The cold season is certainly approaching and in more ways than one. The temperature took a noticeable dip last week and now it seems everyone around is coughing and sniffling (not us at 121 Dietitian! Yet!!).  Whether by co-incidence or by design this snuffly month (October) happens to be flu awareness month.

Nobody likes to feel unwell and taking time off work is never good, especially in these times when retaining your job is paramount and being in tip top health is essential. To help you protect yourself or battle through, we thought we would share our knowledge on how to protect yourself from flu and boost your immunity before the flu season kicks in.

Protect yourself

The Public Health Agency has just launched their Seasonal Flu Vaccination Programme 2012/2012, they have some great advice on protecting yourself on their dedicated website http://www.fluawareni.info .

Boost your immunity

Did you know that malnutrition (under nutrition) is a common cause of reduced immunity? We can boost our immunity simply by eating right & staying hydrated. A healthy diet plays a key part in boosting immunity. Lack of nutrients such as zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid and vitamins A,C & E in the diet can lead to a deficiency which then reduces immunity. Being overweight or obese does not exempt you from malnutrition. Obesity is another factor associated with reduced immunity. The moral of this story;

Poor Diet + Overweight = Bad news for the immune system

Tips to boost immunity

• Eat a healthy & varied diet. This will help prevent malnutrition.

• Maintain a healthy weight for your height an ideal BMI is 23.

• Stay hydrated, aim for 8 glasses of fluids per day, drink more when you exercise or when it is hot.

• Fruit and vegetables are a great source of Vitamins A,C & E. These nutrients have a significant impact on our immunity and so this is just another reason to ensure we all get our 5 a day.

• Red meat, poultry and seafood such as oysters, crab & lobster are a good source of Zinc. Vegetarian sources include whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals and dairy products.

• Dietary sources of selenium include nuts and seeds, fish, chicken, rice & cheese.

• Folic acid, (essential in pregnancy) can be found in dark green leafy veg, dried beans & peas and citrus fruits eg. oranges & strawberries.

Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018.