Winter is here: What you need to know to support good immunty.

It's winter in N.Z. a time to settle into what your body needs.

To soften to go inwards to reconnect.

Where does immunity set in all of this?

Well, quite often we don't drop into the cycle and rhythms of the seasons.

We tend to stay outward and push externally to get things done all year round.

it is truly exhausting.

Come winter when it is cooler and more bugs are floating around some of us can get really knocked about.

I see this time and time again in my clients and in a society that values "soldering on" and pushing through and going hard.

And heaven forbid if and when we do get sick, there is no value, no encouragement to convalesce to be still, and to hibernate for a few days.

So much pressure!!

This is such an important piece of well-being and strong immunity.

Most of us know what we should do to support our immunity.

But most of us find the above piece hard.

I really encourage you to think about what it means for you to look after your health and immunity.

Pillars to good immunity

Gut health: Our gut lining interfaces with our immune system. They talk to each other all day long. So if the gut is unhappy the immune system is the first to hear about it.

Stress management: Is Key I think most of us know this. When we are on the treadmill of chronic stress the body will only take for so long before the immune system is put on high alert

Diet: One sentence here. Eat more whole food, enjoy your food, and don't eat too much crap.

Lifestyle: Your environment, your work, your relationships. What you do and don't do for fun, your addictions your patterns. If you exercise or not. Will all have an impact on your immunity.

My top tips

• Make a plan, be realistic, and carve out time to implement.

• Decreasing inflammation in the body.

• Find something that helps you manage stress.

• Move your body at least 6 x a week.

• Increase your fruit and veggie intake.

• Decrease your refined food intake.

• Find your joy and passion.

My Favorite Winter Immune Boosting Tonic

The Master tonic

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup garlic - chopped

• 1/2 cup onion - chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh ginger - grated

• 1/2 cup fresh horseradish root - grated

• 1/2 cup hot peppers - (cayenne, habanero, serrano, jalapeño, etc.) chopped

• 1 Liters of apple cider vinegar

Equipment

• Strainer

• Mason jars

• Cheese grater

• Cutting Board

• Knife

• Large mixing bowl

• Cheesecloth

• Plate

• Funnel

• Amber bottles

Instructions

• Prepare all of your ingredients (chop, grate, etc.) and combine them -in a mixing bowl.

• Fill a mason jar about ¾ full with equal parts of the chopped and grated ingredients. You can use big gallon glass jars or I like to use smaller quart-sized mason jars.

• Fill your jar(s) to the top with your raw apple cider vinegar. Make sure the ingredients are completely covered by the apple cider vinegar.

• Close the jar(s) and shake vigorously to mix everything together.

• Store the jar(s) in a dark place and be sure to shake them once a day for at least 2 weeks can be longer.

• When ready use. Place a colander over a bowl and line the colander with cheesecloth.

• Place the mixture in the colander and use a plate to press the moisture out of the mixture into the bowl.

• You can wrap the cheesecloth around the remaining mixture to squeeze the rest of the moisture out of it. The pulp should be as dry as possible.

• The Fire Cider liquid should be free from the pulp before pouring into bottles.

• Pour the liquid through a funnel into amber bottles (I use 50 ml or 100 ml bottles.

How to Use the Master Tonic

Okay, so this is not for everyone. It’s spicy and it’s potent. But it's so effective.

For daily immune support: Take 40 MLS, two or more times each day. Just put it in your mouth, swish it around, gargle, and swallow. Try not to dilute it with water remember we are trying to knock ya socks off.

If you’re fighting something, take the tonic 5-6 times per day. It’s safe for children (use smaller doses) my kids don't like it, so I put honey in it for them. As it's pretty strong.

It doesn’t need refrigeration and it will last the whole winter. You can easily half the ingredients to get a good batch. So who is up for it? This is truly my favorite winter exliar.

You just know that you are not going to make this!

Dont stress! remember that is one of the pillars :)

Try this instead.

Boil jug pour hot water into a cup with a couple of garlic cloves (chopped) and a thumbnail of ginger (Chopped) and if your feeling adventurous add a small amount of chilies. ( a few small slices)

Drink 5 cups daily when feeling under the weather.

The immune system is complexed

I would like to acknowledge that I am simplifying things a little.

Your genetics have a role to play and also some of us have autoimmune situations going on and dealing with Chronic disease.

I will quite often recommend my clients to go to their GP. For a check-up and bloods.

This is a good starting point to make sure nothing gets missed, from there you can feel a bit more informed and empowered about your body.

If you are after a deep dive into optimizing your health and well-being I can help support you on that journey.

Through Naturopathic sessions and Functional Health and well-being genetic tests.

x Coryn