Especially at this time of year, there is no specific way to avoid coming down with flu, in fact for the past couple of day the wife has been looking quite sickly and the kids have sported snotty noses.

However, there are certain precautions you can take to strengthen your body’s natural defences. Exercise, sleep and limiting the amount of stress that you are exposed to will all help to boost your immune system. However, it has been indicated recently that diet can contribute to the immune system defences, too.

One an average day, we are exposed to a variety of bacteria and viruses. An average healthy immune system will attack most, however the common cold and flu is pretty much avoidable. A healthy diet will help to overcome this and a strong immune system will mean that we recover successfully and quickly.

To ensure that your immune system is ticking over correctly, you should try eating a diet which includes a wide variety of fruit and vegetables as well as nuts and seeds, whole grains and fish. One thing to remember is that there are some foods that are substantially better at fighting off bacteria. Vitamin C, vitamin A, selenium, zinc, probiotics and iron are all vitamins and minerals that help the immune system to run to the best of its ability.

Capsicum peppers, as well as your average citrus fruits, contain lots vitamin C. Carrots, fish oils and dairy foods are a rich source of vitamin A. You can also eat Brazil nuts for selenium and natural yoghurt is an excellent source of probiotic bacteria (which is proven to help aid the natural killer of bacteria in areas such as the gut.)

When you are ill you should be a regular eater of garlic! When it comes to colds and flu’s, garlic is proven to help immensely and has been recognised for its medicinal properties for years! Garlic contains a very useful nutrient called alliin. Alliin acts as a natural decongestant, whilst the antioxidants in the garlic help to destroy bacteria in the body before they can damage cells and replicate.

As mentioned, citrus fruits are high in vitamin C and many foods (such as: strawberries, green peppers, broccoli and pineapple) can often relieve symptoms. Honey is another famous natural antiseptic, which is also thought to help the immune system greatly, as well as cinnamon which will easily soothe a fever.

If you stray slightly from your normal diet regime slightly when you are ill, then do not panic! Its also important to consider comfort when you are ill and often the best way to feeling comfortable is to eat foods that you enjoy! You should also consider snacks and food s that a quick and easy to prepare! There is nothing like faffing around downstairs in the kitchen, when you could be tucked up in your nice, warm and cosy bed upstairs.

Finally, the most important thing to think about when your ill is to keep you fluid levels high. Water is extremely helpful when dealing with an illness and you should constantly try sipping water or juices.

How to stop the smell

Picture courtesy of bark

Having to young boys I don’t have to suffer smelly shoes just yet however I am not looking forward to when they get a bit older and their shoes start stinking out the house. It’s normally something you can’t get around, according to my mother both my brother and I had stinking feet which is why our shoes were normally left in the outside shed even in winter.

The reasons for food odour:

Excess moisture, normally caused by sweat or in my case when I was a lad running around in mucky puddles/streams for full days leads to increased bacteria levels which is what makes them, smell. Adding to the smell can also be shoe and sock material, activity levels, climate and the person’s propensity to sweat, plus hygiene can play its part however it does depend on the person. Teenage boys are more prone to foot odour due to varying hormone levels. Also those who have higher levels of perspiration are more prone to bacterial and fungal infections such as tinea pedis or athlete’s foot as you may know it which can make foot odour worse.

There are numerous experts who have their own opinion on how to stop your feet smelling as well as old wives tales etc. these include:

Foot spray, although I find this will just mask the smell already there, unless it contains an antiperspirant.

Talcum powder to soak up some of that moisture, however you can end up with a nice white paste in your shoes if your feet sweat too much or your shoes get wet which isn’t nice.
Natural oils have been recommended, ones such as Australian organic emu oil which won’t irritate the skin but do offer lasting hydration and fight bacteria.

There other things you can do to combat foot odour, such as opting for socks made from natural fibres rather than synthetic as these will help your feet breath better. The same goes for footwear too synthetic materials can also trap sweat and prevent air from circulating, which is why you find trainers have gaps or air holes. Also try alternating your shoes daily, so they have the opportunity to air out and won’t become damp and moist. Also going without sock isn’t a good idea either, wear shoes without socks an also make your feet sweat more and make foot odour worse, for women too so why not try pop sock, my wife does.

Picture courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt