The cold weather is upon us, and quite unexpectedly at that. January is generally not a time that we have to deal with rain and cold! You need a good keep-warm plan if you are to keep colds, flu and respiratory diseases at bay and at the same time keep your body nourished and healthy. Do you have a plan?
Here is what you need;
Heart healthy soups
When environmental temperatures drop, body metabolism increases to produce heat to warm you up. This means that food is digested much faster than you would on a hot day. This leaves you famished and in need of constant feeding.
Instead of binging on unhealthy foods-that only pile up calories-how about having a steaming bowl of delicious soup? A bowl of soup can be a healthy rich whole meal to keep you warm and satisfied throughout the day.
A creamy mashed potato soup made with onions and tomatoes and garnished with cheese is a good place to start. You can also make delicious vegetable soups if you prefer the healthier side of things. Another choice is bone broth, or my favorite-the African peanut stew. These soups are great with some accompaniment such as bread, sweet potatoes, butternut and chapatti among others. Butternut makes very good soups on its own too.
Traditional herbs and medicine
Natural herbs are a godsend when it comes to keeping us healthy. If there’s a country that has been known to lead the way in using traditional herbs, it is China. They have kept these traditions to date and are good at sharing them with the world. Take for example Jiangyin Tianjiang Pharmaceutical Company Limited. A Chinese entity that deals in traditional herbs and medicines. Late last year the company brought into the country two traditional products.
The products are well researched, approved and certified by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. In Kenya, this global manufacturer is operating under a local agent XRP Medical Kenya Limited, and it is through them that it has introduced Healthouself Formular 3 and Healthouself Formula 5. These two formulations are meant for prevention and strengthening of immunity and treatment for all types of severe acute respiratory infections. They have been used in China to reduce cases of acute respiratory infections by boosting human immunity. For more information, have a look at their website here.
High quality lip-balm
Your lips will get dry and crack if you do not keep them moisturized this cold season. And that’s not a good sight. Too keep your lips luscious go for well hydrated lip-balms. Marie Claire, vogue and Elle magazines have good recommendations on the same.
Outfits
Ditch the hot weather clothes and get some warm clothes already! It’s rainy and muddy outside, so trench-coats, boots and umbrellas will come in handy. You should also shop for pull-neck tops, scarfs and marvins to shield the chest, neck and your head from cold. Do not forget gloves if you are extremely in cold places. Generally clothes made from cotton and wool retain heat keeping the body warm.
Take warm baths
A warm bath is good to maintain your body temperature. It also relaxes muscles and warms you up quickly if you have been out in the cold.
Hot water bottles, heaters and electric blankets are also cold weather arsenals you can use to keep yourself warm indoors. Whatever you do remember you are safeguarding the body against cold related complications like flus, and keeping yourself warm, healthy and happy.
