Boosting the immune system has been my highest priority during these times; I am currently in semi-lockdown in Pondicherry India. I’ve written about Pondicherry in another article here online, it is a sweet French Colonial Town and the fruit/veg markets are open along with cows roaming the streets of course! I count myself lucky to be able to go out to the markets in the mornings for my daily walks. Below are two examples of what I am doing/have done to stay on top of my health regime. It is a positive experience during these times to be learning a new skill so I’ve been putting my health blogs together for a complimentary E-Book, HEALTH, HAPPINESS & HARMONY, it will come in handy as the years pass! I’ve put the link in the Bio at end. Staying mentally active during these times is just as important as keeping the body strong, fit, flexible and calm.
Below I will explain my morning JUST DO IT blast!
FIRST THING; JUST DO IT
Most people that are into cleansing/immune boosting know about fresh lemon juice but I like to take it a step further and add grated ginger root, turmeric & chew up a few garlic cloves. Garlic has biological affects; the sulfuric compounds of raw garlic are antibacterial, anti-parasitic, modifies the immune response, helps with lipid metabolism and is a protector for the cardiovascular system. The main active ingredient of garlic is allicin, released by crushing or chewing fresh garlic, this produces other compounds, including ajoene, allyl sulfides, and vinyldithiins.
Modifying the immune response should catch some people's attention if you have heard about some of the discussions going around right now regarding people with healthy immune systems over-reacting to the Corona-virus which causes something similar to an auto-immune dis-ease...it is just that, being "not at ease" in the body, so regulating the immunity responses whether you have low or high immunity can benefit with this simple trick to chew up some raw garlic every day. If you just can’t hack it, chop it up and shallow using spoon chased w water, but honestly, it can become addictive...it is really quite yummy on own and your body doesn't take on the garlic odor if you integrate this daily. I also use it when fasting, for some reason it really curbs any hunger I might have. Maybe my body thinks it’s eaten a meal or something?! But whatever the case, it works!
Ginger fights infections, good for the immune system, helps with digestion, revs metabolism, regulates blood sugar helps with a natural detox and plain just feels buzzy and warm in your body!
Using lemons in detox and immune boosting regimens are quite common, reason being they protect the body from immune deficiencies, has loads of Vit C which can help fight infections, cleanses the liver, it is anti-inflammatory, provides electrolytes, aids in digestion and skin rejuvenation.
I find that by starting my day with this, it boosts my moral, helps me tune into my body, know I am giving myself good quality natural medicine and curbs the desire to destroy the awesome path I am on during these times with "munchy" foods that might not be so good for me. By helping yourself you're helping the neighbor, let’s stay strong together!!
It is best to give the body 15-20 min after this for the medicine to activate the body into cleaning/boosting mode, and then one can indulge in their coffee/tea programs for the morning! Switching to nut milks is best if you're going to do this however due to the lemon in the concoction, we don't want to curdle milk in the belly 1st thing in morning if you're a latte/cappuccino person! I have switched to Americano for my caffeine blasts in the morning these days along with programs of no coffee inserting the green tea instead. Change is always a good thing in the diet, mixing things up as we go along.
TIME FOR THE MASTER CLEANSE
I do the Mater Cleanse about twice a year, once before summer and once after the holidays. It is based on Stanley Burroughs, author of Master Cleanse, recipe and conscious program to detoxify the body with lemons, cayenne and water along with real maple syrup for nutrients (along with the nutrients from the lemons and cayenne of course). So, It is usually a 10 day process but I go for about 3-7 days. It isn’t my first time so I don’t feel I have so much toxic build-up in the first place but usually first timers should do the full 10 days.
I usually fill a 6 cup jug with pure water, use 3/4cp fresh lemon juice just pressed and then 3/4 cp maple syrup. Grade B is recommended but it is expensive and just because it is darker does not mean it had more nutrients. All maple syrup that is REAL is made the same way and the colour is based on the time of year the tree was tapped. All pure maple syrup contains many beneficial nutrients including potassium, magnesium and iron. Cayenne soothes digestion reduces inflammation and is a stimulant and an all over body tonic. There is more vitamin C than in oranges, there is iron, calcium, phosphorus and B-complex vitamins. It relieves stiffness and pain in the body also. Lemons raise the level of citrate in the body which help to fight kidney stones, they are a great source of vitamin C and has positive effects on the liver, bile and digestion.
I add about 1 heaping tsp to the concoction and make two of these jugs a day. There is about 700 calories in this concoction so that’s about 1400 a day which is normal caloric intake for me. It isn’t about losing weight but I do have a nice flat stomach and feel full of energy after even just 2 days! When our bodies aren’t spending so much time constantly digesting and dealing with what we put into it, our body naturally starts to cleanse itself and go into “energy” mode. Skin becomes more clear, eyes more bright, less sleep is needed and we feel good about life!
Use organic ingredients if possible and go for some nice yoga or swimming, very good for the mind, body and soul! Early to bed, early to rise!
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Margaret has been traveling around S.E. Asia since 2015 beginning with Thailand and pops into Bangkok for visa runs from Bali where she has made it her main base. She has been a health educator for 23 years on holistic health and achieved her Doctor of Naturopathy in 2010, sharing with us with her decade of experience. Portraying medicinal plants with watercolours is a way she spends her time while traveling. Her stories come from far and wide, and quite unique. One can follow her on her website blogs and/or sign up for her monthly newsletter. During lockdown she put her health blogs into a complimentary E-Book HEALTH, HAPPINESS & HARMONY you can download from her website under E-Books.
