We are living in difficult times, COVID 19 is having a major impact on our lives. The pandemic forced us to adapt a different approach to our daily lives, including home working and schooling, limited access to healthcare, staying apart from one another and many more. Now as most countries are easing their lockdown restrictions, we are left with uncertainty of what is going to come next and with the threat of the second wave of this virus at our doorstep. This affects our mental health, it creates fear, anxiety and often depression. Furthermore, these are impacting our physical health and our immune system. It is very important now to take care of these aspects of our lives as staying strong and healthy will increase our ability to deal with the pandemic in the coming months.
I believe that there are two very important aspects of our live that we should look into - our mental and physical health. Today I will focus mainly on the physical aspect, however it is important to notice how our mental health impacts our body. Chronic stress can trigger many changes in our physical system, affecting nearly all body functions. It can lead to many health problems, it can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes and upset your digestive system. It can cause pain of any kind, affect your skin condition, weight problems and it can also suppress your immune system.
Many aspects of stress could be dealt with using regular meditation practice. Meditation isn’t a medicine that will mend all of your issues, but it is certainly a perfect tool to use to stay in control of your emotions and your thoughts. There is a lot of evidence that meditation - when practised regularly - trains the brain to achieve a certain stage of presence and gratitude, that when negative thinking or stressful circumstances appear, we can apply a positive and calm approach to deal with these. Thanks to meditation we can gain the ability and knowledge to create peaceful and joyful space within and around ourselves.
But coming back to physical health, I’d like to share a recipe for a paste I make, it is something that everyone can prepare at home. It will help to improve your family’s and your immune systems. It would be beneficial to start taking it now, to boost the immune system and strengthen your health before flu season comes when there is a higher risk to catch the infection.
Ingredients:
50 g of Turmeric
100 g of Ginger
1 medium Lemon
50 g (2 tablespoons) of Honey (optional)
Peel the turmeric and ginger, please note that turmeric roots are highly colouring, use gloves and make sure that you do not leave turmeric on a surface that could be hard to wash when tinted. Peel the lemon and pull out its seeds. Blend all the ingredients together, I use Nutri Bullet, as it blends everything to a nice and smooth paste. You can store the paste in a refrigerator for up to 14 days. Take 1 – 2 spoons daily. It can be used by all family including children, for some the taste might be too strong, if this is the case you can drink it after diluting it in water.
What makes it so good? The answer is INGREDIENTS:
TURMERIC - also known as Indian saffron or the golden spice, it is a root or rhizome, it grows underground and looks similar to ginger.
Turmeric has been used for medicinal purposes for more than 4000 years, especially in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of natural healing. In Ayurvedic practices, healers have used this herb to treat, just to name a few - respiratory conditions, alleviate gas, improve digestion and relieve arthritis.
We also know that turmeric fights inflammation which is the body’s response to injury and infection caused by both bacteria and viruses. Studies show curcumin (one of turmeric’s compounds) could be effective in treating depression. In 2014, researchers in India gave study participants Prozac, curcumin or a combination of the two. Curcumin was just as effective as Prozac. Beside the other benefits, turmeric can improve the health of your skin, as it is a powerful antioxidant and it has the ability to block free radicals. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, it may be fundamental in treating psoriasis. It’s also said that the combination of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories helps bring out your skin’s natural glow. In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, research also shows curcumin could prevent the formation, and even break up the amyloid-beta plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.
GINGER - raw ginger is one of the most hard-working foods out there in terms of shoring up your health for both bacterial and viral winter infections. This is why it has been used in Eastern medicine for 5000 years, ginger was brought from the Ancient Orient to Europe during the spice trade and used by the Romans and Greeks to treat everything from pain and nausea to common colds. Winter infections are caused by viruses attacking the immune system when it is low. Ginger contains 12 antiviral substances which can help to ward off these attacks. Even if you’re already suffering from a bad cold, it’s not too late to reap the benefits of raw ginger as it also warms the body from within. This is because ginger is a diaphoretic, it means that it promotes sweating, which helps you flush out toxins from your system. Also, because ginger has super anti-inflammatory properties, it will help you clear blocked sinuses, ease a scratchy sore throat, and reduce any swelling. Ginger also boosts metabolism and prevents many heart diseases.
LEMON - rich source of vitamin C and a powerful antioxidant. In fact, once squeezed, lemon provides around 21% of a person’s daily value (DV). Like other citrus fruits — including oranges, grapefruits, and limes — lemons are rich in flavonoids. These are compounds that help boost health and fight diseases. Citrus fruits are famous immune boosters, thanks to their high vitamin C and bioflavonoid content, and teamed with ginger, it creates the perfect mix to make sure your immune system gets the boost it needs to fight off illnesses during the cold winter months.
HONEY – it has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Honey can help boost your immune system and fight sickness. It also contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants that can help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
I believe that the combination of these 4 ingredients makes a perfect blend to help protect us and our close ones from infections, certainly it will be helpful in preparing ourselves for the winter season and it is a ‘must have’ in case of the second wave of COVID 19. Enjoy and stay safe.
