food for the soul - Mmegi Online

food for the soul

Boitshepo Giyose

Fighting winter colds, flues and blues: how vitamins can help No doubt the winter chill has begun to hit us.  And from the looks of it this might be another bitter cold winter.

Therefore we all need to protect ourselves from the much dreaded winter ailments such as the common cold, flu and that low depressed mood called SAD i.e. seasonal affective disorder.  Trust me those winter blues are not imaginary, fake or unreal.  They do indeed happen.  As seasons change and the sunlight hours get shorter and the temperatures drop, a lot of people experience mood swings, and mostly feel down.  Eating well and especially taking adequate amounts of vitamins works wonders.

I do hear a lot of people out there confessing that it I hard to eat nutritiously at every meal. You may not always get the nutrients you need, in the amounts you need.  While this is the case your vitamin pills are not necessarily the best substitute for food, therefore don't always count on it to provide you with the essential vitamins and minerals. Food is important too!

Fruits and vegetables remain the best sources of vitamins and minerals.  Because different kinds of produce are available in different seasons, you can add variety to your diet quite easily with them.  They are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre.  Eating a variety can supply you with iron, folic acid, calcium, vitamin C, B complex, A as well as E.  Vitamin A is essential for tissue development and support and thus key for healthy eye sight, skin, hair and nails.

Excellent sources include bright orange, yellow and red fruits and vegetables such as carrots, mangoes, peppers, papayas, and leafy vegetables.Other vital roles of vitamin A include helping to maintain the cells that line the body's interior surface. Yes you do have an interior surface - think organs, stomach, intestines etc.  As it does this, it actually boosts the production and activity of white blood cells.  So this links to its role in boosting your immune system and keeping infections and diseases away - even a common cold and flu can be kicked out by a healthy dose of Vitamin A, and C of course.  We now know that more than 50 percent of childhood illnesses are directly related to Vitamin A deficiencies.

Now I hope you understand why you should take your little infant and young child to the clinic for the routine Vitamin A dosage.  Please do, this is absolutely critical especially in the cold season!  For some, a flu shot may be necessary for the whole family to minimise the horrible sniffles.

Vitamin C is best known as the king at beating the winter colds and flues.  Five excellent sources of are easy to add to your diet this winter and if you are watching your weight as well the good news is that they are low in calories too!  Try the following citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, naartjies, lemons and limes.

Strawberries, kiwi fruit, red peppers, broccoli contain significant amounts of vitamin C.  Other fruits and vegetables you may include and their serving sizes include the following: grapes - 3/4 cup, banana, orange, apple - 1 medium, dried fruits - 1/4 cup, fruit juice - 1/2 cup, canned or cooked fruit - 1/2 cup, broccoli, carrots, or other vegetable 1/2 cup, potato - 1 medium, leafy green vegetable - 1 cup and vegetable juice - 3/4 cup. But this list can surely always be expanded to include traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables for example morula, moretologa, moretlwa, thepe, etc.

As far as minerals go, the most important include iron, calcium, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Best sources include seafood, meat, poultry, dairy products, nuts, dried beans and peas, liver, wholegrain products, tofu, dark and leafy green vegetables.  With this variety of foods you are pretty much guaranteed a good balance to protect your organs and tissues against the harsh winter weather.

Vitamin E helps you to resist the flu and upper respiratory infections by boosting the production of helper T-Cells, a white type of blood cell that fights infections.  The amount of white blood cells in your blood is what determines how healthy you are, the more the healthier you are. 

Hence all the fuss about the cell counts in HIV/AIDS testing.  Other sources of selenium include tuna, beef (in moderation please), crab, oysters, whole wheat flour and garlic.  Other Vitamin E sources include almonds, wheat germ, hazelnuts and peanuts. Now you can surely create a healthy balanced winter diet that will kick the winter blues out forever!