Building A Healthy Immune System

Since getting a bad case of the flu several weeks ago the boys have had a hard time getting better. When they get around other who may be carrying a bug they are like magnets, catching everything. The doctor said we needed to keep them in as much as possible so their immune system can built back up. I have been reading up on ways to help build a healthy immune system and found a helpful article here from the University of Kentucky. What is your immune system and why is it important? Each person is born with a system in his/her body to fight off disease caused by bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and even parasites. This is your immune system. Some people have strong immune systems,others do not. The immune system has many processes with one of three particular jobs to do:



1. stopping disease from entering the body

2. killing bacteria or viruses once they enter the body but before they make you sick

3. destroying viruses and/or bacteria after they have created disease.

The immune system can recognize viruses that have been in your body before. The first time a virus enters your body, a healthy immune system will develop antibodies or other compounds that are designed to attack this virus. The next time this virus enters your body, these antibodies are ready to attack right away.

A few healthy immune building foods the we have been enjoying

• Blueberries
• Red Grapes
• Oranges
• Plums
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Red Bell Pepper
• Corn
• Onion
• Spinach (love using this in salads)
• Nuts
• Cheese

A diet high in fruits and vegetables has many of the phytonutrient critical to enhance immunity as well as many of the important vitamins and minerals. A steady and balanced intake of essential vitamins and mineral helps to keep our immune systems working properly by providing us protection from infections and disease. Fish, poultry, lean meat, low-fat dairy products, cereals and legumes (peas, lentils, beans) are all good sources of minerals. Foods such as cheese, eggs or liver, which supply vitamin A, and spinach, sweet potatoes or carrots, which are good sources of beta carotene, should also be eaten daily.

Source: Women's Fitness



I've never been a "worry wort Mom" but seeing how sick they were with this H1N1 flu has caused me to become a bit more concerned. Washing hands, keeping shoes on their feet when outside, and eating healthy food has become more of a focus in our house. They don't know it yet, but the flu shot is next on our to-do list! Shhhh, let's not tell them just yet! I hope you stay healthy this flu season too!

Thankful For My Stock Pile

I had no idea when I purchased on clearance several boxes of Kleenex, Advil, Tylenol, Lotion, Lysol and even toilet paper and crackers that they would ever come in so handy as they have the past two weeks. When we were hit with the flu it was a comfort knowing the pantry was stocked and the only things we needed from the store were perishables items like milk and eggs. I craved raw vegetables and we could not get enough cold drinks. For some reason water tasted really bad to all of us, we brought in a small cooler and kept it filled with juice, sprite, water bottle (which we had drink mixes to add so we could handle the taste). We love the new ice machine right up the road, for $1.50 you can get 20lb of ice which filled our cooler and lasted a few days. Although we are not over this horrible bug, we are into day 16 and happy that today everyone is out of bed and two of us are actually dressed in clothing rather then PJ's. I am rejoicing that my husband and Dad were able to avoid getting sick and are still on the healthy side. A special thank you to them for taking care of us when I became ill. Mark even went so far as sleeping on an air mattress in the living room to avoid me sneezing and coughing on him in the night! He cooked, cleaned, shopped for supplies, went to work, called to check on us, kept our medication straight and even did laundry. Thank you honey for stepping in and taking care of us for the past week. Grandpa is happy everyone is feeling better too, he has missed the boys coming out to visit with him and yesterday was happy Caleb was able to come visit him in his house. Caleb was so happy to go visit Grandpa he did not come in until Grandpa said he wanted to go to bed! LOL! So much for being lonely! Grandpa said, "That boy talked and talked!" We thought Caleb went to bed but at 10:30 PM he came walking in the house just a talkin! Yep, he is feeling better! Thank you for your prayers! We are on our way back!