Stay Beautiful in Hajj

I heard my name called from behind me. When I looked back, I’d thought the circus had let out one of their clowns. Oh wait, it was just my friend Ahmed! But why was his nose so red?!

Hajj season is here, and so are the new and improved viruses! As you might know, viruses are quite smart, and constantly change to avoid detection by our immune system. What does this mean? More red noses! Everyone I’ve met in the last 5 days has either been feverish or coughing, or both. They did not look pretty at all. So let’s see how we can keep our immunity up there so that none of those pesky tricky viruses slips in.
1) In the Mood for Food

There are certain foods that you get in your body to boost that immune system, and strengthen your soldiers.

Vitamin C  This is the most famous infection beater-upper. Vitamin C has been shown to increse the number of antibodies (soldiers) that fight infection. As a bonus, it also raises your HDL (good cholesterol). Get some citrus fruits in your food today and keep those viruses away.

Honey and Vinegar both of these have been shown to be ruthless on pesky infections. The great thing adding these two to different salads, foods and recipes actually make them taste good. Be creative!

Garlic A lot of us get annoyed by someone who’s eaten garlic and can’t keep their trap shut. Perhaps viruses feel the same way? Garlic multiplies those infection-fighting white cells, which will make it easier for you to remember: White garlic helps white cells. Say it 10 times!

2) Are you afraid of Pills?

Much skepticism has been attached to natural supplements. Some think it’s medicine for the sick, others don’t like to swallow pills. But the fact is, that if we were to try to get all the vitamins, minerals and good stuff our body needs from food alone, we’d have to eat a truck load! For example, to get all the vitamin C you need, you’d need to eat 6 oranges every day! The easy way out? Take a supplement. Supplement are not drugs and you don’t need to wait until you’re sick to take them. That being said, here are 3 supplements you can take to boost your Immunity!

 Multivitamins Hajj or no Hajj, this should be on your daily to do list. But we should especially make sure we’re taking these to make sure our bodies are working right and ready to take any offense, hopefully with some sportsmanship!

 Omega-3 This special fatty acid is usually found in some of the foods we eat. But again, to avoid eating endless amount of fish and other omeg-3 containing foods, it’s just easier to take these convenient supplements. A study has shown that people who took this experienced a 50% less chance of getting chest infections. Perfect! Omeg-3 also increases the levels of that good cholesterol, and breaks down that bad plaque in the blood vessles. Keep that blood flowin’.

الحبة السوداء  A recent study showed that consuming this seed that the prophet Mohammed –pbuh- mentioned 1400 years ago has shown a reduced level of cholesterol and blood sugar. Again, keep that blood movin’!

3)Move, Fast

Those are two separate words by the way. Moving constantly, and leading an active lifestyle has been shown to be the best way to keep those infections out. Try to get a nice 1 hr. walk, jog or swim at least 3 times a week. Fasting has also been shown to boost your immune system. Think of it like this: with less blood going to your stomach and digestion, more will go to your immune system. All your doing is feeding your soldiers and giving them their paychecks on-time. They’ll be ready to die for you!

So What’s the plan?

Now we know the what. Let’s go to the how. Let’s try to get all of the above into our daily plan, so we can look and feel beautiful and be ready for Hajj shall we?
a) Try to eat as many fruits as you can each day
b) Garlic Honey and Vinegar make regular food super food! Look for recipes or make up your own in the kitchen. A little tricks here and there to help protect your children these days are worth it
c) Immunity Drink: Warm water + Honey + vinegar + الحبة السوداء. Not common, but not weak! Start off your day with this. Remind you of your grandmother?
d) Set a fixed time each day to take your multivitamins and Omega-3
e) Go out on a family walk @ Mamsha Corniche. The weather is beautiful
f) Take advantage of these days, and fast. A good restart for your immunity

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