day. For instance, low humidity inside your house dries out your nasal passages, making it harder to trap and destroy bacteria and viruses that end up in your sinuses. A humidifier can help keep your mucous membranes moist. Likewise, you can use sinus-rinse products like Flonase or NeilMed to flush out irritants and germs. These days, our hands are raw from using alcohol-based hand sanitizers – but chapped hands can result in tiny cracks that allow infection, so make sure to use all-natural moisturizers, shampoos and body washes like Eucerin, Cetaphil or Gold Bond. Use beeswax-based lip balms – not Vaseline-based, which is a byproduct of petroleum!

Sidebar: Simple Ways to De-Stress and Heal

Being stuck indoors for weeks on end is enough to drive anyone a little crazy. Vacations to sunny climates are out, so it’s time for a little imagination. Surround your living space with houseplants to increase the oxygen level inside your home. Practice shinrin-yoku – “forest bathing” – by spending silent, mindful time in natural settings like walking along the beach, through a park, or even just staring out a sunny window at your bird feeders.

Stress causes the body to produce a hormone called cortisol, which weakens your immune system’s ability to fight infections. But connecting with nature in small ways reduces the cortisol and lowers your blood pressure. The simple act of refilling those bird feeders and taking in a breath of fresh air releases endorphins, the “happy hormones,” into your bloodstream.

It’s hard to “catch some rays” on cold winter days, but you need to do whatever you can to have sunlight touch your face every day, even if it’s just by sitting next to that sunny window or by using a light therapy lamp. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a very real kind of winter depression triggered by lack of exposure to sunlight and Vitamin D. Think of simple ways to ensure you’re getting some sunshine – bundle up and sit on your porch or patio for fifteen minutes.

And even though you may be bored to tears during the day, make sure you get a good night’s sleep – sleep time is when your body repairs and heals itself. Turn off the electronics an hour before bedtime and don’t bring them into the bedroom. Consider taking melatonin – a powerful antioxidant hormone that regulates sleep and promotes lung health – before bedtime. People who sleep less than seven hours are three times more likely to develop respiratory infections than people who get at least eight hours of sleep every night.

Elizabeth Morse Read is an awardwinning writer, editor and artist who grew up on the South Coast. After 20 years of working in New York City and traveling the world, she came back home with her children and lives in Fairhaven.