Kick that Cold!

I’m writing this while sitting by an open window that’s letting in a gorgeous fresh breeze.  Spring has definitely made its way to Florida–I’m ecstatic!  It’s been around 80 degrees for the last couple of weeks and everything is starting to bloom.  My lime tree looks so happy with its pretty white blossoms and I think the bees buzzing around it are even happier.  I’m certainly not trying to brag.  Instead, I always aim to inspire.  A few years ago, I realized how important climate is to my over all well-being.  Being from New England, I’m used to being cold and dry for more than half of the year which really doesn’t work for my body or my emotions.  I thrive in warm, humid, tropical sunshine.  When I made the move to Florida, I couldn’t believe how much physical healing occurred and how much my mood brightened.  Have you been complaining about the winter weather as I used to do?  Are you craving warmer, sunnier days?  The weather isn’t something we can really escape on a daily basis, so I encourage you to discover the climate you thrive in and how you can bring your life there.  Hopefully, you’ve already found it.

Since a lot of my friends and family are still living in that colder climate and spring is a bit further off in the distance, I’m still hearing about coughs, colds and pesky viruses.  When I made the switch to raw foods, my immunity went through the roof!  I totally breezed through my first winter on raw foods (in Rhode Island, surrounded by sick people all season) without a single illness–the first time in my entire life.  This was one of the main reasons that inspired me to really stick with this lifestyle–feeling so powerful against what we’ve come to call “the common cold”.  It’s certainly no longer common to me.  This is not to say I’m invincible, so whenever I’m experiencing higher levels of stress, travel or less than adequate sleep, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make sure I don’t catch anything.  I love taking a daily, high quality multivitamin along with a dose of probiotics.  Our immunity actually begins in our gut, so it’s really important to keep a good balance of healthy flora.  Of course, being in Florida, I have access to an abundance of fresh, organic citrus all winter long, so vitamin C and I are close friends.   For those very rare moments when I feel the slightest tickle in my throat, I created this drink to nip it in the bud.  I’ve had a lot of success with this as I feel it is the perfect blend of simple and accessible cold kickin’ foods.  Ginger, garlic and raw honey are all antibacterial and antiviral.  Honey soothes the throat–if you can get powerful Manuka honey, even better.  Cayenne increases circulation and will give you an instant internal warmth if you’re starting to feel a bit of a chill (skip if you have a very sore throat–ouch!).  And of course the abundance of citrus will flood your body with with an immune boost of vitamin C.  Give this a try if you’re feeling under the weather.

Your body is a powerful self-healer when you give it the love it deserves!

Juicy Cold Kick

* 4 small oranges

* 1 lemon

* 1 grapefruit

* 1-2 tablespoons raw honey

* 1” cube ginger

* 2 cloves garlic

Juice the citrus by hand or with a citrus juicer.  Pour the juice into a blender and add the honey, ginger, garlic and cayenne.  Blend well.  Drink to your ever improving health!

 
Wishes of Bliss!

Natalia