Fight viruses naturally…
It’s officially Fall here in the northern hemisphere and that means flu and virus season is upon us.
Not only are we facing the typical flu and virus season this year, but the pandemic never ended over the summer as some predicted the warm weather would help to do.
However, have no fear because I’ve got some solid tips to help you fight viruses naturally.
There are actually a lot of simple things you can do daily beyond hand-washing or mask-wearing to boost your immune system and prevent a virus from taking you hostage.
And the single most important thing you can do to fight off viruses naturally is…
BALANCE BLOOD SUGAR!
As more research is emerging about the recent pandemic, sugar is being identified as one of the primary risk factors for contracting the virus and the severity of symptoms.
In fact, a recent study “suggests that prolonged uncontrolled hyperglycemia, and not just a history of diabetes mellitus, may be important in the pathogenesis of the disease.”
Hyperglycemia is when an excessive amount of glucose aka sugar is circulating around in the bloodstream. High blood sugar levels can increase the number of sugar-coated, ACE2 receptors, a virus’s favorite entry point. Not only are the number of receptors higher with more circulating sugar, but they also have more sugars attached to them making it easier for the virus to infect cells.
When blood sugar values are lower, there are fewer ACE2 receptors and sugars on each one; thus, reducing the amount of viruses getting into cells.
Essentially high blood sugar levels provide easy transportation for viruses to attach to and enter cells for infection.
PLUS, elevated blood sugar levels:
- Fuel inflammation weakening the immune system’s ability to respond adequately
- Disrupt your cortisol rhythm and restful sleep cycles that protect against viruses
- Leave you craving more sugar and stuck on a blood sugar roller coaster
Any apparently healthy person can have high levels of blood sugar. I see this all the time in health-minded clients I work with, even the ones who are “eating healthy” and exercising regularly.
How could this be?
Foods that impact blood sugar go beyond the well-known added white sugar used in baking cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats. Eating too many carbs, even the so-called healthy ones, for what your body can tolerate can also lead to blood sugar imbalances.
In this week’s video and blog,
I’ve got some solid tips to help you balance blood sugar and fight viruses naturally.
There’s a difference between eating healthy and eating right for your body. Eating right for your body will include healthy foods but not every healthy food is right for your body.
Take a banana for example, around the world most would agree it’s a healthy food but if you have an allergy or sensitivity to bananas OR they contain too many carbs and sugars for what your body can tolerate, then they aren’t a healthy food for you.
When you eat something like said-banana that has these negative effects on you, it spikes your blood sugar and inflammation making you susceptible to potential viruses, and leaves you craving more sugar to get another energy bump – the vicious cycle continues!
It’s possible to encounter these issues even if you’re eating a Paleo, Whole30, Autoimmune Paleo or another type of healthy diet. These diets deal more with food elimination than they do macronutrient (carb, protein, and fat) or blood sugar balance.
When you eat the wrong ratios of proteins, carbs, and fats for your body, it can lead to blood sugar imbalances making you feel:
- Tired, anxious, irritable, or needing to nap
- Snacky, bloated, heavy, or craving for sweets
- Brain foggy, wired but tired or physically full and still hungry
- Worn down and vulnerable to viruses!
When you’re eating the right ratio of protein, carbs, and fats per meal you will:
- Be able to go 3-5 hours or more without feeling hungry or needing to snack
- Have energy for hours and feel recharged
- Think clearly, feel uplifted and be more positive
- Easily regulate blood sugar levels keeping them low
Figuring out your food ratios to balance your blood sugar, boost immunity and energy is actually pretty simple. All you need to do is:
- Tune into your body 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating
- Notice how it’s responding to what you ate
- Adjust your food ratios until you get the perfect response!
To help you figure out what ratios are right for your body to balance blood sugar, click here to get my Food & Body Language Log.
Adding 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to your meals by drizzling it over veggies, meat or salad is an easy way to increase your intake of healthy fats to balance your blood sugar, keep you satiated for longer and fend off cravings.
Next, let’s address sleep as another natural and incredibly impactful tool to help you fight off viruses.
We must learn to value sleep as much as we do diet and exercise.
When you get optimal and restful sleep, the body is able to restore and repair itself, your hormones can rebalance and nutrients can be absorbed and converted into useful tools.
When sleep is inconsistent, disrupted, or short in duration, your body is not able to fully recover. Your circadian rhythm and cortisol balance becomes dysfunctional and a domino effect occurs in the body. Cortisol regulates how your body uses insulin and the availability of glucose (sugar) in the body for energy.
Staying up late at night or not getting a good night’s sleep disrupts your cortisol balance and energy leaving you searching for energy via food, queueing the food, and sugar cravings!
To balance your energy, blood sugar, avoid cravings, and promote weight loss it’s ideal to be asleep by 10 pm most nights of the week (5 out of 7).
When you do get sick, don’t you always feel better faster when you sleep it off
This is because your body can only heal in a relaxed state, so if and when you are fighting something off, sleep is critical to your recovery. Sleep is when human growth hormone is released to repair and replenish cells and when the body performs other important functions to boost your immunity.
If we all committed to eating the right foods for our body to prevent blood sugar issues and getting great sleep this cold and flu season, I bet we could put this pandemic behind us faster.
Are you up for the challenge?
Leave a comment below and let me know what steps, no matter how small, you can take to regulate your blood sugar and improve sleep to fight viruses naturally 🙂
