One of the absolute BEST things you can do for yourself is to eat good, healthy food! Fresh vegetables, juicy fruit, nuts and seeds!  As we feed ourselves and our families in trying times, we often look for easy food, packaged food – hey! It last longer!  I get all of this.  But easy isn’t always better.  And right now, everyone has to care for themselves the best way possible.

Some of the local farmer’s markets are still open.  I’m finding lots of terrific produce at my local grocery store. Even buying frozen fruit and vegetables can go a long way to helping keep your nutrition in full force.  Some great vegetables and fruits to enjoy right now:

1. Lemons. Grab some juice (make sure it is pure lemon juice) or fresh lemons.  Squeeze some into your water – it might help you drink more water - another great tip to helping you stay healthy.
2. Sweet Potatoes. One of my favorites! Think about baking them the “old-fashioned” way vs. microwaving.  Add delicious creamy butter, and sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and even ginger, and enjoy. You’ll get lots of immune-boosting vitamin A.  Cinnamon is a universal flu fighter; cloves fight infection; nutmeg can help your overall digestion; and ginger boosts our feel-good neurotransmitters – we all need to feel good right now!
3. Spinach. Steam it, stir fry it, juice it for a smoothie!  Spinach is full of immune-boosting anti-oxidants. Add some garlic, onions and mushrooms to your spinach, and you practically have a meal! Garlic is a powerful bacteria fighter; onions are great for blood health and are loaded with vitamin C, which is a great flu-fighter; mushrooms are immune boosters, too. 
4. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.  All are powerful disease fighters that help the body not only fight, but heal as well.
5. Oranges, Grapefruit, tangelos, any citrus. These are juicy, hydrating ur bodies, and have lots of vitamin C. They also work to reduce stress hormones.
6. Tomatoes.  Fresh ones are loaded with vitamins A and C – great immune boosting vitamins, as well as vitamin K, potassium and fiber.  If you buy tomato sauce, make sure it doesn’t have added sugar, salt, and anything else not needed.

In general, shop your produce section!  Grab salad ingredients and enlist your kids to help wash and cut them – see last week’s Salad in a Box article.  Pick up veggies, like asparagus, celery, Brussels sprouts, green beans – all in good supply now.  Think fruits that can be stored on a counter and kept for a while.

If you want good food but lack time, choose a vegetable and fruit tray that many supermarkets keep on hand.  Look for packaged salad mixes that only need to be washed.  Think of healthful shortcuts that will help you and your family stay safe, well fed, and happy.

We’re all concerned with our health right now.  I just wrote an article for a local company on some easy things they can do to keep themselves healthy.  If you want a copy, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. me!

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