Thursday 2 January 2014

Eating myself well . . . I hope!


I always cook from scratch, and live on fresh fruit, but I have decided to up the ante with this chest infection and try and boost my immune system by eating yet more healthily, and the little book at the front is very useful.  We always have a huge fruit bowl full of apples, bananas and usually a few lemons (for cooking).  I usually eat 4 or so apples a day (more if they are small ones) and always have done, since I was a child, and they are meant to be helpful as an anti-inflammatory and to calm allergy responses.


I think the close-up was a bit too close.  Here you can see Oranges, Mango, Pineapple and Kiwi Fruit - for Vitamin C, plain bio-yoghurt to go with fresh fruit and also to combine in a fruit drink. The Pineapple is rich in Vit. C and the bromelain in it is good for easing inflammation. Kiwi Fruit - Vit. C.  Oranges have Vit. C and also B5, which stimulates the immune system response. Mango - Vit. C and Vit. E.  The bio yoghurt is for restoring gut flora and hopefully helping the immune response. Curly Kale - full of B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and flavinoids, to boost the immune system.   French Beans for B vitamins too.  I used to use brown rice all the time, but have gotten lazy down the years as it takes twice as long to cook, and used Basmati in preference, which I shall still use with curries, for preference.  Basmati is lower in the GI index, so I shan't feel too guilty!  The brown rice has lots of B vitamins and zinc and trace minerals, essential for fighting infection and being slow-release energy, helps keep hunger pangs at bay.

The little bag in the middle has Mung beans and Adzuki beans, which I have got for sprouting.  Fresh beanshoots are so health-giving and the Adzuki beans are immune-boosting too, being very high in magnesium, potassium and folate.  I got a sprouter jar for £1 at a car boot sale last year, so it is now in use (at long last!)

The herbal teas are something I am shying away from a little - I've had some bad experiences with herbal teas.  They smell wonderful - and taste like old socks.  Or they have so much Rosehip in that is all you can taste (though Rosehip is GOOD for you!)  Anyway, I have the nettle and blackberry, and echinacea and raspberry, and will report back.  If I can eat raw watercress with my salad now (and I don't care for its bitterness, so had to slosh it with vinegar!!) then I can force down a herbal tea.

I now have some Floradix on order, and am taking a rather expensive but good immune-boosting supplement which has upped my energy levels. 

Desperate to get well again?  You bet.  But there's no harm from eating good food.

Popping in to add that I did a healing meditation today (thank you Nicole Cody at Cauldrons and Cupcakes).  I nearly went to sleep, then at the end I nearly cried.  It was SO relaxing and totally eased my pleurisy pain, and I plan to try and set aside half an hour each day to do this now.  I used to go to a Yoga class where we also did Meditation, though tbh, it was the Meditation I went for! 

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for leaving a comment on my recent post. I hope all these lovely goodies help to banish your chest infections. I'm not keen on herbal teas either- but I discovered Rooibos Spiced teas last year, which taste as good as they smell! Jx

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  2. Right, I will look out for those. I am still trying to pluck up courage to try the nettle and blackberry tea. Good grief, I'm a grown up, how pathetic am I?!

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  3. I have four or five cups of herbal tea each day - drink more of it than anything else. I am not sure what effect it has on me, but it makes me feel good.

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  4. That looks a very healthy selection of superfoods! I do hope it helps you to finally knock these chest infections out of your system.
    Good luck with the herbal teas. I keep giving them another try but I can`t say I`m that keen on the taste of them.

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  5. Good luck with it - it can only do you good. Completely agree about herbal teas by the way.....disgusting! I don't mind peppermint though and it certainly aids digestion. Nettle is okay too I think as it's not trying to be something fruity and exciting!

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  6. Looking after yourself and your health weaknesses is very important. Meditation is so beneficial and I can't wait to start my yoga classes again as we do a meditation session as well.

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  7. Hi BB

    Don not forget toasted sesame seeds - you can buy the seeds from Asian Supermarkets (often sold as Till Seeds in their raw form) but toasted lightly in a grill pan and then stored in an airtight jar adds a lovely nutty flavour to breakfast I usually pop natural yogurt on top of fresh fruit or cereal and then sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. They are a good source of lineolic acid if I remember correctly which helps a woman's hormonal system as well as it gives the small amounts of rarer vitamins that women need.

    Herbal teas - fresh lemon and ginger root soaked in boiling water is very refreshing and can be drunk hot or cold - the ginger is good for warming your system up too. If you have bought the herbal tea bags and you find them difficult to drink at first add half a teaspoon of sugar brown or white or honey and then try. This often makes it more palatable to use until you get used to them and then you can reduce the small amount of sugar.

    I think you need to learn Reiki if you can I think it would be very good for you and I think you would be a natural at it. Learning to meditate can be useful tool with the Reiki in any event. It would give you a focus and when you start off with Reiki it is about the self first and then family and friends. |It is only when you get to level 2 that you can charge for treatments. Have a word with Kim she is a Reiki Master/Teacher and I know you two are good friends. I do not have the teaching qualification as yet, but it would help you help yourself.

    Glad to see that the supplement is helping you already.

    Love and light and I hope this New Year is a happy and successful one.

    Tricia (aka Pattypan)

    xx

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  8. I do wonder what your medical consultants are thinking of--all these conflicting anti-biotics! Some herbal teas are OK--others seem to set off a war in my innards, too acidic I think. The food choices look good--though I'm guessing the men of your household might not be enthused if they have to partake [?]

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  9. I wish we had better access to fresh fruit where I am. I am land locked and the fruit that comes in here is Walmart specials and some of it is very spent, and shriveled up. So I have to can fruit during summer when I can get it, when the fruit buyers come into town with fresh fruits from the western slope of Colorado. Other than that, we are void of fruit.
    Please get better. I have to watch herbals also, some make my tummy very unhappy.
    Take care

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  10. Happy New Year! Hope the healthy eating regime does the trick for you. I don't eat anything like as much fruit as I should, must try and improve. Do hope that the latest storm hasn't been too bad where you are. We've got off relatively lightly so far but there's the weekend to come yet....

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  11. Thank you all for your kind and helpful comments. I will get back to you properly in the morning. Meanwhile, rest assured we haven't floated away yet (though plenty of rain and a tremendous thunderstorm at 4.30/5 a.m. this morning). We went to Hay on Wye for the day today, so I shall write that up tomorrow.

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  12. BB, Happy 2014, and may the goddess of health whisper sweet nothings while the real estate diety gathers potential purchasers of your property. Here's to the new year, better health and quality time with those we love.

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